Soup It Up

After being near death this week with not only bronchitis but laryngitis and eating nothing but soup and popsicles I find Saturday fast approaching with an event called Soup it Up Culinary Challenge.  Soup is the last thing I want to see right now but this is an event I have entered, I entered it weeks ago.   This challenge is held by the Jr. Chef Association and will take place at Exhibition Park Maritime Fall Fair. This competition has kept me up at night and when sleeping I  have dreamt about my soup. Literately keeping me in  vivid dreams about what soup to make. I have researched recipes, I have talked to a dozen chefs and others who consider themselves soup connoisseurs and after hearing what everyone thinks I should do... I came up with my own combination that is quite delicious. 

The way culinary competitions work are you are given a list of ingredients or a black box with no knowledge of what ingredients are in the box, then you are to create a dish with only those items.  In the Soup It Up challenge we have been given a list of ingredients. We will be given a harvest basket and have 2 hours to create 100 servings of soup. The general public then votes on the soup. 

I can not disclose my soup recipe or the name of my soup until after the competition. I had a early tasting of the soup on Friday night where I received much appreciated feed back from my best critics. All honest, all appreciated and of which I have kept in mind going into my very first culinary competition.  I look forward to you coming out to vote for the best soup this Saturday October 18th from 12-2 at The Maritime Fall Fair. By the best soup I mean mine:)

back of the bus

On Tuesday of this week I spent the day in the Valley of Nova Scotia discovering L'Acadie Vineyards and rediscovering  beautiful Domaine De Grand Pre. In total there were 170 NSCC students and faculty who piled on to big noisy buses and headed to the Valley. The buses all chugged along and at times I thought would not make it up the not so steep highway hills. We made it all in tact and ready to explore. The weather held off and although there was the threat of rain it was the perfect day. I should add I have not been on a school bus in well over 20 years. 

Nova Scotia has been cultivating grapes since the 1600's finally the wine industry in Nova Scotia is growing in leaps and bounds, this year marks the opening of the 9th vineyard in Nova Scotia with L'Acadie. This is only a snip  of the vine with Pete Lucket opening his Winery in 2011 along with Benjamin Bridge and 2 others. The area is rich with mineral deposits that make the grapes grown in this region have a very distinctive flavor.  The hills, valleys and the soil they hold, the iceage responsible for it all, the sea and her air are contributing factors. What makes it special is the place, the time and a climate change that is doing some good. I find myself now not only a wine lover but so interested in the rich history of grape growers and wine makers.  I almost see myself living on a vineyard but fear it would not be successful for I would drink all the profits.

I have posted some photos,  as you see the day ended in my drinking on the back of the bus. Not the most elegant way to to drink wine...out of a bottle sharing with several others but the experience one I can say that I did not have 20 years ago.