Monthly Archives: February 2012

Showing 1 to 6 of 8 posts

Domaine de Grand Pré – Winter, Wine & Warmth

By Christine on February 21, 2012 (2) comments

Blog by Kim & Cheryl Whytock

Winter – such a perfect time for comfort, good food, good wine and warmth. 

To begin our Nova Scotia Icewine Festival experience, we headed to the Annapolis Valley to take in the beauty, the festivities and of course some amazing local wines. After a short stop at Luckett Vineyards to watch families sledding down the 500 foot luge and a taste of Pete’s hot soup and curry, we descended from the outdoor experiences to the warmth of a special “wine and cheese tasting” hosted by Hanspeter Stutz and his family at Domaine de Grand Pré. more…


Grinning and Beer-ing It

By Christine on February 13, 2012 Add a comment

Blog by Meghan Cadue

As you may know, my husband is a chef; he’s classically trained in French cuisine, so adding booze to food is kind of mandatory.  Although when we had the opportunity to check out Garrison Brewing and I suggested we round up some dishes to cook with beer, he did raise a bit of a ‘huffy’ eyebrow. 

I reminded him that he’s put beer in his rib marinade, and chefs in Belgium have been adding beer to their dishes for years, so it should be pretty awesome.  As we parked the car by the Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market, he muttered something about the sacrilege of choosing beer over wine – I ignored him and got ready to try something fresh from the tap.

Garrison has been brewing hand-crafted beer since 1997, and they have certainly become a pillar of beer production in our region.  more…


Hitting the Sweet Spot

By Christine on February 8, 2012 (3) comments

Blog by Natasha Fillmore

Remember that commercial, “Everyone is good at something”? Well, Nancy & Greg McTiernan are good at making chocolate. The owners of Sweet Spot Chocolate Shop may have stumbled upon their calling in life, but there’s no question they responded to the call at the top of their voices.

After realizing that ice cream and fudge were popular new items at their garden centre, they tried to buy a fudge-making machine to help increase their production capacity. When I heard this story, my first thought was, a fudge machine? I’ve seen aisle after aisle and shelf after shelf of bread machines, pasta machines, ice cream machines and so on, but where can one find one of these elusive fudge machines? 

As fate would have it, the seller of the fudge machine refused to provide Nancy and Greg with his magical device without them first going to candy-making class, and in making the demand, set them on a path paved with chocolate. more…


Flax – an Invariable SUPER Food

By Christine on February 6, 2012 Add a comment

Blog by: Mike Kennedy

This past weekend, I spent a morning at Valley Flax Flour’s Middleton headquarters learning about a group of products that is getting some serious buzz amongst health-conscious eaters in Nova Scotia and beyond.

During my short period of time at the HQ, I obtained my phd in flaxology (note that “phd” is all lower case, it takes much longer to earn one’s PhD in flaxology). It helps when your teacher is a computer programmer turned professional chef turned registered dietician turned social entrepreneur. Howard Selig has been at the helm of Valley Flax Flour since 1998. more…


Taste of Nova Scotia Members Sweep Halifax Business Awards

By Christine on February 2, 2012 Add a comment

For Immediate Release
January 31, 2012

PRESS RELEASE
Halifax, N.S – Taste of Nova Scotia members took gold in four of five categories at the annual Halifax Chamber of Commerce Business Awards on Thursday, January 26, 2012.

“This recognition acknowledges the hard work our local food producers put into the industry,” says Janice Ruddock, executive director of Taste of Nova Scotia. “And it proves that hard work pays off…that our local food producers can thrive and succeed in Nova Scotia.”

The Halifax Business Awards are intended to recognize those businesses and business people in Halifax who exemplify the best that the city has to offer: innovators, who are willing to take chances, push the boundaries and stretch the limits for success. more…


Cranberry Feta Stuffed Pork Loin

By Christine on Add a comment

This recipe, featured in East Coast Living magazine, is provided by Evelyn Ernst co-owner of Terra Beata Cranberry Farm.

INGREDIENTS
½ cup (125 ml) Terra Beata cranberries, fresh, frozen, or dried
1 Tbsp (15 ml) sugar
21 oz (600 g) pork tenderloin (from Meadowbrook or The Pork Shop)
½ cup (125 ml) Fox Hill Cheese House feta
¼ cup (60 ml) chopped green onion
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
¼ tsp (1 ml) dried Farmer John’s summer savory
additional summer savory, garlic powder and salt to season the roast more…