Another Weekend, Another Storm

2022 seems to be the year of the weekend storm, this time it’s a freezing rain storm. It’s hard to see in my pictures, but the trees outside my apartment are heavily laden with ice.

As of Saturday morning, over 57,000 households in the province are without power. I’m amazed but grateful we have power. Fingers crossed it stays that way. I was living in Moncton in the winter of 2003 when we had a major ice storm. New Brunswick had a bad one in 1998, 2003 was worse. I was without power for days. It was awful. I know what the omicron variant, people are encouraged to stay home, this weather is making it very easy. So we’re going to stay home, let’s enjoy some good food and some good wine.

Regular readers of my blog know I love the Bread & Butter Pinot Noir. Well did you know, we are now able to get the Bread & Butter Cabernet Savignon here? And very new to Nova Scotia is the Bread & Butter Merlot. Because my family lives in Newfoundland, except for Riley who arrived back at St. FX this week, I have a very small bubble here. It includes 3 other ladies from my apartment building who I get together with every Saturday night to play a game of Rummikub!

This is such a fun game. The ladies and I throw a little wager in, which just adds to the fun and makes for a cheap night of entertainment. Anyway, I digress. Angie and I drink red, so we enjoyed this gorgeous Merlot which she brought to the party. Gorgeous and decadent, it is around the $23 mark, but it was a really nice treat. Rich plum fruits and warm baking spice notes, we savored every sip. It’s really good.

For my white wine loving friends, here’s a great white to go with all your favorite comfort foods.

Canyon Road is one of the best deals here in Nova Scotia. The Cabernet Sauvignon is a staple in my wine rack. I discovered it about a year and a half ago, and both the red and the white are available not only here, but to my friends and readers in Newfoundland.

And although we are provinces next to each other, there is a $4 price difference in both wines. Both of these wines are $11 a bottle here in Nova Scotia, and the wine is very easy to drink at that price. In my home province of Newfoundland, both wines are $15 a bottle. Still a good price point, but I was surprised to discover that when I was home for Christmas.

The Chardonnay is rich and buttery with hints of caramel. Try it out.

Before I get into my wine of the week, I have to tell you about a new recipe that I tried this week.

Leave it to me to make vegetables not quite as healthy as they should be, yes, that is bacon you see in this dish. I started with carrots, sweet potato, red onions and yes, bacon.

I roasted the carrots all the way, but you could par boil them for 5 – 10 minutes, as they take the longest. Once these were cooked I added a bag of frozen Asian medley vegetables and toasted some pecans and almonds to add a little texture. Then I added a little balsamic and maple syrup and these veggies were delicious.

I didn’t know this prior to this week but apparently we should soak our pecans before adding them to a recipe. It removes some of the bitterness.

And now for the wine of the week..

Run, don’t walk, to the liquor store, as this wine is on sale. It’s around the $16 mark, and such a great value. The Louis Bernard Cotes Du Rhone is 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah (Shiraz) and such a delicious and elegant blend. This was my Friday night treat and I enjoyed every sip.

Well, that will do it for me this week. As always, thank you for taking some time this week to read my wine blog, it is very much appreciated. Till next week, Cheers.

Darlene