What did you get up to this weekend?

Did you cook anything?  Bake anything?

I had the pleasure of enjoying some food that wasn’t cooked by me this weekend:  I was honoured to be a judge in a local Iron Chef competition.  As a part of my gig as a Taste of Nova Scotia blogger, I got to dig in to not one but two chef-prepared meals, comparing the two to determine a winner.

It’s hard to be really discerning when everything tastes like “oh my god, I’m so happy to be here!!!!”

Anyways.  This competition took place at the Saltscapes Expo, which is a huge celebration of all things maritime, including FOOD.

So picture me.  I’m wandering around with a paper bag full of goodies that I’ve bought at the various vendors, happily snapping pictures and taking notes for the blogs I am to write for Taste, when I see it.

Pure Infused Maple Syrup.  Seeing flavours like lavender and chai, vanilla, cinnamon and star anise, I know I must have some.  I was led through a tasting of five varieties of infused maple syrup, finishing with a chipotle lemongrass one that sent a kick of sweet and hot down the back of my tongue and screamed “marinate bacon in me!!!!”

I did the only thing a girl could do in my situation.  I brought home a bottle of vanilla, cinnamon and star anise maple syrup and made some mid-afternoon pancakes.

Regular readers will note that while I rarely promote specific products on this blog, I am a huge supporter of local awesomeness:  awesome chefs, awesome cafes, awesome food bloggers and now:  awesome maple syrup.

If you want to taste it for yourself, you can buy it off of their website.

To my beloved readers:  this blog post is not a paid endorsement.  It’s just me absolutely lovin’ this product!