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Pa ge 2 0 T hu rs da y, O ct ob er 2 2, 2 01 5 - T he IF P - H al to n H ill s - w w w .th ei fp .c a Gary Carr Regional Chair Meetings at Halton Region, 1151 Bronte Rd., Oakville, L6M 3L1 Visit halton.ca/meetings for full schedule. 311halton.ca PUBLIC INFORMATIONCENTRE ActonReservoir Expansion TownofHaltonHills (Acton) PR-2784 Halton Region is planning to expand the Acton Reservoir within theTown of Halton Hills (Acton) beginning spring of 2016. A Public Information Centrewill be held for residents whowant to learnmore about the construction project. Please drop in at any time. Halton staffwill be available to answer your questions. Date: TuesdayOctober 27, 2015 Time: 6:30 to 8:30p.m. Place: ActonArena&Community Centre -Hall C 415QueenStreet, Acton If youwould like to learnmore about the project and are unable to attend the Public Information Centre, please contact: Caroline Hales ProjectManager Halton Region 905-825-6000, Ext. 7612 caroline.hales@halton.ca 22 10 15Please contact us as soon as possible if you have any accessibility needs at Halton Region events or meetings. Nov. 3 9:30 a.m. Health & Social Services Cttee. Nov. 4 9:30 a.m. Planning & PublicWorks Cttee. Nov. 4 1:30 p.m. Admin & Finance Cttee. Nov. 12 9:30 a.m. Regional Council Visit the PumpkinTrail and support local businesses Until October 31, residents and visitors of Halton Region can discover local farms and businesses along the PumpkinTrail: a pumpkin-themed, self- guided tour of Halton. There are lots of family-friendly events and attractions to discover, includingHalloween-themed offerings for kids! It's a unique experience youwon't want tomiss! Visithalton.ca/pumpkintrail for an onlinemap orwhere to find a paper copy. Present yourmap and voucher to participating vendors for discounts, free items andmore! COMMENT Fall is the perfect time to learn how to make soup Time for some soup making! I have encoun- tered lots of people in my travels that tell me they love homemade soup, but they don't make it because they simply don't know how. Well, there's no time like the present to learn. Of course there are many soups out there, but there are a few common ingredients and a few rules of thumb that will allow you to whip up soup like a pro in no time. Next time you shop, stock up (pun in- tended!) on some stocks. You can buy ready- to-go stock in a tetra pack, you can buy con- densed stock (or broth) in cans, or you can buy a powdered or paste version that you just add water. Watch the labels-- lots of stocks are high in sodium and many contain MSG. So shop carefully to get the most natural one pos- sible. While you're at the grocery store, buy lots of onions, carrots and celery-- if you're go- ing to make soups, you're going to need this perfect trio. Almost every soup I can think of starts with this combo. Potatoes. If you are going to want nice thick soups without using heavy cream, you'll need some potatoes-- white ones, yellow ones, sweet potatoes, a few of each would be nice. Now you've got the basics, you'll just need the ingredients that make each soup unique. Rules of thumb: start by dicing onion, car- rot and celery-- cook these in your soup pot with a bit of oil, until they are soft and the on- ions are translucent. Next add any other veg- etables that you want in your soup-- maybe potatotes, corn, peppers, tomatoes. � ese are the veggies that make each soup unique. Add dried spices. Cook in with the magic trio (onion, carrot, celery) for a few minutes. Add broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, continue to cook until veggies are soft. If you're making a puréed soup, now is when you purée. Add cooked meat if you are using. Add rice or noodles if using and cook into soup. Add fresh herbs. Taste. Season with salt and pepper. Done. Problem solving: • If your soup is too thick - just add more stock or water. • If your soup is too thin, add more chopped veggies, mashed potatoes, rice or noodles - something that will soak up some of the broth. • If the soup doesn't have a lot of fl avour, add some powdered or paste concentrate, or some salt or if you are watching your sodium intake - try adding a squeeze of lemon - that can help bring out the fl avours. • If you are making a cream soup and there is all kinds of fl ecks of white bits fl oat- ing in the soup, you probably did not use 35% cream and the cream you did use has split (fat and solids have separated). You won't die from it, it just looks weird. Eat it and then use 35% cream next time. Have fun and keep cooking! Email questions to whatscooking@theifp.ca By Lori Gysel & Gerry Kentner whatscooking@theifp.ca What's Cookin' Lentil Soup Serves 6 INGREDIENTS • 1 cup green lentils (Dupuy are the best) • 4 cups chicken stock • 1 large carrot, diced • 1 stalk celery, diced • 1 onion, diced • 2 bay leaves • salt and pepper to taste • 1 cup diced ham (optional) METHOD 1. Cover lentils with cold water and soak for several hours (this will speed up the cooking process). 2. Drain and rinse lentils, throwing out the soaking water. 3. In a large pot, place re- maining ingredients with lentils (except ham) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1 and a half - 2 hours, until lentils are soft. 4. Remove bay leaves. 5. Using an immer- sion blender, partially pu- ree the soup. 6. Add ham into the soup. 7. If soup is too thick, add a bit more stock or water. Soup will thicken as it cools. 3. In a large pot, place re- maining ingredients with lentils (except ham) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1 and a half - 2 hours, until lentils are soft. leaves. 5. Using an immer- sion blender, partially pu- ree the soup. 6. Add ham into the soup.