I have always loved grocery shopping. Even when I was little, I liked to go to the store and pick items out. As I got older my mother was happy to send me to the store as it was a chore for her and a more fun experience for me. I am not sure what it is. I just like being able to pick out my own food and then cook with it later.

Now that I have moved to Almost Canada the grocery shopping experience has become a little less enjoyable. Mainly because the selection has downsized significantly. I can already see my suture self getting annoyed and frustrated as I am unable to purchase the ingredients I desire to make new or classic recipes.

For example, I was watching Rachael Ray when my special someone was visiting me, and decided to try to make Ginger-Soy Carrot Soup. I had just received a gallon bag of freshly grown carrots from a co-worker so I thought this would be a great way to use them. I went to the grocery store and was unable to find: ginger root, chili peppers, and tamari. There goes the ginger-soy aspect.

I don’t really care for ginger in the first place. I just wanted to try something new. I took this as a sign to just skip it all together as opposed to buying the spice that would sit forever in a spice drawer. I ended up buying a jalapeno as it was the only pepper available and went with low-sodium soy sauce instead of the tamari.

The soup turned out well despite a few obstacles. I know in the future I will have to do many substitutions and perhaps completely change my food plans. Instead of letting this bother me, I am going to look at it as a chance to grow as a cook. A chance to not follow the recipe and to continue to develop skills in recipe creation.

Carrot Soup, Adapted from: Ginger-Soy Carrot Soup

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 gallon bag carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup water
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 large eggs, fried

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and jalapeno pepper and sweat them out a few minutes. Stir in the carrots and soy sauce, then cover the pot and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the soup until the carrots are tender. Puree as smooth or chunky as you like with hand blender or in a food processor, in batches. Season the soup with salt and pepper, to taste. Fry an egg to your preference and serve over the soup (I liked them over easy so the yolk would run into the soup).