The Place Under The Pine: JANUARY FOOD - HOT STUFF THAT KEEPS THE COLD AT BAY

A NEW YEAR FULL OF FOOD

Pine Tree Post | Food Page

The first weeks of 2015 were full of warm, delicious, food keeping the citizens of the Place Under The Pine toasty warm.

We'll start with the hot eats.

Lots of soups were made to warm the tummies:

A mexican flavoured concoction (Chicken Fajita Soup) made with beans, a can of cream of something soup, and some salsa. It was a big hit with all citizens young and old. Topped with cheese and avocado and eaten with nachos...warms the soul.

Sausage and lentil soup. So thick, like a big down filled duvet, it warmed the body deep down to the core.

A regular, almost staple meal, in the PUTP; broccoli cheese soup. This is one of those dishes that everyone loves. It's tasty, warm, filling...and according to the resident chef it is fairly easy to make. Stay tuned for a tutorial on how to make this soup.

A vegetarian curry made with veggies and chick peas. A very warm dish both temperature wise and spice wise. To tone down the spicy heat (and make it a tad richer) a scoop of sour cream does the trick.

On throw-back-Thursday, aka retro night, a tuna casserole was cooked up. It was given mixed reviews by the children.

Another retro looking meal, which is a rarity in the PUTP, was the classic meat, starch, vegetable plate. Experts predict this style of dish will likely not be seen for another few months. In this instance a seasoned pork chop roasted to perfection, cinnamon syrup squash, lentils & brown rice, and corn.

One special meal, perogies, were prepared by our budding chef Lolli...to see her cooking show 'perfect perogies' click here.

Pulled pork pizza - what a handle - made with Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce. Mmm, the sauce is the boss.

One of the keys to a good pizza is the crust. The secret ingredient/crust around the PUTP is Naan (from Costco). Naan seems to work better than a pita, they are the ideal size, and they cook up nicely.

Burritos, as seen in production below, are something that Jen makes in abundance. The PUTP does not end up eating burritos for days, but instead they freeze many. Burritos are a food that freezes well. One pan for the oven and one pan for the freezer seems to be the burrito motto around these parts.

This month's grilled cheese winner is the rye and gouda. Congratulations!

This month's trashiest meal goes to the chicken burger on white bread. This ingenious meal was created as a 'main' for a school lunch. Obviously, it was grocery day. Great creativity!

The most photogenic meal had to be this simple dipper lunch of veggies, homemade pita chips, and hummus.

Baked goods, as always, crowded the counter almost every day or two. It is amazing how fast the children of the PUTP can devour a dozen muffins!

Banana

Banana chocolate chip

Blueberry flax and yogurt muffins (don't let the healthy/cardboard sounding name throw you off, they are delicious) and cheese rolls.

Mounds of chocolate cupcakes. With both Oskie and Elli's birthdays in January, almost on the same day, a quadruple batch of cupcakes were needed!

And, along with cupcakes comes real birthday cake...

6 already!

Lunches remained predictable, with a repetition of meals. Small variations brought a bit of excitement.

Pouches of chocolate covered blueberries (from Costco) were popular.

A side of lentils and brown rice held up well.

The classic ham sandwich was modified slightly using a croissant and the good gouda cheese.

Mini-Wheats as a snack is a great idea. The kids love them b/c they are covered in sugar. Parents love them b/c they are healthy and the true amount of sugar is deceiving (it is far less than you'd think).

Frozen fruit with a dollop of the bitter, rich, balkan style yogurt is always eaten.

Tip #145 -The addition of a small container of salad dressing or dip exponentially increases the odds of vegetables being eaten.

A much requested item in January was a fried egg sandwich. Paired with a container of ketchup it is something different in the lunchpail. Word of caution - remind the children to do up the ketchup container after eating. A lunch bag washing may be in your future if you do not.

One area of cuisine that is lacking in the PUTP is drinks. Water is the most popular beverage holding approx 95% of the drink 'market'. Coffee and Tea take a majority of the rest. Juice is almost never seen, so when this photo was taken it made news...