Happy New Year !!

Happy New Year's Eve to my friends of Top Notch Eats and any new followers to come in the new year. As I reflect on the past year and the beginning of Top Notch Eats I am eager to start the new year.

Enjoy every moment this evening and remember moderation. The good choices you make tonight will only make the next few days that much easier. As I said around Christmas, think of the insanely crazy good food you will surely see tonight as special fuel just to enhance the experience of the holidays.

Happy New Year my friends !!!!

Here's a list of things to come in the new year...

- Living and loving a naturalist lifestyle.

- A pretty delicious recipe for Chai Tea

- Brunch for Dinner

- Quinoa Stuffed Peppaaa's

- Challah

- oh and so so so much more !!

Stay tuned !

Enjoy !!!

your

New

Years !!

lemon mascarpone cheesecake squares

I think deep down inside I have to admit that I like pretty much anything sweet as long as it has lemons it in. I could do without brownies, cookies (except lemon sugar cookies), and anything else sweet besides lemony goodness that can come from adding a little sugar to the most perfect citrus, the lovely little lemon.

So when I saw this recipe for Lemon Mascarpone Cheesecake Squares I just had to make them this holiday season. They are simple, light, and everything someone who likes lemons and a little sugar would love.

You start by pulsing 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp of baking powder, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tbs of lemon rind, 2 egg yolks, 6 tbs of butter. Pulse those in a food processor until it looks like coarse meal.

Then add it to a small square pan. Press it in the corners with your finger tips until it resembles a crust.

Like so...then bake the crust by itself at 325 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.

Then mix up your mascarpone topping. You will need to add 2 cups of mascarpone cheese, 1/3 cup of sugar, 1 egg, 1 tbs of all-purpose flour, 1 tbs of lemon rind, 1/2 tsp of vanilla.

Whip it up with a spoon until it looks brilliant and frothy.

Add it to the top of the crust and bake for an additional 30 minutes until it is golden brown all over. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving. Add a little dollop of whip cream on top of your square and you wont regret it !!

The only thing I regret is not taking a picture of a cut square so you could see it in all of its glory.

Enjoy !!!

shrimp veg polenta

I have been out of town for about a week and I apologize for not posting. I tried to leave my laptop at home to avoid constantly being on it and spending more time with my family. It worked and now I am back in action !!!

My new love for polenta has gone through the roof. It is beyond satisfying and pretty much fits with anything. This simple recipe for shrimp veg polenta is easy and nutritious and I can pretty much say that you will enjoy it anytime of the week. Plus it is fast to put together I think it took me about 20 minutes. It is an excellent nutritious choice for a mid-week meal after work one day.

Start by roasting your vegetables. What I used was pretty much anything I had left in the fridge. I added a green pepper, red pepper, zucchini, yellow squash, red onion, and a few carrots.

Chop your veggies and spread them over a baking sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil some salt and pepper then roast them at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes until they get golden brown all over.

To make the delicious cheesy polenta you will need the following ingredients

1 1/4 cup water

4 cups of polenta or cornmeal

1 tsp of salt

2 tbs of butter

3 oz of fontina

3 oz of Parmesan

Boil your water then whisk in the polenta so you wont get any bumps. Once it is thoroughly incorporated add in the other ingredients until they are all melted and mix through.

Then take 10-15 cooked thawed shrimp and add them on top or mix through to warm them up.

This is a wonderfully rich and filling meal. Take the shrimp out and it is a completely vegetarian meal. Enjoy this healthy, light, and filling meal sometime in the coming week and I assure you it will feel great especially after all the rich food we have all indulged in over the holidays.

Enjoy !!!

Happy Holidays from Top Notch Eats

I can wait to see my family again so soon. There is no real reason for this post except for showing you the end result of my sweet potato buttermilk pie I posted a little while back.

Of course I had to add this awesome picture of my family dog Sparky!!

The pumpkin pecan dark chocolate brownies from a previous post as well.

Our Thanksgiving festivities !! The best part of this picture and the reason why it found its way to Top Notch Eats is my dog Sparky at the bottom of the picture looking right up at me.

My brother enjoying a turkey leg.

Enjoy the holidays they will be over soon for sure. Although the food is utterly amazing and you want to gobble up every bit, moderation is certainly key. Enjoy the little moments with your family and know that its special just to be together for the 1-2 days and the good food is just special fuel to add to the experience. Enjoy this time with your family and all the little moments!!

Enjoy !!!

and

Happy Holidays from ToP NoTcH EaTs

Mac and Cheese with Spinach and Black Forest Ham

I adore this recipe. I have finally perfected it, which is why it has made it's way to Top Notch Eats. It is a good recipe to have on hand and cook up whenever your not totally sure what to make for dinner.

Your Ingredients in three parts my friends:::

Sauce

1 1/2 cup of 1% or skim milk

2 cups of fat free cottage cheese

1 cup of low-fat cheddar cheese
2 tbs of dry mustard powder

salt and pepper

1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 tbs all-purpose flour

Other ingredients

1 lb of elbow macaroni

1 box of frozen spinach

3-4 cups of fresh chopped spinach

1 onion minced

1/2 inch slice of black forest ham

Breadcrumb Topping

1/2 cup of panko breadcrumbs

2 tbs of evoo

1/2 tsp of paprika

Melt your sauce ingredients whisk them together so they get incorporated thoroughly. Then whisk in the 2 tbs of flour to slightly thicken the sauce.

Then chop up your fresh spinach.

Then dice up your ham.

Add them into a bowl and add in your minced onion.

Then mix up your breadcrumbs, paprika, and evoo to get it ready to sprinkle on top of your delicious casserole.

Then mix everything together and don't forget to add the frozen spinach that has all the excess liquid removed.

Add it to a 9x13 baking dish. Top it with the breadcrumb mixture. Plop it in the oven at 375 degrees until it is golden and bubbly all over.

Check out that warming nutritious dinner that can be yours tonight !!

Enjoy !!!

Chipotle Chicken Salad

Adapted from Framed

This salad is AMAZING !!! The first time I made it I added what they said for the Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce and it was too hot, but it was still amazing. Next time I am just going to cut down the peppers and it will be perfect.

Despite it being freezing out here up in Maine this salad made me feel like it was August. It is hot, tangy, crunchy, healthy, and filling. Everything you would want in a dinner in the middle of the frigid numb winter.

You start with 2 limes, 1 can of chipotle chillies in adobo sauce, 1 red onion, 1 avocado, and 1 small pack of cheery tomatoes.

Begin by shredding 4 cups of romaine lettuce.

The dressing:

2/3 cup sour cream

4 tsp fresh lime juice

1/2 - 1 tbs of chipotle chillies minced

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp salt

Then boil 2 small chicken breasts

Once it is cooked shred it up with 2 forks.

Then add your cheery tomatoes, red onion, and 1 cup of thawed frozen corn

Then add your dressing and chicken to the salad mix and thoroughly incorporate all the ingredients, until all the individual pieces are lightly coated in the deliciously tangy dressing!!

Then plate it up and add some sliced avocado and some lime slices and enjoy a deliciously nutritious meal !!

Check that out! It is just screaming at you from the picture isn't it??

Enjoy !!!

mom's immunity soup

Every day after Thanksgiving my mom makes the most incredible soup from the leftovers. I don't know how she does it. I wont ever pretend to know how. Now after several failed attempts I am going to leave it alone. Then one day when I have children of my own I can hopefully have some sort of creation like this that I make each year. It is incredible and I am sure it will and can cure most diseases. It is slightly different each year, but nevertheless incredible. I apologize for this short post, but I have been waiting for an excuse to post it. My mom is great. She is an excellent cook and makes a damn good immunity soup.

I love soups, stews, and anything in between. Sometimes creating a soup or stew from leftovers can be one of the most nutritious meals you may have all week. It seems like it it is all about balance. Knowing how much of this and how much of that to put in. My mom has it down pat. Maybe after my 15th or 20th Thanksgiving meal I have created for my family I will have it down pat too.

Here is a list of mom's magic soup

turnip

parsnip

celery

a touch of magic

escarole

carrots

red pepper

onions

shallots

cancer curing stuff

garlic

green beans

turkey stock - after boiling the carcass for what seems like 15 hours....

dark turkey meat

mom's special touch

orzo pasta

and much more...

Its not around Thanksgiving that I realize how much things like this mean to me. It's when I am shivering in the dead of winter. It was 1 degree out today people!!! My legs were beat red and numb for 2 hours after I got home from work today. When it is this cold it gets me excited to see my family again so soon at Christmas and welcome in the New Year !!

Enjoy !!!

spinach and cheddar bread

I have been really into making bread and testing out new ways to ways to activate yeast !! It is fun and its the best thing to mix up and walk away from it. I thoroughly enjoy watching the dough become this magical poofy mass. It is fantastic especially when you pick up your average loaf of bread in the grocery store and realize what is really in it. When you cant pronounce certain things in the list of ingredients that is when you know you need to throw it back on shelf and find an alternative. There are obviously a lot of companies devoted to creating store bought breads that are multi-grain-fiberlicious, but you need to search them out !

You are going to want to start with combining 2 eggs, 1 cup of cheddar cheese, 1 tsp of oregano, 1 tbs of minced garlic. Whisk that up until it is incorporated.

Then combine 1 cup of flour, 1 tsp of salt, 1 tbs of sugar, in another separate bowl.

Then boil 1 cup of water and add in 1 tbs of butter. then add one packet of yeast. Let it sit for a few minutes until it gets all bubbly.

Then add the liquid into the flour mixture and mix through until its smooth. Then mix in 1 pack of frozen spinach that has all the excess liquid removed.

Then add 1 1/2 cups more of flour and continue to mix it thoroughly until it becomes a beautiful doughy ball.

Like this !! Then kneed it for a little bit until it becomes elastic. Set it aside with a towel over the top and let it rise for about 1/2 hour.

Once it has risen fully bake brush it with a little egg wash and bake it in a 400 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes until it is toasty brown all over.

Enjoy !!!

sweet potato buttermilk pie

Pie Crust Adapted from: The Pioneer Woman
Sweet Potato Buttermilk Pie Adapted from: Smitten Kitchen

It being the holiday season I asked myself why not bake a pie?? I made this for my family's Thanksgiving celebrations and it was certainly a hit.

You are first going to want to measure 3 cups of all-purpose flour into a bowl. Then unfortunately this is the only time you will ever hear me say that you have to use Crisco. I dont think I will ever ever ever ever ever use Crisco again for anything beside pie crust. It seriously makes the pie crust intensely flavorful and flaky. Why wouldn't you want that? I would say that you could probably substitute butter, but why? Especially when you can have pie crust the way pie crust was designed to be!!

So to your 3 cups of flour add 1 1/2 cup of Crisco (vegetable shortening).



Then you are "suppose" to use a pastry cutter, but I did not. I don't have one and don't feel a need to get one when I can use my digits (fingers) for a little extra bit to get the same effect. Use your fingers to cut the butter (whoops Crisco) into the flour until it resembles fine granules.



Then beat one egg and add it, 5 tbs of cold water as well, 1 tbs of white vinegar, 1 tsp of salt, then mix it up thoroughly. You don't have to whip it hard just enough so the ingredients are incorporated.



Then separate it out into thirds. I think next time I will just separate it in to halves so I have plenty for the crust and the top of the pie.



Then you will need to roll out your crust. Be sure to use your pie plate as a guide if you are looking to achieve a nice finger printed crust as you will see below. It should be about an inch on all side to give you enough extra crust to do that.



Then use your two index finger to pinch together a crust. It is A LOT EASIER than it looks. Just take your time and pinch one section at a time until you have gotten around to the other side. Baking a pie should be something you don't rush through. It is a science and a thing of beauty when it comes out right so take your time to stop and enjoy the process.



I decided to take on a Sweet Potato Buttermilk Pie this time. It sounded great and so not your average pumpkin pie. It was similar don't get me wrong, but a little different.

You start by steaming 2 large sweet potatoes in the microwave. I just put them in a microwaveable safe dish with a little water in the bottom and steamed them up in the mic., even though I was told to steam them over a pot of boiling water.



Then puree your sweet potatoes in a food processor. Measure out 1 1/4 cups of the puree and add to a separate clean bowl.

Add 4 tbs of unsalted butter, 2 tbs of lemon juice, 1/2 tsp of nutmeg, 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, and a 1/2 of a tsp of salt.



Then beat three eggs yolks and add a 1/2 cup of sugar beat it a little more until it is a creamy lemon-yellow color.



Then add the egg mixture to the sweet potato mixture and incorporate. Add in 1 cup of fat free buttermilk as well as 2 tbs of all-purpose flour and thoroughly mix.

Then with an electric hand blender whisk up the 3 egg whites that you hopefully have not thrown out!!! Whisk them until soft peaks have formed. Then fold them into the sweet potato filling for your pie. Take time with this as well as the lightest tough will only further help your pie become a light and fluffy wonder.



Then bake your pie at 375 degrees for about 35-40 minutes. Use a toothpick in the center when you think it looks done just to make sure. Let it cool completely and then serve it up with some cool whip or go for the real stuff and make your own whip cream !!



Enjoy and Happy Holidays !!!