Chocolate Orange Bread

What you will need:

DRY INGREDIENTS

2C of flour (plus some for rolling the dough)

1tsp salt

2Tbsp sugar

3Tbsp cinnamon sugar mixture

4tsp baking powder

1/4C-1/2C chocolate chunks (depending on how chocolaty you want your bread)

WET INGREDIENTS

2 egg yolks

1/3C Greek yogurt

1/2C-1/3C milk

1Tbsp orange extract

What you will do:

Sift together all of your dry ingredients (except the chocolate) into a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix together all of the wet ingredients.  Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine well to create a very wet dough.

Sprinkle a cutting board and rolling pin with flour.  Roll out your dough.  It should be about 1/4" thick and 8"-10" in diameter.  Chop up your chocolate chunks and sprinkle them evenly on the dough.

Roll up the dough and fold the edges under.  This is very important - Folding the edges will seal the sough and keep the chocolate from melting out of the edges of the loaf.

Place the rolled dough into a greased loaf pan.  Use a pastry brush and liberally coat the dough with egg wash (one egg, whisked).  Sprinkle sugar on top of the dough.

Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes until golden brown.  Mmmmmmmm.

Slow Cooker Chicken Enchiladas

This recipe is easy and delicious!

What you will need:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used frozen)
1 jar of salsa
1 can of chicken broth
4 corn tortillas (quartered)
1.5-2 Cups of shredded cheese (Cheddar and Monterey Jack work well)
Enchilada sauce (I use Trader Joe's brand)
A small loaf pan

What you will do:
Put the two frozen chicken breasts in your slow cooker and cover with the salsa and chicken broth.  Cook on low for 7-8 hours (or high for 5-6 hours).  When it's done cooking, shred the chicken with two forks.
In the small loaf pan, ladle a little of the liquid from the slow cooker into the bottom of the pan.
Add one whole tortilla (quartered) to the bottom of the pan and cover with chicken.  Sprinkle on about 1/4 of the cheese and then drizzle on about 1Tbsp of enchilada sauce.  Repeat this 3 more times.
Add a little more of the extra liquid to the top and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbling along the sides of the pan.
Add some extra enchilada sauce on top and serve hot.  Garnish with sour cream or Greek yogurt.

Linguine with an English Cheddar and Caramelized Onion Alfredo

Tonight's entry is a guest post from my wife, Mommy Gouda... BDG

What you will need:

1/2 pound linguine

1 1/2C half & half

1 - 1 1/2 Tbsp butter

2 cloves garlic, diced

3/4C grated Parmesan cheese

3/4C crumbled English Cheddar with Caramelized Onions*

1-2Tbsp fresh basil, chopped

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

2C fresh spinach

1tsp Extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh chopped parsley

*The English Cheddar with Caramelized Onions can be bought at Trader Joe's.

What you will do:

• Put on a pot of water, bring to a boil, salt your water and cook your linguine.  I recommend drizzling a bit of olive oil into the water while the pasta is cooking to keep it from sticking.
• Melt butter in a large saucepan.  Add garlic, both cheeses, basil, sprinkle of salt and pepper.  Cook over med-hi heat, stirring constantly until cheese is melted.
• In a smaller saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat and add tomatoes and spinach.  Cook until tomatoes are warmed through and spinach is slightly wilted.
• Add tomatoes and spinach to the alfredo sauce and stir.  Toss with the linguine and serve.  Sprinkle with fresh parsley for garnish (optional).

Additional options:

• Replace the Half & Half with 1C of reduced fat milk and 1/2C of Greek Yogurt for lower fat and extra protein.
• Add in some grilled chicken or shrimp.

*Mommy note: I blended the spinach into the alfredo sauce so our 2 year old would actually eat it.  And she did!  Photographic proof:

French Toast Pancakes

These are simple, hearty and delicious!

What you will need:
1 1/2 C flour
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 C milk
2 Tbsp Greek yogurt
3 Tbsp melted butter
3 Tbsp cinnamon-sugar mix (1/2 C sugar and 1 Tbsp cinnamon)
1 tsp vanilla extract

What you will do:
Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and cinnamon-sugar mix.  In a separate bowl combine milk, yogurt, butter and vanilla.  Mix the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients together until smooth.
Grease a pan or griddle (using butter or cooking spray) and cook the pancakes.

You will know the pancakes are ready to flip when the entire top surface has tiny bubbles.  Cook until golden brown and enjoy.  So delicious, you won't even need syrup!

Chicken Fried Steak with Shallot & White Wine Cream Sauce

Chicken Fried Steak

What you will need:
2 Flank or Skirt steaks
3/4C flour
2tsp garlic powder
1tsp onion powder
2tsp oregano
1.5tsp salt
1.5tsp pepper
*These measurements are approximate.  Feel free to increase or decrease depending on your preference.
2 eggs
Splash of water or milk

What you will do:
Portion out your steaks.  Mix dry ingredients and put in dredging dish or on a plate.  Whisk eggs and milk or water.
Coat steaks in flour mixture and pat dry.
Dip steaks into egg and dredge in flour mixture.
Let your steaks sit for 10-15 minutes.
Heat approximately 2tsp of olive oil in a large frying pan over med-hi/high heat.  Cook steaks until the breading is golden brown (just a couple of minutes per side).

Cream Sauce:

What you will need:
1/2 large shallot
1-2 medium garlic cloves
1-2tsp olive oil
1/8C dry white wine
1/2C low sodium chicken broth
1/2tsp flour
1.5Tbsp heavy cream
Salt and pepper

What you will do:
Heat olive oil on med-hi heat in a small frying pan.  Dice shallot and garlic and add to pan.  Season with salt and pepper and saute until the shallots are clear.
Add the white wine and chicken stock and reduce down to about 2/3 of the volume and the sauce starts to thicken.
Whisk flour and cream in a bowl and add to pan.  Reduce heat to low and stir.  Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes.

Top your steak with sauce and enjoy!