Cohosting: My Favorite Posts Weekend Blog Party

I'm co-hosting this fab party for 4 weeks! Be sure to stop by and visit our lovely host, Jessica's blog! Also, meet me co-hosts

Lisa @ Squishable Baby

Jackie @ The NonMartha Momma

Marty @ Thoughts on Life & Money

Asha @ The Whimsical Peacock

Come back to The Wondering Brain tomorrow and enter a Conscious Box Giveaway! We are partnering up at 5 pm for a chance to win a free box. Start entering tomorrow with any of us! 

Are you ready to party? Before you begin, remember these simple rules:

1. Link up your favorite posts. It doesn't matter which one, just make sure it's family friendly! 
2. Follow your host (that's me! The Wondering Brain)
3. Follow all 5 co-hosts: Lisa, Jackie, Anyonita, Marty, and Asha
4. Leave a comment if you'd like them to follow you too
5. Visit at least 3 other bloggers 
6. Show them your blogger love too if you'd like them to follow 
7. Remember, it's not a party unless you mingle, so mingle around and make some friends! 
8. Take our beautiful badge and proudly display it on your side bar to encourage others to party with us! 

<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <a href="http://thewonderingbrain.blogspot.com " target="_blank"><img src="http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b273/jtglv/blogbadge.jpg" border="0" alt="FavePost PartyBadge photo blogbadge.jpg"/></a><o:p></o:p></p> <span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">

Let the party begin! 

Please  vote for me!

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Gluten Free Spiced Nut Brownie Cake

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I love this recipe. You've got a moist and chocolatey brownie with spiced walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts. A hint of cinnamon and cayenne pepper add a bit of unexpected heat to a traditional brownie recipe. It's all finished off with a grating of fresh dark chocolate. There can't be anything simpler! This cake would be perfect for Mother's Day, too. A nice chocolatey treat for a well-deserving mom. And who doesn't love a good brownie?

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Ingredients: 

For the spiced nuts
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
scant 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts
1 tsp water
1 tsp cinnamon
1 egg white
1 1/2 tbsp sugar

For the brownie cake 
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup gluten free plain flour
1/2 cup sunflower oil
1 cup sugar
1 egg +1 yolk
dark chocolate for grating

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All right, let's cook:

For the spiced nuts, preheat the oven to 110C, and beat the egg white and water until frothy in a medium bowl with an electric mixer. Stir in the nuts using a wooden spoon until evenly coated.

Combine the sugar, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and salt in a separate bowl. Pour over the nuts and mix well to coat.

Spread the nuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake, stirring occasionally, until the sugar coating is firm and dry. This should take about 20 to 25 minutes. All the nuts to cool completely while you get on with the cake.

For the brownie cake, when the nuts are cooling, increase the oven to 200C and allow to come to temperature.

Tumble all of the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Pour over the wet ingredients and  mix with a wooden spoon until just incorporated.

Add the egg and additional yolk, taking care to mix well. Grate in a bit of chocolate and stir in the cooled nuts. Mix well and pour into a fluted flan or pie dish.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownie cake comes out clean. Remember, there will be pockets of melted chocolate from the grated chocolate, so you may need to insert the toothpick into various places until it consistently comes out clean.

Grate over a bit more chocolate and serve still slightly warm.

 

Gluten Free Frozen Strawberry Vodka Martini

There's much debate over martini making these days. Some people defend to death what makes a good martini: vodka or gin. There's also debate about whether martinis have to have vermouth or not. Well, I'm not a fan of gin and we didn't have any vermouth in the flat the day I made these. Although, to be honest, the only time my martinis ever have vermouth in them is when I get them from a bar.

Please  vote for me!

For me, it's the vodka that makes it a martini, but call this what you want, a frozen martini or a vodka freeze. It doesn't matter, really; it's good. We had some fresh strawberries from Spain that were nearing the end of their life and not being able to stomach seeing them wasted, I blitzed this beauty up and served it with dinner. Also, I served them in red wine glasses, as you can see. You get more without having to fill up multiple times and if you're having the kind of day where you need one of these, the last thing you want is for your glass to be empty after five sips! ...
One more thing: if it bothers you, go ahead and add the vermouth back and make this into a proper martini. Swap the vodka for gin, too, if you're so inclined.

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Ingredients: 

For the  frozen martini 
1 tbsp fat-free strawberry yogurt
1 1/2 tbsp caster sugar
2oz vodka, ice cold (I keep a bottle of vodka in the bottom of the freezer)
8 large strawberries, sliced
ice cubes

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All right, let's blitz:
Tumble the berries, vodka and caster sugar into a tight-closing container. Shake vigorously. Leave to allow the fruit to macerate with the vodka and sugar.

Once macerated, tip the contents of the container into a blander along with some ice and yogurt. Pulse until desired consistency is reached.

Add more ice and pulse if you want it the consistency of a daiquiri or margarita. Add more yogurt for a smoothie-like texture.
Serve with a fresh strawberry and enjoy.

 

Twice Baked Tostada Crisps with Cinnamon Sugar

These tostada crisps are so addicting and yummy! They were made using the leftover tostada shells from the Tostadas Rellenas con Carne Adobada recipe, although you could make them from fresh tortillas, roughly cut into triangles and bake them twice.

Anytime we have leftover flour tortillas, this is what I do. The topping is a cinnamon sugar mixed at the time of baking and I usually melt a small pot of chocolate for dipping.

Please  vote for me!

They're kind of like deconstructed, baked churros!
Over on the left is the tostada shells before they were broken up and baked.

After making the Tostadas Rellenas, I popped the leftover shells in a zip-seal bag and just left them out on the counter overnight and baked them the next day.

I'd like to think that they'd keep the same way after making the crisps, but to be honest, we ate these up straightaway and there weren't any leftovers.

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 Ingredients: 

For the tostada crisps
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
2 baked tostada shells
3 tsp sugar
chocolate for melting

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All right, let's bake:

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Combine the sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon in a small bowl or condiment shaker. 

If using previously baked tostada shells, break the shells into rough, smaller shapes and arrange on a baking tray.

Sprinkle most of the sugar mix over the tostada crisps and bake for about 5 minutes until starting to brown. While baking, melt some chocolate (if using.)

Remove from the oven, toss gently and sprinkle the remaining sugar mix over the crisps while still warm. Serve with melted chocolate.

 


Before you go, why not link up with us in this week's link party and drive some more traffic to your blog? 

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We're so social! Why not connect with us?

Tasty Tuesdays #9 Plus Features

Welcome to Tasty Tuesdays!

I'm excited that you're interested in sharing your delish dishes with the blogging community through my link party. Scroll down to see if you've been featured & if you have, don't forget to display a featured badge & help attract other bloggers.

As always, I'd love it if you helped to spread the word about this party by inviting your blogging buddies to participate. Don't forget to grab a participator's button to display on your blog where you see fit. Also, if you've been featured, swipe a snazzy button for your blog/newsletter:

<div class="Anyonita-Nibbles-Partier-button" style="width: 153px; margin: 0 auto;"> <a href="http://www.anyonita-nibbles.com"> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0R3CKUenpbxv63wwegEsjIPlNh5O9PVXlQkIdMFP2eauJeU-_Jo-wXcDyLTc7g5mEBeWRg4zrCXDvdpfcwoi2Q4XSWOEarc9j2Tyl-2xZNPWQVWCnIuwGgs312cxKLA2aIkxEhzAJd2c/s153/tasty+tuesdays+partier+button.png" alt="Anyonita Nibbles" width="153" height="138" /> </a> </div> <!--end button code box-->

<div class="Anyonita-Nibbles-Featured-button" style="width: 153px; margin: 0 auto;"> <a href="http://www.anyonita-nibbles.com"> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdBIxueDwXeTXFUVZmJoSt0bA_xihXJtZV-w3S0-Yw-5W0Jrg7eNIqZ6podiHE3kZ7Dl55B_F-inOIi9rHETOwXKjN_-TTILdL1oi_5zx6ZD4r_JTZUf7b1rXarzXn2aNRlNyNfeNAo0/w354-h319-o-k/tasty+tuesdays+featured+button.png" alt="Anyonita Nibbles" width="153" height="138" /> </a> </div> <!--end button code box-->

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Please  vote for me!

Before we get to the features, I'm seeking co-hosts for this link party! You'll receive loads of e-marketing for your blog from Anyonita Nibbles including Tweets and Facebook posts featuring you and your blog, as well as weekly pins. Co-hosting is also a guaranteed way to increase your followers & boost traffic to your blog. Interested? Send me an email to munchies [at] anyonita-nibbles [dot] com!

Featured from last week's party

Want to be featured too? Then remember to stop by and visit other people's blogs!

Here are the top three most clicked or commented links! Well done, guys!

 Sweet Tea Brined Chicken from The Cookbook Project

Big Mac Salad from Love Bakes Good Cakes

Funfetti Cookies from Home in the Finger Lakes

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A few party suggestions:

1. Follow Anyonita Nibbles socially (however you'd like) and let me know so I can do the same in return!
2. Visit the link before yours. Leave a comment stating that you stopped by. (We all love to read comments, so share the love!)
3. Spread the word; grab a participator's button and display it on your blog.
4. Link to your recipes--no giveways or promos, please.
5. As a participant, you acknowledge that photos from the post you link may be distributed as a part of the Tasty Tuesdays Feature and/or across my social media platforms. If this is the case, all photos will be credited back to your sites and posts and credit will be given.

All right, here we go, party people!

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We're so social! Why not connect with us?

Gluten Free Moroccan Black Bream Salad with Slowcooked Carrots

I love my slowcooker! Really, there's not much better than dumping in a load of ingredients, turning a dial, walking away and returning hours later to beautifully cooked, flavorful food. I'll admit, before I became a mom, I never really used my slowcooker, but now? I don't think a week goes by without at least one of our dinners being made in the slowcooker. (Here's a list of all the slowcooker recipes on Anyonita-Nibbles.)

Please  vote for me!

Now, fish doesn't take long to cook outside of a slowcooker,but adding it to the carrots and broth the last 30 minutes of cooking means you'll have perfectly cooked fish that's full of flavor. Leaving the skin on the fish also helps to preserve all its nutrients and keeps the flesh together while cooking. Black bream is a less than popular fish available in the UK, but is insanely tasty and inexpensive. If you can't get black bream where you are, substituting it for mackerel, sea bass or any other fish in the bream family would be just as
                   

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 Ingredients: 

For the salad
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp saffron threads
1 cup frozen peas
1 onion, diced
1 lemon
1 tbsp fennel seeds
2 garlic cloves
2 carrots, sliced
2 fillets black bream
2 tbsp olive oil
300 ml fish stock
gluten free couscous
salt and pepper

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All right, let's cook:
Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the onions, garlic, carrots and fennel and cook over a medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in the spices, salt and pepper. and cook for a further two minutes.

Add the stock and bring to the boil. Transfer the contents of the saucepan to a slowcooker and cover. Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours until the carrots are tender.

When the carrots are tender, place one fillet  of bream skin side down onto of the carrots. Add the slices of lemon and place the remaining fillet sin side up on top of the lemon slices. Recover and cook on low for a further hour to 90 minutes or until the flesh flakes easily.

Prepare the couscous andd the peas. Serve on the couscous with the carrots and peas on top of the bream and the cooking liquid drizzled over.

 

Cinco de Mayo Recipe Roundup

I love Mexican food! Being in the UK, it's quite difficult to get authentic Mexican food that hasn't been too Anglicized. Although, it can be equally difficult to find that in the States as well! In celebration of Cinco de Mayo and with selfishly wanting a stockpile of Mexican recipes I could go to in a pinch, I've scoured the web to bring you 16 of the most beautiful, most delicious-sounding modern Mexican recipes I could find.

Please  vote for me!

There are a few stalwarts of Mexican cuisine to be found in this roundup, but a number of them are modernized takes on Mexican classics to give your Mexican repertoire a much-needed revamp. Adios predictable gringo-esque Mexican food of yesterday. Hola, you authentic (?) Mexican dishes of modern innovation!

If you've been featured, could you kindly grab my featured button?

<div class="Anyonita-Nibbles-Featured-button" style="width: 153px; margin: 0 auto;"> <a href="http://www.anyonita-nibbles.com"> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdBIxueDwXeTXFUVZmJoSt0bA_xihXJtZV-w3S0-Yw-5W0Jrg7eNIqZ6podiHE3kZ7Dl55B_F-inOIi9rHETOwXKjN_-TTILdL1oi_5zx6ZD4r_JTZUf7b1rXarzXn2aNRlNyNfeNAo0/w354-h319-o-k/tasty+tuesdays+featured+button.png" alt="Anyonita Nibbles" width="153" height="138" /> </a> </div> <!--end button code box-->

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The recipes included in the roundup are:

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Before you go, why not link up with us in this week's link party and drive some more traffic to your blog? 

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We're so social! Why not connect with us?

The Best Gluten Free Slowcooker 2 Bean Chili Served Half & Half

The Best Slowcooker 2 Bean Chili is filled with loads of flavor and lots of vegetables.

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Everybody has a go-to chili recipe. In fact, I have multiple go-to chili recipes (veggie chili, diet chili, chicken chili, spicy chili...) but one day in March I was craving chili and none of those go-to recipes sounded good at the time. With a craving and a need to whip up something that my boys could eat whenever they wanted, I consulted my favorite recipes and came up with a compromise. It's the first of May and we've already had this recipe three times (not counting the leftovers we'll eat for lunch today)! In my book, any recipe you happily eat three times in a month is a keeper and deserves to be called "the best".  It's also kid-friendly and Callum loved it!

Trust me, guys, you'll want to pin this and make it the next time you're craving chili! There's a secret ingredient that adds a lovely depth and sweetness to the chili. We serve it like you see in the photos--half and half with rice and chips. There's a little restaurant five minutes walk up the road from our flat and they serve all of their comforting stews, casseroles and curries half and half and I think it's a brilliant idea! Who says you can't have two starches??

Tasty Tuesdays #8 plus Features & an Ad Opportunity

Welcome to Tasty Tuesdays!

I'm excited that you're interested in sharing your delish dishes with the blogging community through my link party. Scroll down to see if you've been featured & if you have, don't forget to display a featured badge & help attract other bloggers.

As always, I'd love it if you helped to spread the word about this party by inviting your blogging buddies to participate. Don't forget to grab a participator's button to display on your blog where you see fit. Also, if you've been featured, swipe a snazzy button for your blog/newsletter:

<div class="Anyonita-Nibbles-Partier-button" style="width: 153px; margin: 0 auto;"> <a href="http://www.anyonita-nibbles.com"> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0R3CKUenpbxv63wwegEsjIPlNh5O9PVXlQkIdMFP2eauJeU-_Jo-wXcDyLTc7g5mEBeWRg4zrCXDvdpfcwoi2Q4XSWOEarc9j2Tyl-2xZNPWQVWCnIuwGgs312cxKLA2aIkxEhzAJd2c/s153/tasty+tuesdays+partier+button.png" alt="Anyonita Nibbles" width="153" height="138" /> </a> </div> <!--end button code box-->

<div class="Anyonita-Nibbles-Featured-button" style="width: 153px; margin: 0 auto;"> <a href="http://www.anyonita-nibbles.com"> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdBIxueDwXeTXFUVZmJoSt0bA_xihXJtZV-w3S0-Yw-5W0Jrg7eNIqZ6podiHE3kZ7Dl55B_F-inOIi9rHETOwXKjN_-TTILdL1oi_5zx6ZD4r_JTZUf7b1rXarzXn2aNRlNyNfeNAo0/w354-h319-o-k/tasty+tuesdays+featured+button.png" alt="Anyonita Nibbles" width="153" height="138" /> </a> </div> <!--end button code box-->

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Before we get to the features, I'm seeking co-hosts for this link party! You'll receive loads of e-marketing of our blog including Tweets and Facebook posts featuring you and your blog, as well as weekly pins. You'll also increase your followers and likes on Facebook, all for co-hosting! Interested? Send me an email to munchies [at] anyonita-nibbles [dot] com!

 

Featured from last week's party

Want to be featured too? Then remember to stop by and visit other people's blogs!

Here are the top three most clicked or commented links! Well done, guys!

I love lemon curd, y'all and I am so excited about this one!

Delicious-looking Goat Cheese Goodness from Inspired Healthy Organized

Refreshing Mango Blueberry "Smoothie" Cocktail from Willamette Valley Wonder Woman

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A few rules of the party

1. Follow Anyonita Nibbles socially (however you'd like) and let me know so I can do the same in return!
2. Visit other links in the party. Leave a comment stating that you stopped by. (We all love to read comments, so share the love!)
3. Spread the word; grab a participator's button and display it on your blog.
4. Link to your recipes--no giveways or promos, please.
5. As a participant, you acknowledge that photos from the post you link may be distributed as a part of the Tasty Tuesdays Feature and/or across my social media platforms. If this is the case, all photos will be credited back to your sites and posts and credit will be given.

All right, here we go, party people!

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We're so social! Why not connect with us?