Ultimate Tuna Melts + #GetHimFed 7

Day old baguette gets filled with luscious melted cheese and tuna in this classic sarnie recipe!

Feeds 2 adults; 1 toddler

Oh, the humble tuna melt. There's not any other sandwich quite like it. It's one of the rare instances when cheese and fish work together really well. (The other being a McDonald's filet-o-fish!)

This is one of those classic sarnies that can be whipped up in a cinch. We almost always have tuna in our cupboard. It's useful for adding to pasta with tomato sauce or sprinkling over a salad or using a dip for Ritz crackers. When we're really in a pinch and need something quick either for lunch or dinner, this is a go-to dish.

All it requires is popping out to the shops for a fresh baguette. In the UK, all large supermarkets have bakeries and most of the small neighborhood ones do as well. There are four within a block of our flat, each selling a full-size baguette for less than £1 or $1.55!
 
With a bit of seasoning and a little bit of time in the broiler, you'll have a fantastic and fast sandwich for lunch or tea. If you're having it for your tea, add some sides such as onion rings and peas or chips, salad etc.

Keep reading for the recipe & the #GetHimFed party!

Gluten Free Standing Rigatoni Pie

Rigatoni receives a modern makeover with this fun and whimsical pasta dish!

Feeds 2 adults; 1 toddler

The thing that intrigued me and drew me into this dish was the peculiar way it's served. I must admit, I've never had pasta that was still standing. I was expecting this dish to be far more complicated than it was. To be honest, it doesn't take much longer than a rigatoni dish where the noodles are relaxing on their sides, instead of standing like gap-mouthed trout. 

Still, no one ever said that easy was synonymous with flavorless. Fact of the matter, this is one of the most flavorful and pasta dishes I've ever made or even tasted! It's perfect for busy weeknights or would be great on the weekends with a bit of help from the smaller-handed folk. Even my kid loved poking at the standing noodles before I poured the sauce over them!

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Ingredients:

For the standing rigantoni pie
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 onion, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp basil
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp tomato paste
3 garlic cloves, mince
300g beef mince
500g gluten free rigatoni pasta
handfuls of 2 types of cheese

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Instructions:

Standing Rigatoni Pie

1.  Warm the olive oil in a skillet and brown the mince with onion, garlic, herbs and cayenne pepper. Cook until fragrant an the mince is browned.
2. Add the tomatoes, sugar and tomato paste and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 200C/400F.
4. Cook the pasta according to the instruction on the packet, but undercooking it slightly. (According to the my packet, the pasta needed 12 minutes, I boiled it for 9.)
5. Strain the pasta and allow it to col enough to handle.
6. Grease the sides of a 9-inch springform tin. Spread a thin layer of the tomato sauce on the bottom.
7. Stand the pasta upright with one end on the tomato sauce layer. Tightly pack in each noodle.
8. Spread over half of the remaining sauce, allowing some to fall inside and between  the rigatoni. 
9. Sprinkle over a layer of cheese, covering the sauce. Spread the remaining sauce on top, followed by some more cheese.
10. Bake until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Allow to stand two minutes before release the tin from the base.

Passionfruit versus Adproval | The Battle of the Ad Providers

Written by: Anyonita Green on 8/29/2103

Welcome to the Blogging Crash Course! 

Helping you grow your blog into the powerhouse you know it can be!

Last month, a huge bombshell was dropped in the blogging world. Passionfruit, the pioneering web ads provider, announced that come September 1, 2013, their free service would be discontinued. 

There was widespread panic, hands clutched heads, mouths hung agape, people fretted over the implications of such an announcement and what it would mean for the much loved swaps. It was mayhem as blogging forums were filled with queries, outrage and feelings of abandonment and betrayal. 

Now, with just a handful of days left before Passionfruit as we know it no longer exists, I want to take a look at the company, it's main rival, Adproval, and provide a bit of feedback on which ad provider might be the best option for your blog.

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Grilled Chicken Tikka Mojito Chapatis Recipe

Grilled chapatis get filled with succulent chicken tikka and a cool mojito sauce in this easy packet meal!

Feeds 2 adults

I was meant to be collecting a jar of mayonnaise from the shelf when I saw it: Zesty Mojito Sauce! Zesty Mojito Sauce?! Without question, it ended up in the shopping trolley alongside the mayo. I had no idea how I'd use it, but as we passed a pack of chapatis, a recipe--this recipe started to form in my mind.

Chapatis, from the perspective of a person of a non Indian or Pakistani background, resembles in texture and appearance, Mexican tortillas. Chapati, or roti, are unleavened breads popular in South Asian cuisine, often served with curries. The amazing thing about a chapati is that it's not just a bit of bread on the side. It's often used as a sort of edible spoon for scooping up bits of food. Check out this informative tutorial for how to eat with chapatis.

While I know that the any Indian or Pakistani readers might hang their head in shame and outrage at the gall of this post, I can't help but see these delightful round breads as tortillas! Blame it on my culinary upbringing, which was heavily-influenced by Mexican cuisine, but the fact remains: when I see a tortilla-shaped object, I just can't resist folding meat and sauce within it and eating it like a taco!

Oh, let's just get on with the recipe before I dig myself into a bit of a hole! :) I will say this--it's not the way chapatis were intended to be eaten, but I think it's quite tasty!

Quick & Dirty Tacos Chicken Carnitas Recipe + Tasty Tuesdays #25

Shop bought taco kits are perfect for quick meals! Dress them up with homemade taco seasoning and chunks of juicy chicken for a personal touch!

Feeds 2 adults; 1 toddler

For me, Mexican food is classic feel-good food. It's indulgent, communal, flavorful and vibrant. Good Mexican food is laden with picante ingredients leaving a fiery tingling on your tongue and your tummy full. When I need to throw together a quick meal with minimal effort, I usually reach for something Mexican. Either an assemble-by-numbers fajita kit or a packet of tortillas warmed in the microwave and situated center of the table to be grabbed and filled at whim.

When I first decided to run this series on packet meals, I had to stop myself from doing 5 nights of Mexican variations! These tacos won out over the other 4 meals I considered simply because they're so easy! The rice is optional and the condiments can be rustically served straight from their respective jars, not dished onto a divided platter. Whatever works best for your family.

Don't do chicken? Swap it out for beef or perfectly cooked flaky cod, or even an assortment of roasted vegetables. No matter what protein filling you use, you've got to make my homemade taco seasoning to go with it! It's the shining star that catapults this dish from being a run-of-the-mill box meal into something that tastes from scratch and totally homemade!

5 Nights of Packet Meals: Ravioli Two Ways Recipe

Packet ravioli gets the gourmet treatment with breadcrumbs and an easy-to-whip-up sauce!

Feeds 2 adults; 1 toddler 

All this week, I'm going to be sharing different ways to make packet meals taste like they've been made from scratch and first up is this delicious ravioli dish! Packet meals always get such a negative rap! When I was growing up, my mom was very select with the packet things she fed us. They were usually restricted to mashed potatoes and biscuits, and even those were heavily doctored so that you could've sworn she'd spent hours in the kitchen.

For me, the purpose of a packet meal is convenience and speed. I think they're meant to help busy moms and dads in the kitchen, not make them obsolete. The idea of tearing open a packet of mash potato powder, adding water and plopping it a table seems inherently foreign to me.

This ravioli dish is no different. I wanted to show you another way of preparing it that takes less than 10 minutes but tastes like you've spent ages making it. This is one of those dishes that we all loved and Callum helped himself to seconds, too!

Introducing 5 Nights from the Packet

When I tell people that I have a food blog, I usually get one of two reactions:

Either a look of pained comprehension as they assume that I'm another of those people who stand in their chairs in restaurants and rearrange the table setting just to get a good shot of a plate of food.

Or, after taking a look at my blog or my blog's Facebook page, they assume that I always make fancy food and that packet pasta and box meals are beneath me. This assumption couldn't be further from the truth.

I love my pasta machine and I love making fresh pasta and bread and my own jam. But that's not how we eat every day. In fact, if you took a look in my cupboards, fridge and freezer at any given moment you would find my family's staples: mini frozen pizzas, oven chips, bags and bags of dried pasta and one-box meals and taco and enchilada kits.

But just because we eat packet food doesn't mean it should taste like the packet it came from! To curb cost, to appeal to a wide market and to be transportable and have a shelf life, packet meals tend to lack much flavor from spices and they rarely ever have herbs in them and they never have fresh herbs in.

These are all things that you can add to them. Who cares if you're having Easy Mac tonight instead of homemade mac'n'cheese? Throw some extra cheese in the pot, liven it up with some herbs or some ham or chicken and bung it in the oven so that the top crisps up instead of just following the instructions on the pack! It will taste completely different and more homemade.

You can dress up any packet meal and this week, I'm going to show you how. I'm going to share with you five of my favorite from the packet meals. Meals that I make when I'm pressed for time but still want to ensure my boys eat well. They won't be complicated and they won't be time consuming. They will be quick and flavorful, though.

5 Nights From the Packet Recipes:

Packet Ravioli Two Ways
Quick & Dirty Tacos Chicken Carnitas 
Grilled Chicken Tikka Mojito Chapatis 
Ultimate Tuna Melts 
Standing Rigatoni Pie

 

Cheesy Pasta Skillet from An Alli Event

I'd like to welcome Alli from An Alli Event to Anyonita Nibbles today! Alli's sharing a delicious pasta skillet dish! Take it away, Alli:

Weight Watcher's Blueberry Muffin Ice Cream

This 5 ingredient ice cream is swirled with blueberry freezer jam and chunks of Weight Watcher's blueberry muffin so you can indulge and stick to your diet!

Makes about 1 liter (UK)/1/2 gallon (US)

If I had a breakfast-on-the-go vice, it would be blueberry muffins. I just can't resist their light sponge bases bursting with juicy blueberries. The idea of crumbling these beautiful baked goods and incorporating them into an ice cream is just ingenious ... and tasty. This is easily the best ice cream I have ever tasted.

The fact that it only requires 5 ingredients, no sugar or eggs and no ice cream maker is an added bonus. Dubbed "the best ice cream in the world" in our house, this beauty is a firm favorite and you'll love it. Make it gluten free by using gluten-free muffins. Make it full fat by ditching the diet muffins to opt for the real thing. Make it egg free by using egg-less muffins. It doesn't really what you make it, just make it! Today!

#GetHimFed 6

Welcome to #GetHimFed with Jess from Hungry Harps and me! :)

We have all heard the saying, “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” It’s true – and any good woman knows it! Not only do men love to satisfy their hunger with something delightful on the palate, they are also in love with the fact that their meals are made, with love, by the women in their life. Sometimes they are even eager to please back after tasting a recipe that was whipped up for them – and those are the ones we are looking for at #GetHimFed!