Today, I'm so pleased to welcome a new blog friend, Dan, from Platter Talk. Dan, his partner and their gang of beautiful boys always seem to eat good! They constantly share mouthwatering and indulgent food, the kind of food that people want to eat--delicious, down to earth food without pretension! You'll love the look of these burgers, just you wait!
Bacon Gorgonzola Sliders
Charbroiled mini-beef burgers laced with bacon and filled with warm Gorgonzola cheese, all on a heat and serve dinner roll, easy and delicious summer fare.
While we round off our holiday in Malta, a few of my favourite food bloggers have stopped y to share some totally awesome recipes with you all! Kicking things off is my dear friend, Kristin!
If you're an avid reader of Anyonita Nibbles, I'm sure you'll recognise Kristin's work: we oft work together on things and she's one of my partners in crimes for many of the giveaways, projects and groups I'm involve with. It's always such a treat to have her here and you guys always love the beautiful recipes she shares! Here's another one, straight from Kristin's kitchen!
When used properly, Pinterest can provide vital traffic to your blog or website! Use these # tutorials to harness the power of Pinterest.
How to Make the Most of Pinterest
If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times: Pinterest is powerful. It's one of my favorite forms of social media, because it's not just concerned with being social, it's also concerned with self improvement and functions as a visual place to store dreams and keep track of ambitions.
From ice cream made from muffins to dark chocolate and kale frozen yogurt and everything in between, here are 14 creative ice cream recipes!
14 Creative Ice Cream Recipes
Nothing puts me in the mood for ice cream better than warm, sunny days! Usually, I stick to the classic choice of vanilla--you just can't beat it! But every now and then, I like to venture out and try something completely different like the entirely decadent and not-that-bad-for-you blueberry muffin ice cream. It was one of the first ice creams I ever made and I promise you, it's addictive and yummy!
I'm especially excited about this month's Food the World party. This month we're jetting off to Malta, a sunny island off the coast of Italy. It's fitting that we'll be focusing on Malta's food because that's where I am at the moment!
The husband, son and mother-in-law and I are all enjoying some much needed down time in one of the most beautiful countries I've ever visited. We've got two lovely weeks booked here and I plan on finding out as much about this English-speaking country as I can and trying as many of the lovely foods as I can. Malta has a very interesting history and a lot of influences from other cultures, predominantly British influence (it used to be a British territory), French and of course, Italian.
Moms, there's no need to hide in the pantry to enjoy a snack all by yourself; check out these 9 best ever single serve desserts so you won't have to share!
Yield: 1
9 Best Ever Single Serve Desserts
Being a mom means always having to share. Especially your food. Even when everybody at the table is eating the same thing, mom's plate always seems to look just that more appealing. Even when the two year old yells and screams and insists that "No," he "no want dinner anymore!" he still somehow finagles his way in and you find yourself divvying up your entire dessert.
Giveaways are great ways to increase traffic to your blog or website and to grow your social media following. Knowing how to plan, organize and run a giveaway is often a test of trial and error, but it doesn't have to be. Here's the definitive guide to planning, organizing and running a successful giveaway. There's going to be quite a bit of information in this post, so just take it in bite-sized chunks and don't let it overwhelm you! Alternatively pin this post to refer back later; I promise, it'll come in handy for your next giveaway!
These sugar topped gluten free choux pastry puffs are best enjoyed hot from the oven, glistening and warm!
Yield: 3 dozen
Prep time:
Cook time:
Gluten Free Chouquettes
On a rainy afternoon, with Eartha Kitt belting Je Cherche un Homme through my iPod, I made these delightful sugar puffs or chouquettes. Let me tell me about these little sugary domes of pleasure: they have the pour to right wrongs; to diffuse a tense situation like the best negotiator.
On the day in question, one of a relentless string of rainy days, Callum (the 2 year old) and I were going stir crazy with cabin fever and driving one another mad in the process; so we baked. And the pure expression of delight on his face as he took his first bite of a warm-from-the-oven sugar puff was enough to melt my heart and instantly make me forgive him for whatever havoc he terrorized me with earlier in the day.
But I wanted to try my hand at gluten free choux. I'll admit, I approached this task with a slight air of trepidation. One of things gluten does in baking, is provide structure and gives baked goods texture. In a similar ilk, one requirement for perfect pate a choux is choux with structure enough that the profiteroles or eclairs retain their shape and don't deflate as soon as the oven is switched off!
Ingredients:
For the chouquettes 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum 1 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon salt 2 medium eggs 85 grams sweet rice flour 85 grams tapioca flour 100 grams unsalted butter, softened 170 mls/6 ounces water 170 mls/6 ounces milk confectioner's sugar/icing sugar chouquette sugar confetti candy sprinkles chocolate chips
**Notes**
Gluten in traditional choux helps the choux to retain its shape, so it is important that you cook the choux fully.
With gluten free choux, it is doubly important. If the inside of your profiteroles, chouquettes or eclairs is spongy and soft, they will deflate. Be sure to do step 12; it will make all the difference in perfectly peaked puffs and shapeless choux.
The sugar used in chouquettes is known by a variety of names. The container of it that I brought back from France with me is labelled "Sucre a chouquettes" or sugar for chouquettes. Chouquette sugar is also used in a lot of European baking, mostly to decorate the tops of pannetone, cakes and biscuits. Chouquette sugar is unique because it is so dense, it doesn't melt easily during baking.
Alternative names for sugar for chouquettes (if you find any of these at your local supermarket or baking supply shop, you can use them):
pearl sugar
nib sugar
hail sugar
crystal sugar
coarse sugar
Belgian waffle pearl sugar
Gluten Free Chouquettes
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 200c/400f.
Place the butter, sugar, water and salt in a pan and bring to the boil.
Remove the pan from the heat as soon as it starts to boil.
Stir in the flour using a wooden spoon until the dough comes together to form a ball. This step takes about 2 minutes.
Transfer the ball to a large bowl and stir constantly with a wooden spoon to cool down the dough. Alternatively, you can let it rest on its own for a few minutes.
Add one egg to the slightly cooled dough and stir. The dough will begin to separate and look like it's all going wrong, but this is what you want. If you keep stirring, the choux will absorb the egg and the dough will come together again and form a ball.
Add the second egg and repeat the process until the dough forms a ball again.
Spoon the choux into a piping bag and pipe three-tiered mounds onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper or silicone.
Dip your finger in water and pat down the tips of the mounds.
Sprinkle over the confectioner's sugar, giving each chouquette a good coating. By the time you've finished them all, the sugar should have dissolved on the first one started with..
Scatter over the chouquette sugar, chocolate chips and candy confetti sprinkles. You may need to press the chouquette sugar into place on the puffs as they have a tendency to roll off. Finish everything off with a dusting of icing sugar.
Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the puffs feel light and airy when you pick them up. You want to make sure they are completely cooked through. So, after 20 minutes,take one and pierce the side with a knife. Take a peek inside. If it still looks doughy, they need a few more minutes. If it only looks slightly doughy, pierce all of the chouquettes and place them back in the oven with the door slightly ajar. Switch the oven off and leave them there until the oven is considerably cooler. They should cook perfectly.
We'll be taking the next 2 weeks off from the party as I'll be on vacation & won't have time to do the pinning. But please stop by because I have some #tastytuesdays related treats in store for you!
Please link up your PINS so you can benefit from my repinning!
I'm Anyonita, an American living in Britain, chasing great meals and beautiful places. After years as a food blogger, I'm taking Anyonita Nibbles on the road. Expect food, travel, restaurant finds and plenty of recipes from the archive.
