We’re baaaaaack!
Welcome to the first instalment of Friday Feast for 2014. And what a cracking year it’s going to be. Already slots are filling up fast, with a fantastic line-up of authors for your delectation.
How has your summer been so far? Stinking hot no doubt. It’s been a blistery one, that’s for sure. Never fear. You can be super cool with Friday Feast.
And now, because I just know you’re hanging out for Us Heins Weren’t Meant To Play Golf news, here’s a quick update: After three-putting 8 out of 18 holes the week before last and too many again last week, I fear my putter has developed yet another fault. Or my brain has. I suspect the latter. Sigh. But at least my new bright purple golfing outfit looks totally groovin’, even if it does make me resemble a grape-flavoured jube.
Speaking of groovin’, my guest today hails from my home state of South Australia, which naturally means she’s super talented as well as nice. Victoria Purman hit the charts with her debut novel Nobody But Him. Now she has a new romance on the shelves with the second in her Boys of Summer series.
Take a look at the utterly gorgeous Someone Like You.
SOMEONE LIKE YOU
When Lizzie Blake knocks on the door of Dan McSwaine’s beach house at Middle Point, she barely recognises the man who answers. What ever happened to the guy who swaggered into her home town with a grin and left wither heart in his back pocket? Lizzie wonders if he’ll ever be that man again – and if she should risk everything she’s built her life on to help him.
Dan can’t normally bear to be more than ten minutes from a hip bar, an imported beer and a group of hot women. So what is he doing holed up in a falling down beach shack at Middle Point? All he knows is that he’s made some crazy decisions since the night a truck slammed into his care and almost killed him. The first one was to think that buying a crumbling piece of coastal real estate was a good idea. The second crazy decision was to try to hide away from the world when a woman like Lizzie Blake is determined to drag him right back into it.
Doesn’t that sound delicious? The perfect summer read. And it can be yours with a quick trip to your local independent bookseller or a trip to your nearest chain store. Or you can just click away at these retailers: For the print and ebook, try direct from the publisher, Harlequin, or Booktopia, Bookworld, and QBD The Bookshop. For the ebook, try Amazon (Kindle), Kobo, JB Hi-Fi, iTunes, Google Play, BigW or your favourite store.
All bookied up? Excellent. Now get cool with Victoria!
Summer Love Is Like No Other Love…
Neither Is The Food
It’s hot where I live.
In South Australia, we’re in the middle of our second heat wave of the summer, during which we’ll have temperatures of 40 degrees and above for ten days or more. It’s been so hot that we consider 35 a cool change.
When it’s this hot, the last thing I feel like doing is cooking.
Funny that the heat doesn’t seem to dull my hunger, however.
This recipe is one of my summer standbys – handed down to me by my Hungarian mother, Emma.
You might by thinking that this is just a plain and simple potato salad. But the secret of its Hungarian deliciousness is the eggs – lots of eggs – and those delicious Euro-style gherkins.
My Mum serves it with her special-recipe crumbed chicken – which my three teenage boys aka The Hungry Horde – devour like it’s their last day on earth.
I cook up a huge batch of this salad and have it on hand on the fridge to fill the stomachs of The Hungry Horde with a cold chicken or some snags.
Oh, and it’s delicious with a cold beer.
Oma’s European-Style Potato Salad
2kg potatoes
8 hard-boiled eggs
1 onion, very finely chopped
Finely chopped gherkins (the European kind)
Lovely mayonnaise – I use the whole egg kind
Salt and pepper to taste
Boil your potatoes and let them get cold. Peel them and slice them into a huge bowl.
Wait for your eggs to cool and break them up with a fork. I actually use one of this ginchy egg slicer doohickeys, which is fun as well as fast. Add the eggs to your potatoes, along with the finely chopped onion and gherkins.
Add your mayo a tablespoon at a time so you don’t over-mayo.
Stir. Voila! You have your wonderful, eggy deliciousness!
Oh, yumptious! Thanks, Victoria. I’m a complete sucker for potato salad at the best of times but add some eggs and we’re talking heaven! Perfect for this time of year, when we’re entertaining outdoors, picnicking and barbecuing.
Would you like to win a Kindle copy of Someone Like You? Well, here’s your chance. Reveal your favourite summer salad and you’ll go into the draw. I have a new one I’m rather enamoured of, made with baby spinach, chick peas, red onion, roasted sweet potato and other goodies, and dressed with a yoghurt and pomegranate molasses dressing. It is beautiful!
So what about you? Are you a traditionalist who loves nothing better than a crunchy coleslaw? Maybe you prefer a touch of exotica with some hot and sour Asian noodles to spice things up. Share away and you’ll go into the draw.
Giveaway closes midnight AEST Tuesday 11th February. Open to Australian addresses only.
Don’t have a Kindle e-reader? That’s okay. You can download the reading app to your phone, tablet, laptop or computer and read where you like. It’s easy!
If you’d like to learn more about Victoria and her books, please visit her website. You can also connect via Facebook and Twitter.
This giveaway has now closed. Congratulations to Iris who has won a Kindle copy of Victoria’s latest release Someone Like You. Thanks to everyone for playing along.
Welcome back Cathryn! Waves to Victoria!
I’m very partial to a grated fresh beetroot and carrot salad with toasted sunflowers or pine nuts. Add a touch of a light lemon juice and olive oil dressing and you have a wonderful healthy, colourful salad that goes well with just about anything. Must work it into the next few days meals…
That salad sounds delicious, Keziah, especially with the sunflower seeds. Yum! Going to have to give that one a go.
Thanks for the welcome back and for dropping by. Loads of fab authors lined up for 2014. It’s going to be a hoot!
Good to have Friday Feast back, Cathryn! Victoria, congratulations on the release of Someone Like You. I do like a good potato salad. My current favourite involves roasted sweet potatoes, sprinkled with a tablespoon each of roasted pepitas, sunflower, poppy and sesame seeds and dressed with a bit of tomato mustard and balsamic vinegar with lots of chopped coriander. Contrary to the opinion of my other half, who considers most salads nothing more than ‘rabbit food’, I believe you can’t go past a good salad, particularly if it involves any kind of potato!
It’s good to be back with more feasty goodness, Christine. And wonderful to see you here!
That salad sounds unreal. Those seeds would add amazing crunch and flavour and I’m a big fan of sweet spud. Another lovely summer salad suggestion. Keep ’em coming!
They both sound delicious… printing off now to try!
Aren’t they delicious sounding, Victoria? Definitely on my try list.
Love LOVE potato salad! Am definitely going to try this….and I might add some crispy bacon too. Delicious!
Ooooh, with bacon. *swoons* Like a breakfast salad. Hee!
Thanks so much for dropping by, Bree. Great to see you here.
Baby spinach, rocket, chopped walnuts, quinoa and grilled nectarine with a little vinegar and lemon infused olive oil – amazing!
I bet it’s amazing, Ingrid! Certainly sounds delicious and super healthy too, which means we can eat twice as much!
Hi Cathryn and Victoria
I love the sound of that potato salad and potato salad is one of my favourites I usually make a fairly plain but tasty one with potatoes onion chopped parsley and a good mayo and my dial makes. Lovely one with eggs and bacon and I also sometimes put avacadi in as well 🙂
Have fun
Helen
*waves madly at Helen*
It’s one of my favourite salads too. Humble but completely moreish. Can’t help feeling that an Aussie barbie wouldn’t be right without a nice bowl of creamy potato salad.
Thanks for dropping by Friday Feast.
Don’t enter me in the contest cos I’ve already read this fabo book but I’m just stopping by to say YUM!
Yum indeed, Rach. I’m answering these comments in the car as we head along the Murray Valley Highway toward Echuca and all I can think of is delicious food! Such a pity there are only sugar-free mints and fruit drops on offer. Very dull. Will make up for it tonight though!
I make the potato salad the same way …. mum’s recipe, of course (Oma to my girls 😉 … my fav salad is the pasta salad though, which is made more or less the same way, pasta, European gherkins, eggs and lotsa egg mayonnaise and all the other stuff like salt pepper etc!
Ooh, I’m a bit partial to a tangy pasta salad too, Iris. My housemate at uni used to make a terrific one and I always regret not pinching the recipe from her. Nevermind. There’s always the internet!
Thanks so much for dropping by Friday Feast.
Welcome back, Cathryn and hi to Victoria! Potatoes and eggs together are yum and this salad sounds gorgeous. Love a good salad. Winter fave is the classic rocket, goats cheese and walnut. In Summer we make a lot of slaw but we change it up by finely chopping kaffir lime leaves and adding them. And this summer have been doing a madly yummy chargrilled watermelon with feta, onion and pistachios. Getting hungry 🙂
Hi Louise!!
Yes, yes, YES on the rocket, goats cheese and walnut salad. Totally delish. There’s a place near us that caramelises the walnuts and they’re like scoring a little treat on your fork when you get one. Lovely.
Char-grilled watermelon? I’m so intrigued by this! But I can imagine it’s delicious especially with the feta, onion and nuts. Great to have you here.You always have such interesting foodie suggestions!
See what happens when you read all these posts about delicious food before you’ve had breakfast? YOU GET HUNGRY!!!
A fave summer salad of mine is rocket, sliced strawberries with balsamic vinegar and poppy seeds. It’s lovely and bitey, with a nice zing. Perfect with grilled chicken! Looking forward to seeing you on Thursday in Mildura 🙂
That sounds delish, cataluna! Strawbs and balsamic go beautifully anyway and in a salad with some really peppery rocket that’d be super tasty. And healthy which means we can eat more of it.
Only one more sleep until I hit Mildura library. Rah!