It’s winter in Australia, which means, at least for the Hein household, lots of comfort food, red wine and that magnificent Irish gift to the world, Guinness. Oh, and football. (Can I mention here that my beloved Sydney Swans are perched very nicely in 4th on the AFL ladder?)

But back to the Emerald Isle…

My guest today is young Australian romance author Whitney K.E. whose debut release What Happens In Ireland hit the virtual shelves only a few short weeks ago and has been amassing glowing reviews since. If you’re a sucker for romances featuring sexy, lilting-accented Irishmen and strong Aussie women, you’ll love Whitney’s Irish-set romances. Note the plural. Yes, there are more to come. In fact, in what will be exciting news for her new fans, I’ve discovered that Whitney has a whole series of Irish Hearts novels planned.

But first, take a look at What Happens In Ireland.

WHAT HAPPENS IN IRELAND

Ever wondered what happens in Ireland?

When Australian, Kate Barrow, meets a handsome Irishman in a Dublin bar, she has no idea that he’s about to turn her world upside-down and inside-out.

In Ireland to take on a position on a thoroughbred stud, Kate is shocked when her manager-in-co reveals himself to be the same man she’d met in Dublin.

Jack is drawn to Kate. The problem is, she won’t have him. But Jack has always loved a challenge and the intriguing woman from Oz is one he cannot resist.

Harbouring the sting of another man’s betrayal, Kate is certain she wants nothing to do with love and nothing to do with Jack O’Reilly. But when naked torsos, Mother Nature and dysfunctional umbrellas start plotting against her resolve, she realizes the charms of an Irishman are going to be hard to resist.

‘Unashamedly romantic and sentimental in parts, hot and steamy in others…I have no hesitation at all in recommending this novel to readers of romance fiction. And in particular, to readers of romance who love Ireland…’ – Maria Mohan

You can own What Happens In Ireland right now with just a couple of clickety-clicks. Download now from most excellent ARRC 13 Gold Sponsor Kobo, or try iTunes, Amazon (for Kindle), Bookstrand, All Romance Ebooks, Smashwords, or buy direct from the publisher Secret Cravings.

Now, please welcome Whitney.

Butter Me Up!

Hi Cathryn! Thank for having me. Now, I have a confession. I’m not the world’s most talented cook, which makes me wonder why on earth I chose to write about cooking, haha. I’m not afraid to admit that my skills in the kitchen are quite basic, but if I were to blame it on anything, it would be my genes. My mother manages to burn everything she bakes (apparently because she likes the taste, haha) and ‘from-scratch’? I think my sisters and I all agree that we preferred she didn’t try her hand at it 😛

And like myself, my heroine Kate proves herself to not be much of a cook. Secretly, I think it is because my muse prefers to see her heroes shirtless and leaning over the stove as they make something delicious whilst tantalizing my heroines visually as well, haha.

But, I guess I’m not completely hopeless. I have mastered a few recipes, though I can’t say my presentation skills are all that great. 🙂 I like to make sweets (though rarely get a chance to make them). And my favourite and one sweet that is always incorporated into my Christmas hamper that I make for the family lunch, is peanut butter balls. I love peanut butter. And with a drizzle of chocolate, you can’t go wrong. And what’s more, they are quick and easy for the under-skilled cook!

So here’s my recipe 🙂

Peanut Butter Balls

Ingredients:

1 cup of Peanut Butter (crunch or smooth, you take your pick J)

2 cups of icing sugar

6 teaspoons of softened butter

250gs of cooking chocolate (I prefer dark as the peanut butter is quite sweet) for drizzling!

Easy-peasy instructions:

So first, you want to soften the butter by placing it in the microwave for around 20 seconds.

Next, you mix the butter, icing sugar and peanut butter in a bowl until it forms a nice mixture that you can roll into balls. This is where the taste testing comes in. I tend to experiment a little with the sugar and peanut butter here, depending on how sweet I want the mixture to be.

Next, you spoon out the mixture and roll it into small balls and place them on a tray lined with baking paper (saves all that washing :P) and place them in the fridge to set. I’d give them 20 minutes (enough time for you to check my facebook :P) just to be on the safe side, but you want them to be hard enough that they don’t stick to your fingers.

And now for all you chocolate lovers, you melt the cooking chocolate via placing a glass bowl over a pot of boiling water. Once it’s melted, you can drizzle the peanut butter balls in the chocolate and ta-da! Once the chocolate is set, you have an easy treat!

You can also add Rice Bubbles to the mixture if you are looking for a crunchy texture, or even coat the peanut butter balls in some nuts or other bits. 🙂

Again, a big thanks to Cathryn for having me today! It was a pleasure and I’m having fun looking at some of the recipes other authors have place on here. Might have to try refine my cooking skills 🙂

Ooh, they sound very naughty, Whitney. But oh-so-perfect to snack on while reading about your sexy Irishman. An excellent and easy thing to whip up for a morning tea or as a gift too.

So, my lovely Feasters, any Irish tales out there? Have you kissed the Blarney Stone? (I have!) Get a bit wobbly the moment you hear a sexy lilting accent? Love a big dollop of colcannon?

I had a ball in Ireland. Spent a week with my girlfriend and her Irish friend hooning around in a borrowed car, freeloading with anyone who’d put us up. I still can’t get over the generosity of the people we met. Wonderful, wonderful country, and beautiful too. Really must go back one day. In the meantime, I’ll have to satisfy myself with Whitney’s What Happens In Ireland!

If you’d like to learn more about Whitney K.E. and her books, please visit her blog. You can also connect via Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.