Pass the Pastitsio!

Barbara DeLeo is visiting today! She’s talking about the fabulous Greek food she’s been eating, and I am, in the vernacular of my girl children, totes jelly! You will be too…

Thanks so much for having me on the blog today, Amanda! I hope everyone is having a holiday season filled with fun, laughter and fabulous food and drinks.

New Year in New Zealand is right in the middle of our summer holidays so it’s a fabulous time to get together with friends and family from all over the country.

This year we’re spending part of the holiday with my husband’s Greek family so we’re gorging ourselves on lots of amazing food and drink.

When we were in our early twenties, hubs and I lived in Greece and Cyprus and I absolutely fell in love with the culture. We were lucky enough to travel back there last year with our four kids and spent three wonderful months introducing them to their heritage.

It’s been over a year since our trip so I was hanging out for some good Greek food this year and these are some of the things I’ve feasted on this week.

Dolmades: Rice, currants and pine nuts wrapped in vine leaves. Yum – especially with a glass of ouzo!

Pastitsio: A little like lasagne but made with macaroni and lots of bechamel sauce. My kids LOVE this!

Sheftalies: My father-in-law made these sausages with lots of parsley and mint. Here, one of my boys is helping his Papou cook them on the charcoal barbecue.

Tavvas: Slow cooked lamb with tomatoes and potatoes. I always think of the aunty in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” when I have Greek lamb. “You’re a vegetarian? No problem, we have lamb!”

Have you had Greek food? Do you like it? What are your favorite dishes? Fill out the Rafflecopter form at the bottom of the post for the chance to win your choice of my books, Dishing up Desire, Contract for Marriage or Last Chance Proposal. And if you’d like more Greek food and a recipe for delicious Greek pastries, please visit my blog as part of the Hungry Hearts Holiday Hop. Happy New Year!

So…hungry? Here’s a little something to make your brain drool, too!

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Cy Hathaway needs a wife, fast, to win custody of his son, Jonty. He returns home to discover the childhood sweetheart he once left behind has become a vibrant, beautiful woman. Even though wanting to sweep her off her feet wasn’t part of the plan…

For Ellie, Cy’s sudden reappearance awakens a flood of memories—and resentments for the way he’d abandoned her all those years ago. But she has a life now, a career. She can’t simply drop everything and get hitched, even if the sight of him still makes her heart race.

But after Ellie meets his little boy, she can’t refuse. Certain she has a grip on her old feelings for Cy, she agrees to marry her first love until he gains custody. But when did helping out a friend become something with the capacity to hijack her heart?

And here’s a little something about Barbara…

Barbara DeLeo’s first book, co-written with her best friend, was a story about beauty queens in space. She was eleven, and the sole, handwritten copy was lost years ago, much to everyone’s relief. It’s some small miracle that she kept the faith and is now living her dream of writing sparkling contemporary romance with unforgettable characters.

After completing degrees in Psychology and English then traveling the world, Barbara married her winemaker hero and had two sets of twins.

She still loves telling stories about finding love in all the wrong places, with not a beauty queen or spaceship in sight.

Find Barbara and her books here:

Website * Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads

Enter to win Contract For Marriage, Dishing Up Desire, or Last Chance Proposal by Barbara DeLeo: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you’ll also check out our Dip, App, and Drink recipes on the Hungry Hearts Holiday Hop and enter to win one of three $25 gift cards!