Welcome to the first recipe in the Summer Chillin’ Blog Hop. Thanks for coming by. One of the lovely things about living in Australia, is the huge diversity of backgrounds people come from. One of my best friends is Greek, and she first showed me how to make this soup at a family Christmas. It might seem like a strange combination, but even my friend Jim, who comes from China, loves it. It seems to cross a lot of cultural barriers with a simple YUM. It’s really easy to make too. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 medium cucumbers

2 cups of Greek yoghurt

2 cups of chicken stock (I use a powdered stock, mixed in cold water)

1 large garlic clove, crushed (add more if you like garlic)

3 tablespoons of chopped dill

1 cup of chopped walnut pieces

Salt to taste

Method: Grate the cucumbers into a bowel. Add the yoghurt, chicken stock, dill and chopped walnut pieces. I use a whisk to blend it together, then chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Add salt to taste, and serve with crusty bread and a glass of sparkling wine. Delicious…

That’s my recipe for today. I’m aiming to post recipes that are easy and tasty, with ingredients that should be available in most places. Tomorrow, I’m going to share my cold avocado soup, that is bursting with flavour and nutrition. Don’t worry though, down the track there will be my mum’s recipe for chocolate peanut sauce, and my favourite cocktails!

Eva Lefoy, one of the fabulous authors at Decadent Publishing, has organised a Summer Chillin’ Blog Hop. What does this mean, I hear you say? Well, what it means is that you can click on the authors below, and they will be posting their favourite summer recipes for us to share on their blogs. These lovely authors come from all around the world, so we are in for a treat, with recipes from far away places…

Here in South Australia, it is the middle of winter. It’s cold and bleak, with not much sun around. I love it because it gives me an excuse to be in my pjs by 7pm, I can watch TV without feeling like I should be outside exercising in the evenings, because it is light until 9pm, and we can eat all the tasty things not eaten in the heat. Sometimes, it gets so hot here, that you literally can’t use the oven. So my recipes are going to include some cold soups, main courses that don’t require the oven, dips, a tasty cocktail and a dessert.

Enjoy, and call back soon, for recipe updates!

Summer Chillin’ Blog Hop – readers can visit author pages for recipes geared toward summar fun!

1.	Sotia Lazu	7.	Authors Kitchen	13.	Eva Lefoy
2.	Allyson Lindt	8.	Xakara	14.	Cate Masters
3.	Jane Ainslie	9.	Haley Whitehall	15.	Leslie C. Ferdinand
4.	Kiru Taye (INT)	10.	Erotica Author, Shiloh Saddler	16.	Sofia Grey
5.	Erotica Author, Fierce Dolan	11.	Starla Kaye	17.	Krista Ames
6.	Kimber Vale	12.	Diane Saxon

Thanks for coming by my website.  I’m an Australian writer, who wishes she lived in Paris, but for now I live in a desert city in Australia. It can get hot around here in summer – really hot (like 45 degrees Celsius = 113 degrees Fahrenheit), which is never pretty.  I love gardening, but by the time winter rolls by, my garden is usually a shriveled mess, which could sometimes be said of me too in that heat. I also love cooking, swimming, martinis, writing.  I should say I love writing first, but sometimes a martini, or a swim in the sea, is more appealing (but not together readers – public health message 101).  I love the idea of traveling the world, but have a phobia about public/plane loos, so that is not on the ‘to do’ list until I can do it by private jet!

I live with my beloved husband, who is meant to be my muse. I tell him that frequently, if he saunters on by in tracksuit pants while watching sport on TV. We also have four unruly, feisty ferrets.

I have two books published so far (hence no private jet, just yet): Chai for Beginners, published by Rupa Publications 2011, and Her Sister’s Wedding, published by Decadent Publishing 2013.

Take a wander through my website. I made it myself! Which may explain a few things… It only took me approximately 3,000 hours. Thanks for dropping by. See you again soon. xx

A scene from last summer