A Chance to WIN $150 Amazon gift voucher and EBOOK
The winner has now been drawn for a copy of my eBook, Island Redemption. Their name will be revealed soon. Thank you all so much for taking part in this wonderful Christmas Blog Hop, and good luck for the big draw.
“ Live in the sunshine. Swim in the Sea. Drink in the wild air.” Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Welcome to the Christmas Blog Hop, an exciting advent calendar of blogs for you to open. Christmas, Romance and the Beach. All three are really awesome on their own, but when you combine them the result is especially intoxicating. What could possibly be more romantic than dabbling your toes in the cool lapping waves on a warm, temperate night, while strolling along with the love of your life at your side? Then he hands you a perfectly wrapped box and whispers ‘Merry Christmas,’ in your ear. When you open it, nestled inside is the most amazing heart-shaped ruby necklace you’ve ever seen. It’s what fantasies are made of!
Even though my novel Island Redemption is not Christmas themed, it certainly has lots of romance and lots of beaches. After all, what better place to fall in love than on the white sandy beaches of a deserted island, surrounded by sparkling azure water and balmy tropical skies? Add to that the question of how the chance of winning a million dollars in a reality TV show would affect that love affair and you have certainly got the spice needed to give this story conflict and high drama. 
You have a chance to win an eBook copy of Island Redemption by leaving a comment below.
I’m extremely lucky because I get to celebrate Christmas in the middle of Perth’s sizzling hot summer. So trips to the beach are a must. And Ralph Waldo Emerson definitely got it right in his quote above, living by the beach is an uplifting experience. When Christmas day rolls around the first thing on our family agenda is opening all the pretty presents scattered beneath the tree. But the mountains of discarded wrapping paper are soon left behind for the much-needed trip to the beach. It does seem to be a bit of a Perth tradition, as the beaches are always chock-a-block with people on Christmas morning, but the vibe is happy, cheerful and carefree and strangers wish you a Merry Christmas with a grin and a wave. Once we’ve spent a few hours relaxing at the beach, getting burned and salty and covered in sand, we go home for a brunch of the biggest, butteriest, fluffiest croissants I’ve ever seen, from our local bakery (and a glass of champagne for the adults).
Christmas dinner is always a family affair, and if it’s our turn to host, we get the arriving hordes to set up a long table on the back patio, combining 3 smaller tables, then we cover it with colourful bon bons, a large glazed ham (always free range) a whole baked salmon, piles and piles of West Australian tiger prawns and salads of all makes and models. There has to be shortbread, and only Walkers will do, my husband is Scottish, pavlova—no one really wants to eat a hot Christmas pudding on a sweltering Perth day—and chocolate covered almonds. The most romantic thing about Christmas day is I get to spend it with my husband and two sons. Christmas reminds us all how lucky we are.
My recipe for whole baked salmon:
1 whole salmon filleted to give two sides with the skin still on.
1 lemon cut into slices
2 handfuls of mixed herbs from the garden, such as parsley, dill, tarragon, thyme or even basil and bay leaves
2 shallots thinly sliced
½ cup white wine
60g butter
salt and pepper to season
Heat the oven to 180 C then lay the fish, skin side down, onto a large sheet of baking paper. Scatter the lemon, herbs, shallots and dobs of butter in the middle of the salmon and fold over. Tie it up with twine and splash a generous amount of wine over the top and season generously with salt and pepper. Place the baking paper onto a large piece of foil and wrap the whole thing up in a big fishy parcel. Cook for around 50 minutes in the oven. Can be served warm or cold. Leftovers can even be frozen for later. 
So, my question to you is what is the one food you can’t do without on Christmas day?
The wonderful author Annie Seaton has gathered together a group of authors and organised this amazing give away which will run between now and Christmas Eve. You have a chance to win a $150 Amazon gift voucher and an eBook from one of the participating authors. 
You can enter the giveaway here at Rafflecopter. And don’t forget to leave a comment below for a chance to win a copy of the eBook Island Redemption.
Here is the list of bloggers for you to hop over to.
Suzanne Cass 29th Nov
Darcy Delany 23rd Dec
Christmas is always fun with family … great post Susanne
Thanks Shirley,
Now I’ve written this post, I’m really getting into the Christmas mood.
Yep, Aussies often head for the beach at Christmas. I certainly equate the season with family time at the coast.
Yummy recipe! Thanks for sharing.
Hi Susanne
Yes, the recipe is my favourite, I do it every Christmas without fail.
Oh, I love salmon! Thank you for sharing your wonderful family recipe with us!
Me too, Elizabeth. Glad you liked it.
Thanks so much for the recipe!
Thank you Maria, hope you enjoy it and have a great Christmas
The one thing we have I cannot go without is my sausage balls.We always swirch up the main dishes each year, but that one side has remained a staple at our dinner. It’s basically a breakfast sausage mini meatball with a sauce made from ketchup and brown sugar..delish!!
Hi Kim,
Wow that sounds like a really interesting dish. I’m loving finding out what people like to eat at Christmas. Thank you for sharing.
Your baked salmon sounds amazing! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Kate, hope you’re enjoying the blog hop
On Christmas we enjoy eggs benedict. I am definitely going to try the salmon.
Oooh, eggs benedict is one of my faves too. I never thought of having it at Christmas, but might have to try it now. Thanks Renaye
Sunshine and a beach sounds wonderful, especially since it’s winter here at Christmas. The book sounds like fun.
Hi Linda, I don’t envy you all that cold weather. A nice beach escape read is just what you need to keep warm.
Wow, great recipe …I love salmon. What a holiday treat!!!
Thanks Michelle, hope you have a great Christmas full of wonderful food and family too
I haven’t celebrated a warm winter in almost 29 years, but I do remember them, being an old slant child lol bing in the States. I hope this will be another brilliant Christmas for you and yours Down Under. 🙃
Hi Karen,
Winter Christmas also has its good points. Lots of us Aussies crave the experience of at least one white Christmas. It does sound very romantic, Christmas in the snow. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas.
I have never celebrated Christmas anywhere but home, which is in Canada, so I am 95% sure I will have a white Christmas this year…
Hi Kathleen,
Enjoy your Christmas and drink lots of mulled wine to keep you warm
I have to have fresh cherries and dried figs – both part of our traditional Christmas fare.
Hi Mary, thanks for sharing, your traditional Christmas fare
That looks like a great recipe. I don’t often attempt to cook fish myself, but I should consider it more often and give this one a go. Fresh fish are a little more hard to come by in the middle of the county.
Hi Lindsey,
Fish is a great addition to Christmas dinner, but I can understand why you don’t eat a lot if there is no fresh fish around.
looks tasty
Thank you. 🙂 Have a good Christmas
Definitely has to be tamales 😀
Hi Victoria, I have to admit I’ve never tried tamales before, but I will definitely try some now.
I’ve never met anyone in my life who hadn’t tried them before LOL… you can’t try just any, make sure wherever you buy them from they were handmade!
He he, what can I say, I lead a sheltered life here in Perth. I will definitely go out of my way to try some homemade ones soon.
Sounds like a lovely way to spend Christmas . Here in Texas it depends on the weather how we spent the Holidays. Never know if it will be cold or warm 😉 .
Hi Eliza, Christmas in Texas sounds like it always keeps you guessing. I’m sure you’ll have a good one anyway.
I can’t do without Christmas Pudding on the big day.
Hi Lesley,
Yes, the good old pud is always a must have for Christmas.
Have to have mashed potatoes, it doesn’t feel like xmas dinner without them!
Hello Mallory,
Wow, there are so many good things people like to have for Christmas. Hope you have a good one
Not necessarily a food, but I can’t have Christmas without having hot chocolate. 🙂
Of course, chocolate at Christmas goes without saying. 🙂
Wow your Christmas meal sounds wonderful. Here in California we are going to be eating a large Turkey with some of my husband’s homemade dressing. We won’t have snow this year here, but we are planning a trip to the beach. But it will be very cold. For the past few years, we spent Christmas in Tennessee and enjoyed white Christmas’ with hot cocoa and warm brownies. Looking forward to a change this year.
Hi Suzannah,
The cocoa and warm brownies are making me hungry. Have a great Christmas.
My family eats ham for Christmas
Hi Joye, ham is always such a traditional favourite. And you can have it for leftovers for weeks afterwards, too.
Mimosas!!
Ohhhh Mimosas. I haven’t had one of those for a long time. Might be time to mix up a batch for Christmas.
Lots of homemade pies have to have them .
Hi Nancy,
Mmmmm homemade pies are the best. Enjoy them.
We start the day with cheesy grits!
Hi Debbie,
Not sure what Cheesy grits are (us Aussies are a bit uneducated) but I will definitely google them. Have a great Christmas.
We always have sweet potato and Apple casserole, Cape Cod cranberry salad and baked macaroni and cheese. We have oyster stew on Christmas Eve. Thanks for the chance.
Hi Deborah,
Wow, that all sounds amazing, I’ve never heard of Cape Cod Cranberry Salad, I’ll have to find a recipe for that one. Have a great Christmas.
We always have ham.
Hi Lori,
Nothing better than a yummy glazed ham for Christmas. Enjoy.
I love ham, probably not the most popular choice for favourite Christmas food, but I could eat it every day.
Ham is always a traditional favourite, I’m with you Laura, I love my ham.
Something tasty for dessert. My menu always varies so there’s no must have other than having a cake or cheesecake for dessert. Creamed spinach is also almost always included. We all love it.
I’v heard of creamed spinach, but never tried it. Might be time to try some this Christmas. Thanks Anne.
We have ham scalloped potatoes and. Green bean bake…also pickled herring and lefse. Then lots of cookies!!
That sounds delicious Deborah, hope you have a great Christmas.
Thank you for participating in the contest. Great way to meet new authors
Thanks Sandy, I’m glad you’re enjoying our Christmas Blog Hop.
Your recipe sounds wonderful–Merry Christmas!
Thanks Kara, have a great Christmas as well.
I know what you mean by hot WA Christmases!! But as you said the beach is a must!!! Merry Christmas!
Thanks Karen, and it is official. It’s going to be HOT in Perth this Christmas day. Beach here we come.
I should say ham, but frankly, my hubbie makes several different kinds of fudge as gifts to give out for Christmas. Fudge is one of my favorites. The latest is chocolate mint. The thing is we get to enjoy some before Christmas. What fun. Happy Holidays to all.
Hi Nancy, Mmmm mint and chocolate, my 2 favourite things. Have a great Christmas.