St. Patrick’s Day Blog Hop!

Happy St. Paddy’s Day, folks!  Thanks for joining me on the ginormous blog hop to celebrate the wearing of the green.  Along with dozens of authors and bloggers, I’m celebrating the day by participating in this fun event. Each participating author will be giving away a prize like a swag pack, gift cards, ebooks, print books, and so much more.

PLUS We have TWO Grand Prizes for TWO different winners!

Grand Prize 1: Winner’s Choice of a Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet
Grand Prize 2: Winner’s Choice of a $90 Amazon or Barnes & Noble Gift Card

Isn’t that exciting? So what do you have to do? Visit the participating websites today and comment on as many as you want. The grand prize winners will be chosen at random from the commenters – meaning you can comment on EACH blog – meaning 120 entries to the grand prize.

So let’s start the hop right here, shall we?

What does St. Paddy’s Day mean to you?  With a last name like Kelly, one would think I would go all out on this proud Irish day.  Well…sometimes, is my qualified answer.  I’ve done bar crawls in New York City on St. Paddy’s Day – not for the faint of heart, btw – and I’ve also spent the day doing not much more than wearing a green shirt.  In recent years, my husband and I have taken to spending it with my dad and stepmother and a few friends, enjoying my dad’s awesome corned beef and cabbage. Sounds kind of low key, but we do imbibe a little Irish whiskey on occasion, and generally have a great time.

But one of my favorite things about the day stems from my childhood.  Each year my dad would bring home Irish Potato candies on St. Patrick’s Day.

Man, were they little nuggets of goodness!  So for my readers and visitors to the blog today, I’m sharing a recipe for these delightful little candies, care of Baked Bree:

Ingredients

  • 1/2 stick of butter softened
  • 1/2 brick of cream cheese softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 4 cups confectioners sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups sweetened coconut
  • 2 Tablespoons cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Beat together butter and cream cheese. Slowly add the confectioners sugar.
  2. Add the vanilla.
  3. Add the coconut and mix until combined.
  4. You may want to chill the coconut mixture a little before you roll them. I like to use a small ice cream scoop. These are really rich, so you want them to be small.
  5. Roll the coconut mixture into a ball.
  6. Roll the coconut mixture into the cinnamon and put on a parchment lined baking sheet.
  7. Keep the Irish Potatoes in the fridge.

And for my readers and visitors today, I’ll also be giving away a copy of three books – my new VK Sykes contemporary romance, Fastball, which will be released next week in digital format, AND a print copy of my historical romance anthology, An Invitation To Sin.  And finally, I’ll be giving away a beautiful trade paperback edition of historical romance author Maggie Robinson’s new book, Master of Sin.

What do you have to do to win these books?  Just tell me how you like to celebrate St. Paddy’s Day.  One person who comments will win all three books, AND have a chance to win one of the grand prizes.  After you post here, hop on over to Carrie Ann Ryan’s blog for links to all the other authors, and to continue the hop.

Good luck!

 

97 thoughts on “St. Patrick’s Day Blog Hop!”

  1. We actually don’t make too big a fuss about St Patrick’s Day. I do make some green pancakes, that I can only eat with my eyes shut. My stomach says that food should NOT be that color.

    Reply
  2. It will be the usual Paddy’s day here. Parade, funfair, pub, home to continue the party. 🙂

    It’s what every good Irish cailin does on Paddy’s day. 🙂

    Reply
  3. When I was younger it was a party lol Did the bar crawl thing and the insane amounts of beer. But now that I’m older and the hubby and I are more settled we just relax at home with the standard fare of corned beef/cabbage and Smithwicks. I’m from Irish background, but my hubby is asian so it’s fun to be able to share with his family a part of my culture while they share theirs.

    May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night, and a smooth road all the way to your door.
    Sláinte

    Reply
  4. I don’t really have a St.Pattys day tradition (other then wearing green since I am part irish lol) but I plan on going out with friends tomorrow to a local pub for a party!

    I guess I like the holiday alright. I make sure I wear green that’s for damn sure lol.

    Great post!

    Happy St. Patricks Day (One day early)

    ~*Drea*~
    dreabecraft(@)aol.com

    Reply
  5. unfortunately, st. pat’s day is not a common holiday in this part of the globe where i live. actually, i never heard of it before :”>

    Reply
  6. Don’t do anything exciting, always wear green and do make corned beef and cabbage.
    Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
    skpetal at hotmail dot com

    Reply
  7. like to watch the local st. pattys day parade and then feast on a pork shoulder picnic=perfer it more than a beef brisket. and of course wearing the green (so others don’t pinch me)

    Reply
  8. It depends on my mood on the day, sometimes I like to go out and celebrate being Irish with friends, other times I’d rather just stay in and eat and drink at home. I have 3 kids and since they are part Irish, we like to stay in and eat corn beef and cabbage these past years. My girls are really interested in learning their ancestry

    Reply
  9. I definitely wear green since I work with kids in most of my jobs. I generally have to work on St. Paddy’s Day, but I try to do a little something special. In college, my friend’s birthday was the 17th, so we’d have dinner as a group.

    Reply
  10. Well, the most I really do for St. Patrick’s Day is try to remember to wear a little green. I don’t like beer and until recently I couldn’t handle anything heavy duty beyond wine coolers so green alcohol was hard to come by. I was invited (dragged) to an old boyfriend’s family event once and the smell made me sick (they need to learn from Alton on how to do cabbage apparently). I felt awfully bad for how bad they felt…lol

    Now I have a little girl who I get to dress in greens and do hair (if she cooperates) so that’s probably my favorite part over the last couple years.

    Reply
  11. Thanks for the chance to win!

    I don’t really do anything to celebrate, except wear green. I don’t really drink, nor do I like beer, so the whole green beer thing that’s so popular just isn’t my cup o’ tea.

    Hillary
    hillacurr@gmail.com

    Reply
  12. I always try to wear green on St Patty’s Day because I don’t want to be pinched!

    thanks for participating in thee hop!

    mimirose41209 at hotmail dot com

    Reply
  13. Well my last name is Doherty, (married last name) but my husband the red haired Irish man has to work tomorrow. It will be me, my book and lots of quiet time. My great Aunt Gladys who I love very much was born on March 17th, so my thoughts will be with her that day too. Thanks for the giveaway.

    Reply
  14. Most of my family is Irish, but my grandfather’s been unwell, so I’m not sure we’ll be getting up to much this year. But there will be plenty of tea and soda bread and stories, and that’s always the best part!

    Reply
  15. Hello Vaness and all other blog hoppers..

    Tomorro is my grandfathers birthday. We will see him next weekend and have a “Green” Party!!

    But today, I am going to take my dad to his chemo/radiation appointment to get some one on one time with him!!!

    I work tomorrow then time with the family. Nothing really special.

    Happy blog hopping!!

    Reply
  16. Thanks for the recipe! So far I have collected enough to get me tipsy and full! Even though my name is Irish I am not so I really don’t do anything to celebrate the day…

    Thanks for the giveaway! Can’t wait to read the new one.

    Reply
  17. This year my plans are to sit around and read. Previous years I’ve enjoyed time in New Orleans with friends, catching a St Pat’s parade & some green beer after.

    Thanks for participating in the hop.

    Reply
  18. Hi Vanessa, I follow you on FB 🙂 Thanks for the fun blog hop…

    I dont celebrate much now as I am homebound, but I use to enjoy making cookies for the kids to decorate, and we always made green GOO for them to play with.

    I always hated getting pinched as a kid !

    Happy St Patty’s Day !!

    ~Kym
    flwrs4ever(at)yahoo(dot)com

    Reply
  19. I never heard of Irish potato candies and they have no potato in them, huh.

    I don’t plan to do much, just have corned beef and cabbage.

    Reply
  20. I generally wear green and read a book about ireland or with an irish hero

    i hope this wonderful giveaway is open to international too, it would be a wonderful birthday present ( yes today so this hop is great^^)

    all teh best

    isabelle(dot)frisch(at)gmail(dot)com

    Reply
  21. Love the candies, but not sure if I could sell the family on the coconut. No plans here, though I made a corn beef and cabbage the other day.

    Reply
  22. Happy St. Patrick’s Day. My way of celebrating is usually wearing a bit of green. Perhaps I’ll stop in a bakery and purchase a few shamrock cookies.

    Reply
  23. Well, I don’t think of them as traditions. I will wear green and I have a shamrock pin and my hubby and I will have reuben sandwiches.

    Erin Go Bragh!

    catherinelee100 at gmail dot com

    Reply
  24. As with any celebration I like to spend time with my love ones. There is no better way to celebrate 🙂 Vanessa, those Irish potatoes candies looks delicious.

    Reply
  25. I don’t really celebrated St.Patty’s day but I did do crafts when I was in Girl Guides(Girl Scouts)
    Thanks for the great giveaway!!!
    Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
    red_tigergirl2(at)hotmail(dot)com

    Reply
  26. I like to celebrate it by wearing green and going to the town parade. Lots of fun! 😉 Thanks for sharing and for the giveaway! Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
    shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com

    Reply
  27. Never been much for green beer, that’s for sure. But try to wear green, act silly and get my blarney working. After all, I have kissed the Blarney Stone!

    Reply
  28. My family didn’t celebrate St. Patty’s day at all! And I think it’s a shame. I would LOVE to celebrate it with a handsome, strong, alpha, silver tongued, Irish, sharp witted devil of a man every day of the year, lol!

    Thanks so much for participating in this hop and for the awesome giveaway chance!

    Facebook fan Gena Robertson
    Twitter follower @mystchevia

    robertsongena@hotmail.com

    Reply
  29. Green cupcakes! White cake with green icing!

    I rarely wear any green since I’m not Irish and green doesn’t really work with my skin tone. I do like corned beef and am always on the lookout for four-leaf clovers. After all, in my formative years all I knew about the Irish was St. Patrick’s Day and the Lucky Charms cereal.

    A friend of mine, who attended a Catholic school, told me of a prank some girls in her school pulled on the St. Patrick’s Day banner – they added “less” to “Erin Go Bragh”.

    Reply
  30. Except for wearing green and maybe decorating with a few shamrocks, I don’t really do anything special. Your recipe does look good though, I wonder how it would be to dip them in chocolate instead of rolling them in cinnamon. I may have to try making these both ways.
    June
    manning_j2004 at yahoo dot com

    Reply
  31. I’m not Irish, but I do live in NYC and St. Patrick’s Day is big here with the massive parade and other events. I do have corned beef and cabbage every year because all this stuff is on sale at the supermarkets.

    Reply
  32. I’m going to babysit so that my kids can go out and have fun. And I think I’m going to make some of those candies for my grandkids! yum

    proudarmymom32(at)yahoo(dot)com

    Reply
  33. A fun way to celebrate St. Patty’s Day, more than I usually do. Even in college I didn’t do much since I am not a beer drinker, but I always make sure to wear something green for the fun of it. Tomorrow I will be hanging out with my husband and our kids, outside the whole day if possible. Maybe I will make some four leaf clover cut out cookies with my daughter =)

    Reply
  34. We don’t really do much, usually I wear green and that’s pretty much all. Thanks for the chance to win!
    natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com

    Reply
  35. I wear green of course. Just hang out with some friends. We’ll probably watch all of the Boondock Saints movies. You know why St Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland, don’t you. He couldn’t afford the airfare. Tee Hee. Happy Saint Patricks Day Everyone !!!

    Reply
  36. I don’t really celebrate…however, I might wear green just for the fun of it! Happy St. Pat’s Day! Thx for the giveaway op! 🙂

    barbbattaglia @ yahoo.com

    Reply
  37. By pinching people who don’t wear something green 😉 Haha, just friends, of course. Can’t go around pinching strangers…. 😉

    Reply
  38. Thank you for participating in the Blog Hop! I don’t celebrate the holiday but, that recipe looks really good. 🙂

    menina.iscrazy @ yahoo.com

    Reply
  39. Wow, those books look lovely. However, since I only read m/m books, I think it’s only fair I pass up on your giveaway to give someone else a chance.

    I am, however, signing up for the grand prize 🙂

    Have a lovely St. Paddy’s Day.

    Reply
  40. Since my twin boys were born on St Patrick’s Day its always a fun family party day. Corned beef, shamrock decorations everywhere a d lots of laughter.

    caity_mack at yahoo dot com

    Reply
  41. I have celebrated every St Patricks Day for the last 17 years and will be doing so this year and every year forward its our wedding Anniversary yep I married an Irish boy named Patrick on St. Patricks day 18 years ago tomorrow.We always go out and do something special this year its a surprise for me yippee I cant wait 🙂
    flanagan@mebtel.net

    Reply
  42. Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I used to, on occasion, go out with friends but I am not Irish, so I don’t really celebrate. Thank you for the recipe, they look yummy! Thank you for the giveaway and HOP!

    Reply
  43. I don’t do anything for St. Pat’s Day but wear green. It keeps me from getting pinched by the kids I work with!
    I will be making that recipe soon!
    Thanks for the giveaway!
    suz2@cox.net

    Reply
  44. Thank you for this lovely giveaway:) I’ve never celebrated this day, but any holiday is always welcome for putting up my feet and just relaxing. I’ve always been fascinated by the Irish, though:)

    Thank you:)

    Sarah

    sarah.setar@gmail.com

    Reply
  45. St. Partrick’s Day is my brothers bday & we always had his favorite dinner… Spaghetti & Crumb Cake. In my early 20’s I would go out with my best friend, her mom & her mother in law to drink our green beer & watch them do the Irish Jig. Then my best friend & her mom became my sister in law & mother in law and we continued to go out on St. Paddy’s day. When my mother in law passed away my sister in law & I continued the yearly celebration with our husbands. through the yrs other family members have joined in at times. This year my oldest daughter will be joining us.
    Oh I can’t forget the Corned Beef & Cabbage that I have made yearly for the last 26 yrs. lol

    Have a GREAT St. Patrick’s Day Everyone!

    Reply
  46. Those Irish potatoes sound really good, I’m saving that recipe to try out – it looks pretty easy too, my kind of recipe. 😀 I’m probably going to wear something green on St Patrick’s Day, that’s about the extent of my celebrating.

    Reply
  47. I hang with friends doing “Irish Whiskey Night”!
    Happy St. Patrick’s Day & thanks for the amazing giveaway!
    elizabeth @ bookattict . com

    Reply
  48. I really dont do much but wear green, but thanks for the recipe I might try that this year. I really excited about finding new authors through this blog hop.

    Reply
  49. Hi Vanessa!
    Yowza!!
    What a fantastic giveaway, you are one sweet lady!

    I just love those Irish Potato candies, they are soooo yummy!
    Good thing I have a sweet tooth….LOL!
    Thanks for the recipe, I would like to try it out.

    Looking forward to reading FASTBALL, I know it will be a big hit for you and hubby!

    Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
    Have a wonderful weekend!

    Reply

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