Carol, I just knew when you said you'd never had maple cream, that it was the perfect surprise. I love the stuff, on hot scones, on pancakes, even just on toast. Of course, I never met anything with maple I DIDN'T like. I hope the cookbook gives you a smile or two. I'm sure you could use Oregon shrimp instead, LOL, but check out the nachos topped with fruit and fudge! I do hope things are getting a bit more "boring" for you. Chin up, my friend. Annie

I have used it before, but I used it in a strange way. I try out differtent interesting ingredients and recipes. I believe you can get more authentic by using native recipes. So I use Google Translate to translate the English name of an ingredient to the native language, and many recipes will come up. Then I use Google Translate and translate the recipes into English. It really doesn't take that long to do. For instance, for French onion soup, I get this recipe: INGREDIENTS Pour 4 personne(s) 1 kg d'oignons 50 gr de beurre 10 cl de vin blanc sec ou de bi�re 1 litre de bouillon de volaille ou de boeuf ou 1 bouillon cube 1 branchette de thym 1 feuille de laurier Sel Poivre du moulin Piment d'Espelette (facultatif) ------------------------------ You can try Greek, Lithuanian, Albanian, Chinese, Japanese ---- Kind of interesting dcarch

My family recipe is below. It uses "only" 3-1/2 cubes of butter (not quite a full pound) to six cups of flour, 1 cup of sugar, and four eggs. Honestly, I don't think you can lessen the butter without compromising the texture. However, I have a family recipe for paximadia (similar to Italian biscotti) that calls for less butter and almost the same amount of flour. It's really easy to make and has a similar taste and texture as the koulouria. I make these more frequently just because they're a lot less labor intensive. They also freeze well. I just reheat them in a toaster oven to restore crispness. I've listed the recipe below too. Koulouria (Sesame Cookie Twists) Cookie: 1- cups butter (3 ½ cubes) 1-cup sugar 4 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 4 eggs, beaten 6 cups flour Topping: 1 ½ cups sesame seeds 1 egg yolk, beaten 2 teaspoons milk ½ teaspoon sugar ÂUsing electric mixer, cream butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. ÂMix dry ingredients in separate bowl. ÂAdd egg mixture to dry ingredients, blending well. Add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time if dough is too dry. Dough should be pliable but very dense. ÂScoop out portions of dough about the size of a small lemon. ÂRoll into 8  10 inch thin, long ropes. Ropes should be no thicker than a pencil or a womanÂs "pinkie" finger. ÂShape into twists. ÂDip tops of twists in bowl of sesame seeds; shake off excess seeds. ÂPlace twists on greased cookie sheet. ÂCombine beaten egg yolk, 2 teaspoons milk, and ½ teaspoon sugar. ÂBrush/dab each twist with egg yolk mixture. ÂBake at 350° for 20  25 minutes; tops should be a light, toasty brown. Be careful not to over brown or burn the cookies. ÂCool thoroughly; store in airtight container. Paximadia (Greek Toast Cookies) 1 cup sugar 2 cubes sweet, unsalted butter (½ pound or 8 ounces) 3 eggs, beaten 3 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoons baking soda 1 tablespoon lemon or orange rind 1 teaspoon lemon or orange extract 1 tablespoon vanilla 5½ cups flour ¼ cup milk ÂUsing electric mixer, cream butter and sugar. ÂContinue mixing, adding eggs, vanilla, and lemon/orange extract. ÂMix dry ingredients in separate bowl. ÂAdd egg mixture to dry ingredients, blending well. Add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time if dough is too dry. Dough should be pliable but very dense. ÂDivide dough into two approximately equal portions. ÂForm one portion of dough into a long, flattened roll, approximately 4 inches wide, on an unbuttered cookie sheet. Do the same with the other portion. ÂCut rolls in 3/4 inch slices; do NOT cut all the way through. ÂBake at 350° for 20  25 minutes. Rolls should be very, very light brown. Do NOT over bake; they should look under baked. ÂWhile still warm, slice the rolls, cutting all the way through the scored cuts. ÂLay each piece cut side up on cookie sheet. ÂBake at 350° until toasty, turning once (about 7 minutes per side). Be careful not to over brown or burn the cookies. ÂCool thoroughly; store in airtight container.

It was delicious. Nodakgal...duck sauce is that sweet orangey apricot sauce you get with things like egg roll in a chinese restaurant. It's also found in the supermarket with the Chinese food things like soy sauce. For those who think the recipe sounded disgusting...you should look at the ingredients on some of the dressings and marinades that you buy. You just might not be familiar with making them from scratch. Mixing sweet with hot, and a combination of spices is far from exotic...or disgusting. Watermelon (and cantaloupe) is being used in many salads and cold soups this summer. We had a fantastic watermelon soup at a restaurant just a week ago. This morning's newspaper had the food section devoted to melons in salads and entrees.