Actually, I liked the raw fish when I had it in California, but I remind myself that I like raw beef too, some others probably don't. When (if) I catch one of those Lake Michigan salmon I think I'll try that, I'm not comfortable with the commercially available stuff here or with eating our inland lake fish raw. Because salmon are temperature driven, they live in water in the low 30s, just above freezing. That's why they are high in omega 3 fatty acids, it's "anti-freeze" so their flesh doesn't freeze in the cold water. Anyway.... Deborah, I did glaze the orange loaf with a mix of about a cup of fresh orange juice and 1/4 cup of sugar, heated until the sugar dissolved. I poked some holes in the loaf with a skewer and poured the mix over the hot loaf while it was still in the pan. Yummy..... Donna, I'm very adventurous and I always try something I don't care for at least TWICE, just to make sure I wasn't holding my mouth wrong or something. (grin) The nori did come in sheets like that, and was perforated for slicing! I did have to shop for it though, it's not available anywhere close, I got it in Grand Rapids on my way home from the airport. The date shake? I got the "recipe" from the internet, someone in California had a blog, LOL. Being a farm girl, I'd rather go for strawberry, but it wasn't bad. I'll make it again, until I get it "right". There was another recipe that had orange juice too, but that seemed like too many flavors. AM, yours is prettier than mine, I need more colors! Passover sushi, now THAT'S an idea whose time has come. Sol, it was really easy and made a LOT. Of course, how could it not be good, dipped in soy sauce and wasabi? Go for it, I'll bet yours will be prettier than mine too. All this Michigan sushi going on, Aunt Amy would be proud. now, if I could only get the hang of those chopsticks. I can still hear her say "You no good with chopstick. Use fork." Sigh. Shaun, a sushi kit would be a great swap item, I think. After all, we're foodies. Expand our food horizons, LOL. Annie

People who like cumin in hummus can always add that to a separate batch, but you cannot remove it once it has been added. Here's my recipe: Lars' Hummus Ingredients 1/2 pound (1-1/3 c) dried garbanzo beans, (about 3 to 3-1/2 cups cooked) 1/3 to 1/2 cup lemon juice (or juice from two lemons) 3-4 medium cloves of garlic (more if small) 1/2 cup olive oil 1/4 cup toasted sesame seed oil 1/2 cup tahini (toasted, if available) 2 tsp salt 1/8 tsp cayenne 1-1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper (or to taste) 1-2 tbsp water, if needed Directions Cook beans according to package instructions. I generally boil them for two minutes in a large pan, with triple height of water. Then I turn off the heat and soak for 1 hour covered and then wash them. Garbanzos will require about 2 hours to cook, after being soaked. After cooking, I rinse them twice with cold water to remove the cooking water. They will cook in about one hour if you add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to the cooking water. Put the drained beans in a large food processor with the peeled garlic cloves (coarsely chopped) and the rest of the ingredients. Process until smooth. If it is too thick, thin with water, a tablespoon at a time. It is difficult to find tahini made from toasted sesame seeds, and this is why I add the toasted sesame seed oil. I make this recipe almost once a month, as Kevin likes it a lot. It's better when I have Meyer lemons to use, but they are not in season in my yard in late summer. I store tahini upside down in the refrigerator, so that the oil will be on the bottom, making it easier to stir together. It's very bad about separating. If you don't love garlic, you can reduce the amount of that. Lars

* Posted by coconut-nj (My Page) on Sat, May 30, 09 at 11:27 Sally, anywhere that has alot of British imports would probably have it. I was checking out who had it online the other day and while you might not want 6 bottles of it.. smiles... Amazon has 6 bottles for $27.05. It's free shipping too. Most places sell it for between five and six or up to eight dollars, so that's a great price. They say they're 15 oz bottles. Maybe somebody else would want to go in on it with you?? I've always heard of it described as a mayo with more vinegar and also with a mustard taste. Sounds good. Smiles. My DW used it when she used to travel to the UK all the time for buisness. Surprised she didn't bring any back. I have a head of savoy cabbage so I'm going to make my easy 'stuffed' cabbage casserole that I described above. It makes it so easy and quick which is just what we want on a Saturday night. Steam the cabbage briefly, layer it with dirty rice, pour some tomato juice mixed with onion and garlic powder between layers and on top and bake for about 40 minutes. I'll see if I can manage to take a picture. I seem to be terrible at that. The camera is always in the other room and it's a kind of big house and by the time I'm done cooking I'm not walking very well. LOL.. We will see. Oh btw, I always make two dishes of this because Christy gets burnt out on "red" since I always have something made with red sauce around I make her a version with just some broth on it. I do stuffed peppers for her the same way. No red. I do love the red on it but prefer tomato juice since it's nice and light although I'll just water down tomato sauce or puree with chicken stock/broth, if I don't have any handy.

Gorgeous plating with the honey HU+#'s !! As a guest simple is better. As a host I go overboard but I've hosted so many events over the years. Large and small. I do a big elevated board down my table for grazing. Prepped ahead platters so I can re-fresh easily... I think visiting your cheese shop would be not only fun for you but appreciated by your friends and host. Three or four cheeses, cornichons, olives, nuts. From my experience cheese shops are very friendly and accommodating making suggestions. They should have crackers, etc. If I include a cured meat I prefer to just get a small amount sliced paper thin. Most cheese mongers have charcuterie. For easy transport, choose a platter that will hold a few small containers in the middle for nibbles. Cheeses on one side with maybe some grapes, cherry tomatoes. I like to separate/arrange the crackers on the other side away from the moisture of the cheese. Crackers get soggy rather quickly if prepped ahead stacked in rows touching the cheese. I'm guessing the host has a plan in place already so no need to go overboard. A small Artisanal cheese tasting is always appreciated since we don't often splurge on them ourselves at home. Humbolt Fog, (a personal favorite), Goat Gouda, a mild creamy gorgonzola, a soft style goat log...rolled in herbs. Variety. Or any recommended above. What I don't really like as a host is a packaged app or bag of things I need to heat or find another tray or something sloppy in a foil tray plopped on my serving table. (unless it is a good friend that has called ahead and I'm prepped and expecting it)