The hardest thing about writing a cookbook is writing down the recipes by the time I'm a shake, rattle and stir cook. I seldom measure. My eye knows a quarter cup, liquid or solid, when I see it. (I can't do metric though.) So the only reason I could give you a recipe yesterday was that I had just made my wraps for the picnic. even so I guessed at the amounts I was using, except for the imitation crabmeat that comes in a package and I can read the amount, and the eggs that I can count. They were large, free-run. So now you know my secret.

I have published three cookbooks and I did all my own cooking and testing. Well, I got friends and family to help with the testing, that is, eating. They didn't mind. I dedicated my first cookbook to my children who ate my failures. But I got so I would compose a dish at the typewriter (in those days it was a typewriter), and then go to the kitchen and try it out.

Nowadays professional cooks have test kitchens and helpers. It's expensive, all that food. For my second cookbook (about cheese), it was costing me so much I asked my publisher (I was under contract) for some financial help. They gave me $2000 for food expenses but my agent insisted on her 10%. I protested that it wasn't an advance or pay, it was just to help me pay for the food, but she insisted. I never forgave her for that.

Well, life isn't always fair. The good thing is, I still use my own cookbooks.

CRAB WRAPS

4 or 5 8-inch tortillas, preferably whole-wheat

1 package pollock disguised as crab meat

2-3 hard-boiled eggs

3 -4 stalks of celery, tender, inner ones, diced

maybe a little diced green pepper, if you have it, but not necessary

2 tbsp. red onion, diced

1 tsp. curry powder, or to taste

smidge of salt

couple of dollops of lo-fat mayo

Put the diced veggies in a big bowl and sprinkle them with the curry seasoning and a bit of salt if you think you want it. Add the cut up crab meat and the cut up eggs, then the mayo. Stir gently but thoroughly to mix it all nicely. Go ahead and taste it.

Put a tortilla wrap on your bread or cutting board and spoon a generous amount of the filling across it, closer to the lower edge (facing you) then to the middle. Roll and wrap it up tucking in the ends. Place the roll in a flat container, like a brownie or cake pan, and repeat with the rest of the tortillas until you run out of something - filling or tortillas. Store in the fridge until you're ready for them. Leftover tortillas can go in the freezer until you need them again. Leftover filling can go on a romaine boat for lunch.

Nice to keep in the fridge overnight for the flavour (curry ) to ripen, but not necessary. Great for picnic lunches. I'm going to Stratford tomorrow.