“I believe every project has a recipe, and so does mine,” she says on the video. “It's a personal recipe, and that is what I'm going to tell you today.”

The project was fully funded within seven days of the Kickstarter campaign, and in the space of a month Stratou had raised the 28,753 pounds, approximately 36,050 euros, from 544 backers needed to create the 252-page hard cover book. The book, titled “Cooking to Share,” was featured in Kickstarter's weekly newsletter on the sixth day of the campaign, appeared on the Kickstarter homepage as Staff Picked and trended in the Most Popular Project section on the website.

“I never thought that I would have such a huge community supporting me in this venture,” Stratou told Kathimerini English Edition. “They were in it with me – when I finished with the Kickstarter campaign, I felt that I am making this book with all these other people.”

The first print of the book, which included an order of 1,400 copies in November of 2013, sold out fast, Stratou said. The second printing, which included an order of 1,500 copies, was delivered in the first week of August last year. It is available in select bookstores in the United States and Greece, as well as on Amazon and Stratou's website for 35 euros or 45 dollars.

Stratou grew up in Greece, then left the country for the US to attend Brown University, where she decided to get into cooking during her senior year when she made dinner with her roommate every night. She decided she wanted to go to a traditional cooking school, so for two years she lived in San Sebastian, Spain, learning in the kitchen of Escuela de Cocina de Luis Irizar.

She returned to Greece in 2009 after living abroad for seven years and worked for a catering company and a few restaurants, but said she found the experience of working in a kitchen difficult and didn't like the atmosphere in some cases. Stratou then found a job working for a food website for a year-and-a-half before the effects of the economic crisis made her decide to leave her post.

 To read more, please visit ekathimerini.com.

Some 600,000 individuals stand to benefit from the rise in the threshold as they declare incomes between the current tax-free level of 9,550 euros and 12,000 euros.

A new, more favorable settlement plan was also announced for the repayment of expired debts in 100 installments. The new plan provides for the inclusion in the scheme of debtors who owe more than 1 million euros, who were hitherto not allowed to benefit from the repayment plans. The number of 100 installments will also apply to those owing more than 15,000 euros, who to date had to pay in a maximum of 72 installments. Furthermore, the level of each installment will depend on the income of each debtor.

To read more, please visit ekathimerini.gr

By Prokopis Hatzinikolaou

Cardlink is active in the banking sector, specializing in point-of-sales network services for electronic transactions with cards. It is one of the main suppliers of electronic transaction products and services involving shops and banks.

In 2013 Cardlink posted revenues of 8.8 million euros, 11 percent down from 2012, and losses of 1.4 million euros, against profits of 0.18 million euros in 2013. At end-2013 it employed 17 people.

To read more, please visit ekathimerini.com

Water buffalo farming is ideal near lakes or rivers, especially in northern Greece. Most farmers are located near Lake Kerkini in Serres. In fact, there are a total of 30 water buffalo farms across Greece (4,000 animals), and 20 of them (3,000 animals) are located near Lake Kerkini.

Before World War II, there were at least 70,000 water buffalos in Greece, explained Bampidis. However, their numbers increased dramatically, reaching a total of 384 animals in 1984, due to immigration. In the 60s, 70s and 80s, numerous Greeks left for other countries, thus abandoning their farms.

To read more, please visit greekreporter.com

By Ioanna Zikakou