Margaritas

Fresh squeezed lime juice gives this margarita an extra kick. Do not substitute the bottled variety. It's worth the extra effort.

1 part white tequila
1 part fresh lime juice with simple syrup
1 part triple sec
lime slices
coarse salt

First squeeze and strain the lime juice. Mix with just enough simple syrup to take the edge off. Mix in a pitcher with tequila and triple sec with plenty of ice cubes. Rim your margarita glasses with coarse salt, fill with margarita, and garnish each with a slice of lime. Serve with your favorite salsa or guacamole.

Herbal Remedy

2 oz gin
1.5 oz fresh lime juice
2 oz herb syrup

To make the herb syrup, bring a cup each of water and sugar to a boil, remove from heat, and pour into a jar with a few sprigs of rosemary, tarragon, mint, or other herbs from your garden. Cool and refrigerate. This is great for making herbal sodas or adding to hot tea as well.

For the cocktail, combine ingredients in a glass filled with ice. Garnish with a wedge of lime and a sprig of the herb used in the syrup. You'll feel better immediately.

Classic Martini

2 oz gin
1 bottle dry vermouth
2 green olives

Freeze the bottle of gin and chill your martini glass. Pour the gin into the glass. Pass the bottle of vermouth over the glass, making sure the light shines through the bottle into the gin. Garnish with two green olives.

Cosmopolitan

1 1/4 oz citron vodka
1/4 oz lime juice
1/4 oz triple sec
1/4 cup cranberry juice

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange slice.

Banana Bread

Two recipes to choose from.

Ingredients

• 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Directions

• No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). 
• With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. 
• Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. 
• Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in.
• Add the flour last, mix. 
• Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. 
• Bake for 1 hour. 
• Cool on a rack. 
• Remove from pan and slice to serve.

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Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 3 ripe bananas
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.
• Cream the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Mix in the milk and cinnamon. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• Add the banana mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until combined. Add dry ingredients, mixing just until flour disappears.
• Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove bread from pan, invert onto rack and cool completely before slicing.
• Spread slices with honey or serve with ice cream.

Palachinka (Palacinke) Croatian Crepes

3 eggs
1 qt. milk
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. sugar
3 3/4 c. flour
6 tbsp. melted butter

Thoroughly mix all dry ingredients with milk and eggs. Add melted butter and blend well. Spread 1/4 cup batter in hot greased pan. Tip pan to get very thin pancake. Brown lightly. Remove from pan and spread with cheese filling while still hot and roll jelly roll style.

CHEESE FILLING FOR PALACHINKA
2 lb. cottage cheese
1/2 c. sugar
Dash salt
2 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Flat Iron Steak Casserole

Garlic meroje (spices)
Sage
Rosemary
Oil, salt
Make paste
Flavor meat and potatoes
Cut in slices
Mix with Meroje
Potatoes Slices
Line pan like Mousaka potatoes
Layer with savoy cabbage meat and potatoes cabbage – 2 times
Mix water with meroje and pour over dish
Cover with aluminum foil and bake 350 degrees for 2.5 hours
Uncover put cheese
Melt
Fontina Cheese