• 4 1/2 cups flour
• 2 1/2 tsp dry yeast 
• 2 cups warm water
• 3 tsp salt
• 1 stick melted butter
• 1 package of cream cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese 

It's officially March and you know what that means? Shamrock Shake season, babbyyy .. That's right, Mcdonald's iconic shake was first introduced in 1970.Back then the shake was lemon/lime flavors, but this all changed in 1973 when it was just a vanilla shake. Today it's a mint shake. Quite the evolution. 

This recipe only requires three ingredients and is very easy to make. Your kids are going to love it.

INGRIDIENTS:

• 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream
• 1 cup heavy cream
• a few drops of green food coloring
• 1 tsp mint extract
• Whipped Cream & Cherries for decoration

No celebration in Serbia is complete without the Gibanica. From religious holidays to weddings and other celebrations, the Gibanica is a must-have dish on the table.

Can you even call it a party if there is no Pigs in a Blanket on the table? Our last recipe with store-bought croissants went over really well, that I have decided to bring you another quick and easy recipe.

INGRIDIENTS: 

• 1 package of mini sausages 
• 2 packages of crescents 
• 1 egg
• 2 tbs sesame 
• Dijon Mustard 

I think everyone knows that my mom is THE CAKE queen in our household, or maybe I should say the greater Chicago area. When I made this cake, I did not expect her to go all crazy over it, but then again they do say that the apple (or int this case, banana)  doesn't fall far from the tree.

I've been dying to make a cake with the famous chocolate candy called Bananice, my absolute favorite. My grandfather would always buy this for me when I was a little kid. One time I threw a tantrum in the supermarket, and he was too embarrassed to put the candy back, so we ended up with a month's supply. May I say that this never happened with my grandmother, who was very firm and did not let a 4-year old boss her around. 

Anyways, I wanted to make something with the Bananice, but I noticed we had way too many actual bananas in the kitchen, so I decided to go that route instead. I looked around the kitchen to see what other ingredients I had laying around and came up with this:

• 3 Bananas 
• 1 Cup sugar
• 1 Pint Heavy Cream (500ml)
• 1 Cup Milk (or Instant Coffee)
• 1 Pack Lady Fingers 

OMG, hands down one of the best cookies I ever had, and I am not even gluten intolerant. I literally ate the entire batch by myself. It just crumbles and melts in your mouth. I usually pack these in a little zip-lock bag and they can last up to a week. 

Absolutely no flour was used in this recipe. The main ingredient was the almond butter. It truly is my go-to recipe for quick chocolate chip cookies. I try to make it as much as my diet allots me to. 

INGRIDIENTS:

• 1 Cup Almond Butter
• 3/4 Cup Brown Sugar (or any other sugar you prefer)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (you can use any chocolate you like) 

I've recently gotten back on Intermittent Fasting, for those that are not familiar, its a practice  where you don't eat for an entire period of a minimum 16 hours. I am currently doing 22 hours, with means my stomach has tremendously shrunk, so I have been looking for light dishes that will fill me up.

Now, here we have two of my favorite things, which is seafood and pasta. It's exactly what I have been looking for. I know we are in the midst of winter and I really should've posted this recipe in the summer, but I needed a quick fix.


INGRIDIENTS:

• 2 Lemons
• 1 Cup Olive Oil
• 1 lb of frozen shrimp
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 shallots 
• 1 pack of linguine pasta
• 1tsp salt
• 1 cup arugula 
• 1/2 cup parsley 

I've been craving Tzatziki sauce for days now, so I decided to make it the other day. I couldn't eat it by itself because it wouldn't fill me up. I knew, I recently bought low carb tortillas and the exparation date was nearing by, so I figured I'd make use of it.

What would be considered a typical greek ingredient I asked myself? Greek feta of course, followed by Kalmata olives. It doesn't get more greek than that. Maybe add dried tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, spinach and oregano. Who could say no to that?

INGRIDIENTS:

• 2 tortillas
• 1/2 cup spinach
• 1/2 cup feta cheese
• 1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese
• 1/4 cup Kalmata Olives
• 1/4 cup dried tomatoes
• 1tsp oregano

My mom's birthday was a few days ago and I wanted to make a cake for her. I did a little bit of research.. I knew I wanted something that was quick and easy, since my schedule is very tight, and I am sure many of you working ladies can relate. This cake can be made many different ways with either fruits, chocolate, (Oreo) cookies, you name it. Great for those of you who like creamy cakes. Five minutes preparation time and about three hours in the freezer. 





INGRIDIENTS:

• 2 1/2 cups of dry heavy cream (500 mg) BUY HERE!
• 17 oz. Mineral Water 
• 1 Cup Sour Cream 
• 1 Cup ground cookies (Plazma in Specialty stores, or Graham Cracker)
• 1 Cup Frozen Fruit or Oreo Cookies or Chocolate Chunks
• 1 Cup Nutella or Eurokrem

This, hands down, is one of my favorite appetizers to make. I made it today to take pictures for the blog and I ate the entire thing by my darn self. 

Today, we are going into a different direction. Something more healthy, vegetarian, gluten free and breakfast-y. Ladies and gentlemen, the Shakshuka! While preparing this dish my mom mentioned that it reminds her of the Serbian Sataras, just a bit spicier where in Sataras we only add Vegeta to it. This of course immediately gave me an idea for a new dish on our menu. 

Anyways, back to the Shakshuka. A popular, simple one-pan dish that originated in North Africa and served today in many middle eastern countries such as Israel. It can be eaten throughout the day for either breakfast or lunch. The dish has a lot of flavor, but is not too spicy. 

INGRIDIENTS:
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You might ask yourself why am I posting about Christmas cookies, when Christmas is over. Well, my friend you're wrong. Orthodox Christmas falls on January the 7th, which means we still got a few days to go. To give you a quick history lesson, the Eastern Orthodox Church, which is the second largest Christian domination after Catholicism follows the Julian calendar. For more information on the religious aspect click here.

Alright, back to the cookies .. As mentioned in the title the word Šape means paws, the reason for that is the fact that they are baked in tins that are shaped as such. To purchase them, click here.
Back in the day, we should store these cookies in round cookie tins like these. You know the type of boxes you store buttons in or sewing supplies.

INGRIDIAENTS:
- 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 2 cups ground walnuts
- 1 large
- 1 grated lemon
- powder sugar to sprinkle over

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Preheat over to 360F
2) Grease molds with butter and dust off with flour.
3) Mix all the ingredients together, cover bowl with plastic wrap an put into fridge for 15-20 mins.
4) Press dough into the molds, without going over the edges and top as dough will rise.
5) Bake for 15-20 mins.
6) Remove from the oven and let cookies cool before taking them out of the molds.
7) Sprinkle cookies with powder sugar.

OK, I've promised you guys on instagram that in the New Year I will be consistent when it comes to our blog. So here I am, January 1st, 7am in the morning, getting to it.

I've tried the Vasilopita a few years back at a local greek Fresh Market and loved it. I wanted to make it ever since, but never got around it until today. For those of you that are not familiar with Vasilopita it's a cake that contains a lucky coin on the inside, kind of like the Serbian Cesnica on Christmas Day, It is divided among the family members and whoever gets the coin will be lucky all year round.

To read more in detail and about the religious aspect of Vasilopita, click here.

INGRIDIENTS:

- 4 cups flour
- 1 cup butter softened 
- 3 eggs
- 1 3/4 cup of sugar
- 2 tbs baking powder
- 1 1/2 cups of orange juice
- 1 tbs of orange zest
- 1 tsp vanilla 
- powdered sugar 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Pre-heat oven at 350F (180C).
2) Butter and sprinkle flour over a 10" or 8" (for thicker results) pan.
3) In a bowl, mix butter & sugar until sugar resolves and mixture is fluffy.
4) Add orange juice, vanilla & orange zest, continue mixing at medium speed.
5) Whip the eggs in a bowl and add to butter mixture.
6) Mix flour and baking powder, then add to wet ingredients.. mix for two mins on low speed, but don't overtax. If you're adding a coin, do it now.
7) Bake for 45 mins to an hour. Use toothpick to check if ready. Insert toothpick into batter, if it comes out clean it's good to go.
8) Remove from oven and let cool. 
9) Flip the cake up-side down and sprinkle with powder sugar.