3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup soft butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or 2 teaspoons dark rum or Crown Royal)

Sifted together: 1 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped pecans
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8-inch square pan.
In a mixer, beat the eggs at medium speed until fluffy and light yellow. Add both sugars, butter, and vanilla and beat until creamy. Add dry ingredients, mix until well blended, then add nuts.
Pour the batter into pan and bake for 45 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick. Remove from oven. Use the handle of a wooden spoon to create wholes at two-inch intervals and frost while still warm.

Fudge Frosting
1 5 oz can evaporated milk
1 12 oz bag semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar (increase to 2 cups for a less gooey topping)
chopped nuts

Vanilla ice cream, optional
Just before the brownies are done, empty the evaporated milk and chocolate chips into a microwave safe mixing bowl and heat on high for approximately 2 minutes. Stir and heat for another 30 seconds to 1 minute, until well melted and blended. Stir in sugar and pour over warm brownies. Sprinkle chopped nuts on top and press gently into icing. Let brownies sit until completely cool before cutting into squares. Or scoop ooey-gooey brownies warm from the pan onto a plate and top with vanilla ice cream.

A little mystery and controversy surrounds the true origins of the drink. The stories date back to the mid nineteen hundreds to places like Acapulco, Tijuana, or Rosarita Beach, Mexico. Whichever tale you believe, an authentic margarita is a small drink that's strong enough to make breathing near an open flame a tiny bit dangerous. So I tinkered with the recipes a bit and came up with my own version, which can be adjusted to taste.

2 ounces of good tequila (most "original" recipes call for 3 ounces)
1 ounce Cointreau (triple sec is a less expensive option)
1 1/2 ounces of freshly squeezed lime juice (original recipes call for less)
1 1/2 ounces of Rosie's sweetened lime juice (this ingredient isn't in any of the original recipes, but I find guests grimace a bit if I don't include it.)

Shake the above with ice.

For a Traditional Margarita: Swipe the rim of a margarita glass with a lime wedge and press the glass upside down into margarita salt. Fill it with crushed ice, and strain the drink into the glass. Garnish with a lime wedge. Then kick back and sip slowly.

For a Summer Drink to Quench Your Thirst: If the recipe is too tart or strong for your taste, add a splash of orange juice and just a hint of grenadine. Cointreau is an orange liqueur so this fits right in. Garnish with a slice orange and a maraschino cheery.

For a Mexican Martini: This is my personal favorite. Double the recipe above. Be sure you have lots of ice in the shaker and leave the drink in the shaker with the ice. Salt the rims of two martini glasses. Spear some jalapeno-stuffed olives with two tooth picks. Place the spears in the glasses and serve the drink a little at a time while you sit back, relax, and enjoy!

Since Christine and Alec from Just Perfect are so fond of coffee, I thought I'd share my favorite recipes for homemade Kahlúa. My husband and I like to make this in early fall, so it has time to age, then give it away as Christmas gifts. It's great in a lot of hot and cold drinks. As a simple warm-me-up, try a shot of it in coffee topped with whipped cream. Yum!

Ingredients:
4 cups sugar
2 cups water
2/3 cup instant coffee
1 vanilla bean cut into 1/2" pieces (2 tps vanilla extract can be used as a less expensive option)
750 milliliters vodka

Directions:
Combine water, sugar, coffee and vanilla bean pieces in a saucepan and bring to a full boil. (If using vanilla extract, wait and add that when you add the vodka.) Remove from heat and skim froth. Allow to cool thoroughly. Remove vanilla beans and add vodka. Pour into a glass container – be sure the container isn't too big, or you'll lose some of the vanilla flavor. Store in a dark place for 3 weeks. If you choose, divide into smaller bottles and give as gifts.

While researching Too Perfect, my husband and I went sailing in the Caribbean aboard the Star Clipper, scoping out the perfect island for Amy and Byron. Along the way, we sampled a lot of rum punch, and noticed each islander seemed to have their own family recipe. But we also learned a little ditty for how to make this drink the traditional way. It goes like this:

One of Sour
Two of Sweet
Three of Strong
And four of Weak

In plainer terms that means one part this to two parts that. So here's the original recipe for the drink that has inspired so many variations.

Ingredients:
3 oz lime juice
6 oz simple syrup
9 oz rum (Use a good quality dark rum like Mount Gay. Not a spiced rum, just a good dark rum.)
12 oz water
a few dashes of Angostura bitters
grated nutmeg

Directions:
Blend first five ingredients in a jug and store in a cool place. (The islanders almost always make this in gallon batches and drink a little at a time.) Serve over lots of ice and grate fresh nutmeg over the top. I like to garnish mine with fruit, like cocktail cherries and pineapple wedges.

Warning:
This drink tastes so good and goes down so easily, you barely taste the alcohol. But trust me, they call it "punch" for a reason. So savor slowly, and as they say in the Caribbean, "don't worry, be happy!"