Graduation Celebration!

AH! I just graduated college, like literally a day ago! I'm happy, ecstatic, freaked out but mostly, I feel weird. It's just a weird feeling when you close one chapter of your life and are faced with the next, yet to be written...

These past four years have been filled with much goodness, fun, friends, family, adventures, failures, triumphs and more, and I couldn't have asked for anything else. I am so proud to say that I have finished my undergraduate career and am now on my way to new and exciting endeavors. Of course, I'll miss the time I had at UCI a lot, more than words can say, but for now, YIPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

My wonderful parents have supported me since the day I came into creation and I am so proud to say that I am their daughter. Even more wonderfully, they threw me a beautiful graduation celebration filled with family and friends! But of course, I had to bake a few things. Correction, by a few, I mean a whole lotta!

My sister & I enjoying our goodies (my dog Baba-ganoush with us on the right):

First on the list: Blue Velvet Cupcakes with Yellow Cream Cheese Frosting. Why blue and yellow you ask? Well UCI's colors are blue and yellow so I thought the choice was obvious :P

I have my tried and true red velvet recipe, but I decided to try a new one for this extravaganza. Although these were yummy, I still prefer my favorite one :)

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Yields: 24 cupcakes

Original recipe here. Frosting recipe here.

For the cake:

2 1/2 cups cake flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tbsn. cocoa powder

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk

2 tbsn. (1 oz.) red food coloring

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. white distilled vinegar

For the frosting:

16 oz. cream cheese (2 sticks), room temperature

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

pinch of salt

To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a cupcake tin with liners, set aside. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa and salt into a medium bowl. Beat the eggs, oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla and vinegar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tin. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in tin for 5 minutes before cooling completely on a rack.

To make the frosting, with an electric mixture, blend together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Turn mixer to low speed and blend in the powdered sugar, salt and vanilla. Turn mixer on high until light and fluffy. Use immediately or refrigerate, covered, until ready to use. If refrigerated, before use bring back to room temperature.

Blue & Yellow Rice Krispies because well, we had rice krispies and marshmallows on hand and they are incredibly cute, if I do say so myself. Plus, who doesn't love rice krispies?

Smores Cookies. I will never, ever find a replacement for you. You are by far my favorite cookies on this planet earth and I had to, just HAD to make you! Mmmm graham based cookie dough filled with chocolate and topped with chewy, toasty marshmallows!

Baba & I with our wondrous spread:

My absolute favorite, or let me correct myself, EVERYONE's favorite were the mini fruit tarts. These are so incredibly easy: just bake some puff pastry dough, whisk up some easy-peasy custard and top with some fresh fruit. And though it takes you a second, it looks like a million bucks!

Mini Fruit Tarts

Yields: 18 mini tarts

Original recipe here.

1 package puff pastry, thawed

1 egg + 1 tbsn. water, beaten

1 bow of strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced

1 box of blueberries, washed

1 box of blackberries, washed

1 bow of raspberries, washed

2 kiwis, peeled and sliced

1 pomegranate, seeded

For the custard:

1 large box of vanilla pudding

1 1/4 cups WHOLE milk

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 tsp. vanilla or 1 vanilla bean, scraped

To make the custard, beat everything together until it starts to thicken, about 5 minutes. Refrigerate until cool and thickens some more, about 1 hour. Remove the puff pastry from the package and place onto a lightly floured surface. Use a knife to cut each piece of puff pastry into 9 squares, yielding 18 in total. Use a fork to prick the surface all over each piece. Place the squares onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush each square with the egg wash and bake according to directions on the package, let cool completely. To assemble, spread about 2 - 3 tbsn. of custard onto each pastry and top with the fruit in however manner you wish. Enjoy!

For all of my family, and me especially, I asked my mom to make Che Thai which is a Vietnamese dessert that is filled with all kinds of Vietnamese canned fruits, jellies and such and served as a cold soup in a coconut milk-syrup mixture. It's my absolute favorite of Vietnamese desserts!

Che Thai/ Vietnamese Fruit in Coconut Milk

Yields: 10 - 15 servings

1 can grass jelly, cut into 1/2 inch dices

1 can mint jelly, cut into 1/2 inch dices

2 cans jackfruit, sliced and water reserved

1 can longan, roughly chopped and water reserved

1 can lychee, roughly chopped and water reserved

1 pomegranate, seeds removed and washed

1 jar toddy palm seed

1 jar coconut gel

1/2 can coconut milk, more or less

In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients, including their liquids from the cans. Add about half of the coconut milk and mix everything together. Add more according to your taste. Chill in the refrigerator until thoroughly chilled, about 3 hours. Serve cold and with ice if too sweet.

Sangria's always a good choice for parties. Not too overbearingly alcoholic and perfect for the summer, especially with all of that great fruit coming into season. This one is Bobby Flay's recipe and boy did it hit the spot. Sweet with a nice punch.

Bobby Flay's White Peach Sangria

Yields: 4 - 6 servings

Original recipe here.

1 bottle white wine (Spanish table wine)

3 oz. brandy

2 oz. triple sec

1 cup orange juice

1 cup pineapple juice

2 oz. simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar heated until dissolved, then cooled)

3 oz. white peach puree

fresh peaches, oranges and apples, sliced (I used peaches and blackberries)

Place all of the ingredients into a pitcher to mix. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 48 hours. Serve over ice.

For the kiddies we had Orange Rainbow Punch. Basically just orange juice, ginger ale and all of the fruit you can imagine dumped in! I used sliced oranges, blueberries, kiwi, strawberries and blackberries. It was like a fruit fiesta and so uberly refreshing.

And of course, had to have some of PW's Corn & Avocado salsa! It's perfect for summer and absolutely perfect for parties, so freaking delicious!

Of course, we had a bunch more food than that! My mom is the master at parties and provided a whole spread of delights which included crab stuffed mushrooms, Korean BBQ, rice pilaf with almonds, penne with feta and garlic shrimp and more. Mmmmm my stomach is grumbling from just thinking about it!

Blackened Ahi Tuna with Mango Salsa

My family loves, loves, loves ahi tuna. And by family I mean everyone except my mom. My mom prefers her food fully cooked whereas the rest of us just live for that perfectly pink, raw center. Mmmm pink. We had some tuna steaks so my dad found this amazing recipe that we had to try!

The recipe was simple enough. Marinate tuna, rub in spice mix, blacken in a skillet, top with salsa. Simple and simply delicious. The spice rub provided a pop in your mouth, while the salsa with curiously sweet and spicy, in the best way of course. Served with some rice, this was just the perfect meal to end the evening. How delightful!

Blackened Ahi Tuna with Mango Salsa

Yields: 4 servings

Original recipe can be found here.

For the marinade:

2 tbsn. olive oil

2 tbsn. lime juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 tuna steaks

For the salsa:

1 fresh mango - peeled, pitted and chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

1/2 Spanish onion, finely chopped

1 green onion, chopped

2 tbsn. chopped, fresh cilantro

1 jalapeno pepper, minced (seeded if you don't want it spicy)

2 tbsn. lime juice

1 1/2 tsp. olive oil

For the blackened spice mix:

2 tbsn. paprika

1 tbsn. cayenne pepper

1 tbsn. onion powder

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tbsn. garlic powder

4 tbsn. olive oil

Whisk together the olive oil, lime juice and garlic in a bowl. Rub the tuna steaks with the mixture and then place in a sealable container and chill in refrigerator for 3 hours. To make the salsa, combine the mango, bell pepper, onion, green onion, cilantro, and jalapeno in a bowl and stir. Add the lime juice and olive oil. Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour. To make the spice mix, combine the paprika, cayenne pepper, onion powder, salt, pepper, thyme, basil, oregano and garlic powder and mix.

Remove the tuna steaks from the refrigerator and gently rinse with water, then dip each side into the spice mixture to coat. Heat 2 tbsn. of olive oil in a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Gently lay the tuna steaks into the hot oil. Cook the tuna on one side for 3 minutes; remove to a plate. Pour the remaining 2 tbsn. of olive oil into the skillet and let it get hot. Lay the tuna with the uncooked side down into the skillet and cook another 3 mintues, remove from heat immediately. Spoon about 1/2 cup of the mango salsa onto 4 plates. Lay the tuna steaks on top and serve immediately.

Perfectly pink!

Fresh Corn and Avocado Salsa

Again, with The Pioneer Woman. I think I should just set the goal of cooking my way through her entire recipe list, I've made a pretty nice dent so far. If I had the time and money, that is something I would love, love, love to do. Every recipe I've tried from her has been irresistible, this one is no exception. It's the epitome of summer and what better way to send this gorgeous season off?

This recipe makes a big tub but no problem, you'll finish it in no time!

PW's Fresh Corn and Avocado Salsa

Yields: enough for a crowd (10+ servings)

Original recipe from The Pioneer Woman, which can be found here.

Printable Recipe

4 ears of sweet corn, cooked

1/2 red onion, diced

2 large, firm avocados, diced

2 jalapenos, seeded and finely diced (I like it spicy)

Juice of 1 lime

Plenty of chopped cilantro

Salt, to taste

1 tbsn. vinegar

1 tsp. sugar

Slice the kernals off the corn and combine with the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate. Enjoy!

Top an omelet with it, it's delicious: