Add some cream and crimson treats to your graduation party

I still have a full year of college ahead of me, but because I’ll be too busy this time next year to spend all day in the kitchen I decided to dedicate my last column of this year to Saturday’s graduates. Though the main event will be that walk across the stage, graduation parties are an important part of the day as well. Not only are they more fun, they’re more personalized and, best of all, involve food.

As my gift to all of you for reading this column over the past four months, enjoy these cream and crimson party foods at your graduation get-together.

1. Mozzarella-stuffed Fresno peppers
I love these hot little peppers, but you can tone this recipe down for guests who don’t like it hot by using mild sausage and replacing the red pepper flakes with pimentos or a dusting of paprika.

15 Fresno peppers (they look like red jalapenos but are pointier on the ends)
8 ounces of cream cheese
1 pound of mild or spicy pork sausage
1 cup mozzarella cheese
Red pepper flakes to garnish

Cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds. Brown the sausage, then drain all the fat and add the cream cheese. Stir the cream cheese and sausage mixture until the cheese is melted, then spoon it into the pepper halves. Bake them on a greased baking sheet at 350 degrees until they’re soft and slightly brown. Sprinkle mozzarella on top when they’re close to done, then garnish with red pepper flakes.

2. Red and white bean salad
Guests can’t subsist on finger food alone. As the day gets hotter and longer, you’re going to have to fill their stomaches and cool them down. This chilled bean salad will accomplish both.

2 15-ounce cans of cannellini beans or other white beans
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 sweet onion, minced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black
pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Drain the beans and combine them with the tomatoes, bell pepper and onions. To make the dressing, combine the minced garlic, vinegar, olive oil, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper in a sealable container and shake until the ingredients are mixed together. You’ll want to leave this in fridge for a while, since the bean salad is best served cold. Mix the dressing into the salad right before serving.

3. Strawberry pina colada
Now that you’ve graduated from college your drinking habits are going to have to get a bit more sophisticated. Because no summer party is complete without a blender drink, this easy pina colada is the perfect place to start.

2 cups coconut cream
2 cups pineapple juice
1 cup light rum
8 tablespoons sugar
20 cubes of ice
2 pints of strawberries, stemmed
2/3 cups of sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla

Chop all the strawberries and throw them in a saucepan with the sugar and vanilla. Cook that mixture on medium heat until the sauce thickens, then strain the strawberries out and let the sauce cool in the fridge. After it cools, toss the coconut cream, pineapple juice, rum, sugar and ice into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the drink into glasses and swirl the strawberry syrup in with a coffee stirrer. This will look nice garnished with a strawberry instead of the standard pineapple and cherry.