Happy Graduation!!

Last week Jordan graduated from Cal State Long Beach with his Master's Degree in Emergency Administration. It was very nice that both my parents and his parents were able to attend the ceremony and roast in the sun! It was the hottest day last week, and while I survived 1 week in the Bahamas with no sunburn, I was not able to survive three hours in the CA sun! My scalp got fried (ouchie!) and is now peeling. Oh well! It was so worth it, and I could not be any prouder of my husband!

I hosted a party this past Saturday and it was a huge success. We had about 30 people attend, and everyone had a great time! 

I designed the invitations, they were shaped like graduation hats and were complete with the attached tassel. 

To drink I made Margarita Punch, which was pretty tasty, and went perfectly with the Taco Guy that we had making fresh tacos in our back yard! 

Sandals Royal Bahamian = Paradise

We just returned from Sandals Royal Bahamian and had a wonderful time! It was truly paradise, and filled with so many good memories! I am so lucky to have a great husband and wonderful friends to share the vacation with. 

View from our room

Does it get much better then this?

Sunset over the ocean

Sunset over the main pool

Manger's Cocktail Party 

View from the pool

Can't we just stay here!

Friends!

We went paddle board everyday!

Beautiful Sunset!

We look like we are getting married!

Just 1 more picture!

One Week

One week from today we will be headed here....

Sandals Royal Bahamian! I cannot wait! 

Hello Blog, We Meet Again

I can't believe it has been 2 week since I have last written a blog, things have been busy here! 

We leave for the Bahamas in just 11 days! I seriously can't wait! I am so ready to be there, I have already started getting things lined up and ready to go! I needed  these 3 new dresses for the trip!

This past weekend we went down to Laguna and used our Groupon for the Laguna Canyon Winery. I am always a fan of wine and wine tasting!

After we were done at the winery, we went down to the Tommy Bahama Restaurant and enjoyed the afternoon together. Nothing is better then this view and enjoying Sunday afternoon with my husband. 

Last week was rough, we found out that Chloe had a cancerous tumor, she had surgery the next day to have it remove. Now we are anxiously awaiting the lab results to see how bad the cancer is and what the next step is. They should be ready in the next day or so. Isn't she the cutest little dog you have ever seen? 

Jordan's Graduation Party invites came in, and they are absolutely fabulous! I had them done at the same place that made our wedding invites, Posh Paper, and I couldn't be happier with them! They came out just as I had hoped. 

Favorites From This Week

Please enjoy some of my favorite things from the last week! 

Hunger Game Cupcakes 

White Sangria Sparkler 

Another Dream Kitchen 

Love These Shoes!!

Maybe I can get a phone at work like this

On another note, Jordan's graduation party planning is in full swing. I approved the final copy of the invitations today and can't wait to see them! Hopefully in another week or so I will have my hands on them and can give a sneak peek of them

Buffalo Chicken Panini

Lately, I have been on a panini kick. I got a panini make as a wedding present almost two years ago and haven't really used it a whole lot until recently. You may remember a while back I made Grilled Cobb Paninis and that was about the last time I used it, up until a few weeks ago. I have been experimenting with different kinds and this Buffalo Chicken one was an instant hit. 

Buffalo Chicken Panini

Ingredients 

2 cups shredded cook chicken (I used rotisserie chicken) 

1/2 cup mild or medium Buffalo wing sauce

1 can refrigerated french or Italian loaf 

1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese 

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix the chicken and wing sauce. Cover, microwave on high for 2 to 3 minutes or until hot. 

2. On a cutting board, carefully unroll dough. Cut into 8 rectangles. Place 2 rectangles on preheated panini grill and close. Cook 1 to 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from grill. Repeat with remaining rectangles. 

3. Spoon about 1/2 cup chicken mixture onto each of 4 rectangles,. sprinkle with about 11/2 tablespoons blue cheese. Top with remaining rectangles. 

4. Place 2 sandwiches on the grill and close lid. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until golden brown. Repeat with remaining sandwiches. 

Kung Pao Thursday

Kung Poa Chicken is my favorite dish at most Chinese places. So when I came across this recipe to make it at home I was pretty excited. I have wanted to make it for a while now, but finally got around to giving it a try. I was afraid that it would not taste as good, but was pleasantly surprised how good it tasted. Not quite as good as PF Chang's, but pretty close! 

Ingredients: 
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1" pieces
1 tablespoon corn starch
2 teaspoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons chopped green onion
3 minced garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoons powdered ginger
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar

1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts 

Directions:

1. Combine chicken and cornstarch in a small bowl and toss to coat. Heat the sesame oil over medium heat, add chicken and stir fry 5-7 minutes, or until no longer pink. Remove chicken from pan. 

2. Add green onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, and powdered ginger to the pan and stir for about 15 seconds.

3. Combine vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar in a bowl. Mix well and add the sauce to the pan.

4. Return the chicken to the pan and coat in sauce. Stir in peanuts and heat thoroughly. Top with green onion and serve over white rice.

Enjoy!