List of eats at Kate’s grad parties; all of these took under 30 minutes each to make!

Tortillas scrabled with bacon and eggs (Migas con Tocino y Huevos)
Chicken noodle soup with extra slurpy noodles
Asparagus-ham cheese melts
Arugula-trout salad with honeyed soy sauce
Iced tea
Thai-spiced grilled fillet of beef with gnocchi of potato and celery
poke salad (cubed raw ahi with vinegar-drizzled cucumbers)
Indian seafood soup
citrus salsa with curried sweet potatoes
Linguine with Tuscon marinara sauce
Bean and chili curry dip with nachos
Iwashi with ginger-scallion paste
Chocolate chip cookies
All-dressed pizza with grilled shrimp
Pizza omelets with extra mushrooms and cheese
Turkey pies with warm stewed yams and apples
Lemon granitas
Three cheese mashed root vegetables (turnip, potatoes and sweet potatoes)
Frozen yogurt (Raspberry, vanilla, mango and orange flavors)
Summer daze vegetable soup
Nectarine tart with brown sugar crust
Three bean salad with lemon dressing
Summer squash casserole
Vegan chocolate cake with warm fudge n’ rum chocolate sauce
Asparagus, cucumber and sugar snap peas with herb dip
popcorn
Broccoli and mozzarella pizza
Beet and walnut salad
Cherries and strawberries
Chutoro sashimi with wasabi
Moroccan spicy carrots
Split pea brainiac soup
Fudge pecan brownies
Mexican-style chickpea salad
Naked cucumber salad
Zucchini and bellpepper couscous
Texas Fried chicken
New England chowder
Salmon salad with roasted peppers and sweet onions
Chicken ravioli
Baby bananas with rum-raisin ice cream
Blueberry marscapone tart with gooey chocolate dip
Shanghai twice-fired pizzas
Lemonade
Fruit yogurts (strawberry, peach, blueberry, raspberry)
Chorizo with baby Chinese veggies soup
Baguette stuffed with pesto tapenade, goat cheese and arugula
Watermelon and honeydew slices
Basil risotto
Chicken chimichangas with guacamole
Sorbets (strawberry, lemon, lime, mango, coconut, grape juice, raspberry, orange, grapefruit, kiwi and papaya)
Pad thai noodles with chili soup base
Watercress and egg salad pitas
Hot maple and fudge milkshakes
Mushroom and barley soup
New potato and dried tomato salad
Spoonbread and tomato soup
Arugula and blackberry salad with warm plums
Penne pasta with peanutty hot creamy sauce
Marshmallow tacos
Caesar salad
Pineapple slices with chilies
Marinated vegetable salad
Baking soda biscuits
Granny Smith apple chunks in chocolate mimosas
Blueberries with yogurt and maple-blueberry syrup
Orange juice
Tomato-celery salsa and tortillas
White bean and tomato salsa and herbed pita crisps
Spicy pineapple and jicama salsa/sauce on salads, halibut steak and in soft wraps.
Curried chicken and mango sandwiches
Orzo with feta, green beans and tomatoes
Lemony potato avocado salad
Cream of broccoli soup
Angelfood cake with ripe strawberries and cream
Fresh fruit supply

If you’re inspired to have just such a prom night(s), remember some non-food necessities:

-checking for beach and observatory availability, weather predictions for overcast or dark skies, and confirming the booking times.
-damp paper towels (lots!)
-large plastic bags for garbage
-waterproof group ground sheets
-grass mats to put under beach towels (for a stable surface on sand)
-yearbooks and colored pens and markers
-cameras and lots of film
-salt and pepper packages
-citronella candles (nasty mosquitoes)
-towels, swimwear and sunscreen
-floor cushions
-sleeping bags
-sports gear
-lots of water
-availability of washroom facilities
-music!

Here’s one example recipe…Ready for more easy and fast recipes? Sign up for your free email newsletter today!

Summer squash casserole

Summer squash is definitely more tasty than winter squash; more color variety too! Here’s the recipe for summer squash casserole:

1 and three-quarter pounds yellow summer squash (2 medium sized squash)
4 cups water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 bacon slices, cut into small pieces
1 green bell pepper
half onion
chilies, chopped finely
2 eggs
half cup grated sharp Cheddar
1 and half cup plain yogurt, drained
1 cup cornmeal

1. Preheat oven to 350 F, oil or spray one and half quart shallow baking dish.
2. Cut enough squash into half-inch cubes to fill six cups. Ina saucepan, combine cubed squash, water and soy sauce, simmering until tender, about 25 minutes.
3. While squash is cooking, cook bacon over moderate heat until crisp and transfer to paper towels, reserving the drippings. Chop bell pepper and grate enough onion to measure quarter cup. Beat eggs in a small bowl.
4. Drain squash (saving water for soup). Stir in bacon, reserved drippings, bell pepper, onion, chilies, eggs and yogurt. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Pour mixture into dish, sprinkle evenly with cornmeal. Bake until set and cornmeal is soft, about 1 hour. Serves 6 as a side dish.

JS: Well, we’re going to remember the good times in this interview!
KW: Those were indeed good times. That’s one of the most memorable parties ever, graduation or not.

JS: Where did you go instead of the usual dinner and dance organized by the grad committee?
KW: My friends and I went to a star party instead. [stargazing party]

JS: Where was that?
KW: There are lots of different star parties organized for amateur nightsky gazers, but by June they are usually overbooked and booked in advance for a few years. We went to a deep-sky observatory instead of a mountain filled with cars and families, just so that we could get some privacy and really party.

JS: Why did you choose not to be in a group party with classmates?
KW: Well, most of my friends were in IB [International Baccalaureate], so a lot of the people who came to the party were my classmates anyway. Those who wanted to go with the rest of the school’s organized grad parties could do so, but [shrugs] the party I went to was way better. We waited till we were done all our exams so that we could concentrate on our schoolwork during the schoolyear, then when it was over we could really go all out and party.

JS: Were the observatory physicists surprised when you asked to book it for a few days?
KW: Yup, they thought it was a prank call at first. [laughs] Then they were really enthusiastic and supportive about it when they found out what we wanted to book it for.

JS: It’s certainly unique…how did you get all the food up there?
KW: Well, you know the answer to that, we cooked so much of the food together! But, umm, there’s like a schedule that you can figure out. Obviously we made sure that the observatory had, you know, microwaves and stuff, so that we could reheat things there, but the perishables, like frozen yogurt and sorbets and lemon granitas were brought up to us by you on the second and third days, so…it was all fine! Pizza straight from the oven is pretty good too, Jasmine!

JS: Why did you choose these foods specifically?
KW: Well, you can eat chocolate chip ice cream anytime…we wanted nutritious food that was easy and really fast to make, and easy to reheat in the microwave. I mean, life’s meant to be enjoyed so I don’t get why lots of girls go on diets and stuff and buy or rent dresses that don’t flatter them…and then they go to eat food that’s badly cooked! All the stress over makeup and weight and everything just ends in a disappointing night. So I wanted my grad to be different, and that means enjoying the eating part of the party!

JS: Your grad party is also unusual because it lasted a few days and nights.
KW: Like I said, make it memorable because life is short!

JS: What else did you do besides some star- and galaxy gazing?
KW: Well, we did a whole lot of that, but we also danced and drove down to a private beach during the days when, obviously, stargazing is a little difficult. [laughs] We had tons of stuff to do, like, beach volleyball, swimming, canoeing…we built sandcastle, went rollerblading…so it was really lots of fun. There was one night the skies were overcast at the observatory, so we just went down to the beach and had a great beach party with torches and everything! It was looking kind of tribal there. [laughs]

JS: Did the foods fit all these activities?
KW: For the most part, yes, because they were portable and there’s lots of energy packed into them. We put lots of water and lemonade into coolers, so we never had to drink seawater or anything…Plus you can eat them in any order, so…

JS: Do you remember having a favorite food?
KW: You know, they were all good. I bow to your superior culinary skills [laughs]. The salmon salad was so good, I couldn’t believe you made it from leftovers. The fudge and cream brownies were really good, and all the pizzas and salads were good too!

JS: Foodwise, what do you think makes for a good grad party?
KW: Well…we had the ahi…ahi, right? That was from Japan, but you know, you don’t have to go around ordering stuff from Japan to make the food special. I remember the chicken noodle soup tasted incredible outdoors, and the chicken ravioli too. I mean, these are ordinary healthy foods, but if you can enjoy them and eat a variety of foods that all taste good, you’re going to have a good party! On the food side of things at least.

JS: What did you wear in the observatory? You can’t tell the readers that you wore a Versace dress climbing up and helping to adjust the telescopes!
KW: No, of course not! Just, you know, a more formal than usual dress that didn’t billow everywhere or get caught on anything.

JS: What do you call formal?
KW: Well, the lighting in the observatory is like, white light, so vibrant colors were called for, and very little makeup which just looks gross in white light. So…the morning before the dress I chose was a little black number that was loose enough to feel comfy, but formal enough in design to look elegant.

JS: What about shoes?
KW: What about them? We didn’t wear any on the beach…and we wore semi-formal slippers, like satin slippers and oxfords and stuff, at the observatory.

JS: Did you go outside to see the view from the observatory?
KW: Oh, yeah, I forgot to say that. [laughs] It’s just really amazing because you can see for miles and miles, and we got up at sunrise and didn’t go to sleep very early because the Northern Lights were so incredible!

JS: They were more incredible last year, though.
KW: Still, there’s nothing like a view from the summit at sunrise and sunset that reminds you how much you love life and being on this earth. They say that we have to do good acts on Earth so that we can get to Heaven. As far as I’m concerned, why wait? Make this Earth, in this moment in time, your own Heaven.

Read next: “List of Eats at Kate’s Grad Parties”

In their September 19th article, “Hell No, they won’t go – yet,” Salon writers, Janelle Brown and King Kaufman, assert that men eligible for the draft are not likely to abide by such an initiative even if it is indeed resurrected. The “progressive” Salon used a very small sample, altogether ignoring youths who opted not to attend college and receive their liberal arts degree. Because only 68% of whites, 59% of blacks, and 55% of Hispanics go to college immediately after high school, their assessment of the willingness of an entire generation to fight a war is at best based on two-thirds of its constituency.

Of course, if poll numbers for the various socio-economic groups in support of the Vietnam War are any reflection of the present conflict, working class members more likely to have been excluded by the Salon article are in all probability largely in support of the war effort and the draft. One might presume the politically left leaning individuals who now oppose any military retaliation would be especially careful so as not to discriminate against those who cannot afford college tuition, but the opinions of this group seem of little concern to Salon and the students who they quote.

Even among college attendees, Salon questions only a fraction of all students, hardly seeking out a representative sample. Students studying more traditional subjects such as history and political science, as opposed to those concentrating their scholastic efforts on the latest academic fads, are excluded. Not a single New York City student is cited even though the bulk of the attack and carnage occurred in this area. Perhaps the absence of this relevant voice is a reflection of Salon’s conscious or unconscious desire to generate the illusion that liberals unilaterally oppose the war. Despite the city’s very traditional Democratic base, there is without a doubt more support for military action than among unscathed Californians.

In fact, college students matriculating in areas other than the West Coast were not quoted or consulted except when their support for military action is phrased in politically incorrect terms. In one instance, a student admits he’s “bloodthirsty.” In another, a student in no uncertain terms uses curse words to describe terrorists who “just come up in here and just spit in our faces.” Salon only quotes those supporting war insofar as it permits them to characterize us all as belligerent and close-minded.

After all, those who oppose retaliation eloquently quote Noam Chomsky remarking “we should be asking what we did to deserve this.” Rather than longing for retribution for the wrong committee, these students prefer to blame the United States.

The military met its recruiting goals this year, having fallen short during much of the Clinton presidency. The surge may very well be caused by a less flourishing economy as opposed to increased political leadership and a further respect for the armed forces. However, one cannot help but assume it’s a combination of the two.

Enlistment doubled in the wake of the attack. Registration rates for the Selective Service, that is, the database listing all men eligible for the draft, tripled. According to a statement issued by the Pentagon, “there has been no indication from the Congress or the administration that a return to the draft will be necessary.”

Even so, if called upon in general, the cowardice expressed by some college students must not be viewed as a reflection on our entire generation. Many of us are surely willing to fight and die if need-be to protect America and its core principles, as there will be no peace so long as we remain passive and tolerant of those whose philosophies dictate our destruction. By Jaime Sneider