Mark and Catherine and Fiyaz came for dinner for Independence Day.
– The phyllo appetizers are fairly quick to make and are an excellent freezer item. I usually make a variety of fillings and freeze a bunch of them to have whenever people come over.
– Everyone flips out over this guacamole.
– Both burgers are excellent. I’m always looking for an especially flavorful way to make turkey burgers, and these were just that. They seemed more like beef to me. The mushroom burgers aren’t just a grilled portobello slapped on a bun – it’s a burger-like patty made up of chopped and sliced cooked mushrooms. I hate mushrooms, but I love these.
– This is the best pasta salad I’ve ever had. It’s full of flavor (sometimes pasta salads are bland) and it captures summer perfectly.
– The basil vinaigrette is just okay.
– The fruit crisp can be made with many kinds of fruit – the Fine Cooking article that I use is excellent because it gives general guidelines for putting together a crisp, rather than a specific recipe.

• Tortilla chips with New Age Guacamole (Fast Appetizers, Hugh Carpenter, p. 22)
• Phyllo Triangles with Goat Cheese-Peppercorn Filling (Fast Appetizers, Hugh Carpenter, p. 84)
• Oaxacan Turkey Burgers with Chipotle Salsa (Food & Wine, June 2003, p. 134)
• Wild Mushroom “Burgers” (Mustards Grill Napa Valley Cookbook, Cindy Pawlcyn, p. 151)
• Grilled Cherry Tomato Pasta with Crisp Breadcrumbs and Basil (Fine Cooking #46, September 2001, p, 51)
• Grilled vegetables (scallions, king oyster mushrooms, bell peppers, and eggplant) with Basil Vinaigrette (Fine Cooking #34, August/September 1999, p. 42)
• Vanilla ice cream with Cherry-Blueberry Fruit Crisp with Crunch Crisp Topping (Fine Cooking #51, July 2002, p, 52)

Wine: Valley of the Moon 2000 Pinot Blanc. Not bad.
Margaritas