An award-winning author, Patricia Mendez has been teaching people the basics of home entertaining since the early 1990s! Two lucky Mr. Food readers picked up autographed copies of her Easy Entertaining for Beginners (winner of the 2009 Mom’s Choice Award) in a recent giveaway.

The Fourth of July is an awesome holiday. People can be as different as night and day, and yet most folks feel patriotism and gratitude for having the privilege to live in this country of abundance. This commonality brings us together on the Fourth. And what fun a backyard barbecue or get-together at a park can be. Good company, good food, and, of course, fireworks!

To welcome your guests, fly the flag by your front door. If you have children attending your bash, have a couple of fun activities for them. Depending on the age, you could set up badminton, volleyball, or croquet set. You could even set aside a bit of time in the afternoon for some outdoor games. Three-legged race, water balloon toss, egg toss, sack race, or even a family softball game are always fun. If you have an older child or teenager who is artistically gifted, purchase a set of fluorescent poster paints and a paintbrush and let the teen do some fun face-painting for the younger children. As it starts to get dark, children always love sparklers (adult supervision is always required).

Use the colors red, white, and blue for your tableware. (What else?) You can also purchase small flags at a party supply store and put them in a festive container (like an aluminum galvanized or enamel bucket) in sand or use patriotic banners for decorations on your serving table. Sunflowers in a casual pitcher look great on the table. If you have or can borrow a child’s red wagon or even a clean wheelbarrow, fill it with ice and use it as a cooler for drinks.

To start, serve small slices of the Tomato Tart with a sangiovese wine. The tart is bursting with fresh summer flavor and the wine is a perfect pairing. Invite some family & friends and grill up some flavor with this quick and easy menu. New York Strip Steaks are juicy & flavorful. Summer corn on the cob takes on a zesty twist served with Lime Butter. The Calypso Summer Veggie Grill is crunchy delicious with the tang of feta cheese. For dessert, purchase a lemon pound cake and whip up the easy Warm Blueberry Sauce to top.

Menu: Serves 6-8
Tomato Tart Appetizer
New York Strip Steaks with BBQ Rub
Calypso Summer Veggie Grill
Corn on the Cob with Lime Butter
Lemon Pound Cake with Warm Blueberry Sauce

Tomato Tart

1 refrigerated pie crust, purchased, room temperature
¼ cup Parmegiano-Reggiano cheese, grated or regular Parmesan cheese
1 – 4 oz. container or ½ cup basil pesto sauce, purchased
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced, drained well
3-4 medium tomatoes, red, orange, yellow
2 tablespoons fresh basil, torn for garnish

Place pie crust in 9 inch tart or pie pan. Press down on bottom and sides of pan. Press down edges and stab crust with a fork in several places. Sprinkle with Parmegiano-Reggiano cheese and bake for 10-12 minutes at 450 degrees or until golden brown. Cool.

This tart is best quickly assembled right before serving. Spread pesto sauce in bottom of tart crust and top with slices of mozzarella. Arrange tomato slices, working from the outside to the inside of the tart. Salt and pepper and slice into small wedges and garnish with a bit of the fresh basil to serve. Slice into 14-16 appetizer-size serving pieces and serve immediately. To serve as a side dish, cut into 8 slices.

New York Strips with BBQ Rub
6- 8 oz. New York Strip Steaks
BBQ Rub
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons seasoned salt
1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
1 ½ teaspoons garlic salt
½ teaspoon oregano, ground
½ teaspoon thyme, crushed
¼ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

Mix all ingredients together for rub. Store leftover rub in airtight container for future use. Rub on both sides of steaks and let marinate in fridge for 30-60 minutes. Grill over a very hot grill rubbed with oil for 4-5 minutes per side for 1 inch thick steaks for medium doneness. Do not overcook. Remove to platter, cover with foil and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

TIP: When grilling steaks, use a timer and do not leave the grill!
OPTIONAL SHORTCUT: There are many excellent prepared dry rubs on the market. If you are short on time purchase one, rather than making your own.

Calypso Summer Veggie Grill

3 small zucchini squash, sliced
2 small yellow squash, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
¼ cup fresh basil, torn
1 teaspoon Italian spice seasoning (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Toss zucchini, yellow squash and onion with olive oil and stir-fry on stove in a large frying pan or in a pre-heated grill basket for 5-6 minutes. Add Italian seasoning and garlic and continue to stir-fry for 2 additional minutes. Remove from heat; add chopped tomatoes, basil and feta cheese. Salt and pepper to taste, toss and serve.\

Corn on the Cob with Lime Butter
8 ears corn, shucked, silks removed
1 tablespoon salt
Fill a large pot with cold water. Add salt and corn and bring to a boil. Turn off heat, cover and let sit for 10 minutes and serve.
Lime Butter
3 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons lime juice, freshly squeezed
Zest of 1 lime
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
Combine ingredients in small bowl and serve with corn.

Lemon Pound Cake with Warm Blueberry Sauce

1 – 12 oz. lemon pound cake, purchased
Warm Blueberry Sauce
2 cups blueberries
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh squeezed
2 tablespoons cornstarch.

Combine sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch in saucepan until dissolved. Heat to boil and add blueberries. Turn down heat and simmer for 5-7 minutes until sauce is thickened. Slice lemon pound cake and serve blueberry sauce on top. Also tastes delicious on ice cream.

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