4th of July!

I hope everyone had a nice 4th of July! My family celebrated over the weekend by going to Lititz and seeing the parade and fireworks. We watched the fireworks in the grass on the lawn of Warwick High (where I teach) so it was fun. It was dad, mom, Julie, Corey, and myself. Courtney stayed home to work, I think.

Yesterday we took it easy at mom and dad's house and had a nice cookout. The menu:

• Steak on the grill
• Corn on the cob
• Roasted Sesame Green Beans with Red Pepper
• Potato Salad
• Penne with Tomato and Mozzarella

Dessert: Fresh raspberries with a homemade vanilla custard glaze
Recipe below:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup half-and-half cream
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• fresh raspberries

How-To:

• In a small saucepan, combine the cream, egg yolks and sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture reaches 160° and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. I found this to be just when it starts to boil. Make sure you keep stirring so it doesn't burn. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Cover and chill until serving. Serve with raspberries.

TIPS--

• You could also pour it over peaches or strawberries if you don't have raspberries.
• It will be soupy--it is a glaze but it has delicious flavor. Refrigerate it for at least an hour.
• This is a "healthy dessert" at around 150 cals per serving. It should serve about 4 people.