Let’s kick off the start of the Fourth of July with some good news!
It’s time to announce the winner of our Great American Cookout Giveaway!
Congratulations to Carl Betts of Trout Run! Carl is getting all set up with a new grill courtesy of Elery Nau Hardware; he’ll also have everything he needs for a Fourth of July BBQ with a gift card to Rupert’s Specialty Meats and another to Frosty Beverage. What more could a person need to celebrate Independence Day?
My favorite part of the Fourth of July is fireworks. I absolutely LOVE fireworks. I don’t know why, but they are my fav. That being said, not everyone shares my love, so let’s remember to be respectful of our neighbors this time of year. Enjoy shooting off a few bottle rockets and sparklers, but there is no need to be setting off M80s in your backyard at 3 a.m.
I can’t speak for every town, borough, and township, but at least within Williamsport city limits, there is a firework ordinance that reads as follows, “Consumer Fireworks shall be approved for use starting the weekend before July 4th and be permitted for use through the following calendar weekend. For purposes of this provision, the weekend starts on Friday and then would conclude the following Sunday. Times for approved Consumer Fireworks shall be 8:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m.” I think that this is a pretty commonsense approach.
Just a reminder that more pets disappear this time of year than any other, so as the weekend approaches, make sure you look around your yard for any place your pet can escape, and be sure they have their ID tags and that their microchips up to date.
Now that we’ve had our safety briefing let’s talk about what you are bringing to the picnic. I found this dessert recipe, and I think it looks fantastic, so maybe we can all bring these to the next potluck!
Watermelon Ice Cream Bars
Servings: 8
Ingredients:
Watermelon Curd:
• 3/4 cup watermelon juice
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 pinch salt
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), cut into small cubes
Crust:
• 8 graham crackers, crushed
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 pinch salt
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
• basil leaves, for garnish
Whipped Cream:
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
Directions:
To make watermelon curd: In medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine watermelon juice, lime juice, honey and salt. Stir to combine then add eggs.
Place pan over medium heat and cook, adding cubed butter to pan and stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and coats back of wooden spoon. Immediately remove from heat and carefully pour through fine mesh sieve. Cool completely in refrigerator.
To make crust: Preheat oven to 350 F.
In food processor, pulse graham crackers until rough crumbs form. Add honey, salt and melted butter; pulse until mixture resembles wet sand.
Line 8-by-8-inch pan with parchment paper then press graham cracker mixture into bottom of pan in even layer. Bake crust about 10 minutes, or until just beginning to brown. Allow crust to cool completely.
To make whipped cream: When crust and curd are completely cooled, in large bowl, whip cream until stiff peaks form.
Gently push cream to one side of bowl and pour in watermelon curd. Using spatula, gently fold cream and watermelon curd together until no streaks are visible.
Pour creamy watermelon mixture over graham cracker crust. Freeze dessert completely, 4-6 hours or overnight.
When ready to serve, loosen sides with small spatula or butter knife. Turn out onto cutting board and use large spatula to flip so graham cracker crust is on bottom. Cut into eight bars and top each with basil leaf.
I hope you all have a safe and Happy Fourth of July! And if you are looking for fun things to do this weekend, Lou has all the detail on page 12!
