New Site Template!

CreativeConfectioneryBlog.com is undergoing some major maintenance – we’re moving to a WordPress.com format to better adapt to the vision of the blog. The format of the posts is also going to change to a more organized, day of week format so that you can check in on the topics that most interest you! Here is what I’m thinking right now…if you have better ideas, let me know!

Sundays: Great Dinner Idea for the coming week

Mondays: Cookie of the Week

Tuesdays: NYC Restaurant Review

Wednesdays: Guest Blogger or Blog Topic Picked by a reader – is there a recipe you’ve been eyeing but aren’t sure you want to try it yourself? Send to me!

Thursdays: Dessert Recipe (aside from cookies of course!)

Fridays: Baked Goods Decorating Tips & Ideas

Saturday: Day of Rest for the blogger :)

*Jen*

Trip to the Homeland: Israel

From October 12^th to October 23^rd I was lucky enough to participate in an amazing adventure offered to young Jewish people from the age of 18-26 known as Birth Right. There is much debate about the purpose of providing 18-26 year olds with a free 10 day trip across the globe to Israel. My tour guide jokingly referred to it as “birth rate”, referencing the fact that part of the purpose is to try to get young Jews to fall in love with and marry other young Jews.

Whatever your perspective, everyone has to agree that it is an amazing opportunity. It was one of the best experiences my 26 year long life has offered to me. And, of course, there was AMAZING food there – which is what I’d like to share J

One of the coolest thing was the variety of fresh fruit ready-for-the-picking along our many hikes:

Fresh Pomegranate from the tree – better than anything I’ve bought in the stores here. You can taste the sweetness by just looking at this picture! (Note: this particular pomegranate was bought but the ones we picked were just as juicy & tasty!)

Carob – a super food that helps with many things including improving digestion, lowering cholesterol and it’s an antioxidant. You can read more at http://healthmad.com/nutrition/12-great-benefits-of-carob

Orange with green skin – I’m not sure exactly what this was called – they’re the size of a tangerine actually. They’re SO good – I’d say better than any orange or tangerine I’ve had in the states.

Bamba - one of the favorite snacks of Israeli youth. They have the consistency of cheese puffs but they're peanut butter flavored!

Fresh made pita bread – one of the nights while in Israel we stayed in a Bedouin Tent. The food there was incredible. By far my favorite thing was the fresh made pita. The woman making it had a sphere shaped hot metal cooking device – she stretched the dough out in a manner similar to pizza dough, cooked one side on the sphere & then flipped it. AMAZING!

I also had a ridiculous amount of Falafel…see picture of me and some of my group members eating – I’m not sure I’ll be able to have this again for a while :)

And finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t share with you a picture from the market in Jerusalem – a foodies dream place! Fresh, delicious looking & smelling fruits, veggies, spices, candies, pastries, breads, meats & fish! (And I’m sure I’m missing some food groups represented…)

Back in Business

Clearly I have been MIA for a while...and for that, I apologize! A lot has been happening over the last few months that has, sadly, taken me away from blogging. Luckily, I have lots of great stories & foods to share with everyone!

If your curious - the two biggest things in the last few months are that:

1.) I've moved to NYC from Boston (a little sad, but what a wealth of food experience opportunities I've just gained!).

2.) I spent 10 wonderful days in Israel due to my eligibility for Birth Right - it's great to be Jewish. Tons of stuff to share with you all from there, including fresh-from-the-tree fruit, delicious pita bread & more!

This weekend I'm having a house-warming brunch, so be prepared for some awesome recipes!

Also, holiday season is upon us...which means I'll be sharing tons of awesome cookie recipes - check in if you love to bake for the holidays!

Independence Day Recipe

Happy almost 4th of July to you all! If you live on the east coast...particularly in New England...join me in crossing your fingers that it will actually be sunny this weekend. To date, I've been wondering whether I really live in Boston...or if I somehow ended up in Seattle, WA - which, for the record, has had a ridiculous number of sunny days to date. Back here in Boston, I am not sure there was a single day in June without rain. Depressing...I know...

To brighten up the mood, I'd like to share with you all one of my favorite summer time picnic/pot luck recipes that everyone will enjoy. It is a lemon-pineapple Jell-o mold that is both creamy & jiggly...and entirely delicious.

You can use any type of mold that you like, though I strongly recommend avoiding anything with tight or sharp edges - because of the milk factor in this recipe, it's not as solid as a normal gelatin mold. I use the following products, which I found on Amazon.com (click on the picture to find the listing):

The nice thing about this container is that both the top & bottom come off, allowing you to retain the shape of your treat. It also is a great carrying container - after setting, just keep it in the container until you're ready to serve.

Here's the recipe; enjoy!

Pineapple-Lemon Jell-O Mold

6 ounces lemon Jello
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple in syrup
2 cups water
8 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
1 (16 ounce) container of cool whip

Drain pineapple and reserve juice, set pineapple aside.

Combine reserved juice and water, heat in microwave until very hot.

Stir jello into hot water/juice until dissolved. Do not heat further in microwave. Over-heating jello will denature gelatin and it will not set.

In separate bowl, stir cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add jello mixture into cream cheese.

Add pineapple

Chill until thickened, fold in cool whip.

Turn into a ring jello mold and chill for 6 hours or overnight.

Mmm Challah...

For those of you who have been reading my blog since September, you know that I'm a HUGE challah junkie. I probably like it more than anything - cake/ice cream...etc etc.

I've plugged this place before - but really, you have to check it out:

LucysSweetSurrender.com

Located in Cleveland, Ohio, this place is out of this world. My favorite thing there is their Apple Challah...but they also have other ridiculously delicious confections, like their strudel. My family has been ordering from them for parties since I was a kid...we had tons of cherry & apple strudel for my Batmitzva party when I was 13...by my request of course :).

Don't live in Cleveland, Ohio? No problem...they ship it all out! Believe me...it's worth checking out. My mom sends my challah every once in a while - best surprise gift ever!

I was in Ohio for my dad's 60th birthday this past weekend & stopped in to visit Lucy's (and to get some Apple Challah, of course!). The man who owns the place, Michael Feigenbaum, is really personable & a great pastry chef. To order, you can either visit their site or email him at info@lucyssweetsurrender.com. They also have a blog, which you should check out:

ForHavensCake.blogspot.com

Let me know what you think once you've checked it out. Oh, and if you need some visual stimulation to order from them, check out this giant challah, courtesy of Lucy's Sweet Surrender:

Fiber One Pie Crust, by Reader Request

One of this blog's readers reminded me that I never shared with you the awesome, healthified version of Pumpkin Pie that I found about a year ago. I believe I promised it to you guys around Thanksgiving - so sorry for the delay! It really is a great recipe though...and summer is a great time for pie. So, the timing is perfect!

I actually found this recipe on one of my favorite sites: Hungry Girl. If you haven't checked it out yet, it's a really great concept: she provides substitute recipes for foods that are normally very high in calories and fat. I've tried many of her recipes in the past - some have been remarkably similar to the "real thing".

This substitute Pumpkin Pie recipes does a number on the nutrition facts of this classic pie recipe - so much so that you can actually have two servings & not feel guilty! Pretty awesome, right? Hungry Girl reports that a serving of her pie (1/8 of the final product) has only 133 calories, 3 grams of fat, 9 grams fiber, only 8 grams of sugar and 6 grams of protein. This is in comparison to a normal slice of pumpkin pie: 400 calories, 18 grams of fat, 2 grams of fiber, 28 grams of sugar and 7 grams of protein (recipes will vary).

The recipe does use sugar substitute, but honestly, I don't think you can really taste it. Here is the recipe for you:

Hungry Girl's Lighter Pumpkin Pie Recipe

For Crust

2 cups Fiber One Brand Cereal

1/4 cup light whipped butter

1 tbsp. Splenda

1 tsp. cinnamon

For Filling

One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

One 12-oz. can evaporated fat-free milk

1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (I really like baking with these!)

3/4 cup Splenda

1/4 cup sugar-free pancake syrup

1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice (I combined nutmeg, cinnamon & ground cloves for this)

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. salt

Optional Topping: Fat Free Reddi-wip or Cool Whip Free

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine butter with 2 tbsp. water. Microwave until just melted, and set aside.

In a blender or food processor, grind Fiber One to a breadcrumb-like consistency. You can also get the right consistency by smashing up the Fiber One in a bag using a hammer. It's not nearly as easy as using a food processor, though.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine butter mixture and crumbs with remaining ingredients for crust. Stir until mixed well.

Spray an oven-safe 9-inch pie dish lightly with nonstick spray. Evenly distribute crust mixture, using your hands or a flat utensil to firmly press and form the crust. Press it into the edges and up along the sides of the dish. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients for the filling. Mix well.

Pour mixture into pie crust. The filling may be taller than the crust - according to HG, this is okay. If you have any left over, place in small, greased ramekins & bake for about 22- 28 minutes (ovens will vary - important to pay attention to these as they can dry out easily).

Bake pie in the oven for 45 minutes. Allow pie to cool slightly after removing from the oven.

Refrigerate for several hours (overnight is best). Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

MAKES 8 SERVINGS