Soon after I first moved to my (out-of-town) community, we ate at someone’s house for a Shabbos meal. Conversation turned to food shopping, where to get what and how to navigate the different non-Jewish grocery stores for kosher products. My hostess started listing her favorite non-heimish products, and at the top of the list was Trader Joe’s pareve vanilla ice cream. It’s part and parcel of out of town life — you become very proficient in what the nonkosher supermarkets sell and take advantage of the options they offer. Necessity is the mother of invention, I guess.

But this version of thinking out of the box is a life skill, and the kitchen is only one example of where you can see it in action. When Mrs. Sara Halpern’s class in Denver, Colorado, was quarantined, she got creative with her teaching limitations and found a way to stimulate her students to think imaginatively and produce something new.

Mrs. Halpern gave her students the task of developing an original recipe using Trader Joe’s ice cream as a base — and wow, did they deliver. Their ideas are innovative and delicious. They’re also evidence of the productivity that can come forth when you’re faced with limited resources. This week, we feature those recipes, and we’re sure you’ll enjoy them all summer long. 

In addition, Miriam (Pascal) Cohen delivers with four new one-bowl, no-mixer recipes that are proof to the same theory. Challenge yourself a bit, take out a key component (in this case, a mixer), and see what you can come up with. Don’t be too surprised when it ends up being brilliant.

CHANIE NAYMAN
Food Editor, Family Table

Powder Power

Confectioners’ sugar is a secret-weapon ingredient for when you need to add sugar to something and you need it to dissolve super quickly. I use it in iced coffee and salad dressings, and it mixes like a dream!

To Be Exact

Liquid should always be measured in liquid measuring cups when following a recipe.

Tip

My go-to addition to pareve ice cream is highly concentrated coffee mixed with just enough hot water to dissolve it. It takes away any “fake” or chemically taste from all the nondairy subs. Fold it into the ice cream when it’s thawed for just a few minutes.

(Originally featured in Family Table, Issue 745)