The Vicious Babushka

It's Pie Day! Apple Strudel

Apple strudel!

Recipe.

Blueberry Pie!

Recipe.

Actually the recipes used for the studel and pie shown above came from Rose Levy Berenbaum's Pie and Pastry Bible.

It's Pie Day! Sour Cream (Non-dairy) Apple Cake for Rosh Hashanah!

 Apple Cake, yes we already ate half of it.

1 c. margarine or shortening, softened
2 1/4 c. sugar
4 eggs
2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. Tofutti "Sour Supreme" non-dairy sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
3 c. coarsely chopped peeled apples (Jonathan or MacIntosh)
1/4 c. brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease and flour a heavy Bundt pan (light enamel Bundt pans brown the outside of the cake too quickly) or 10-inch tube pan.

2. In a large bowl, cream the shortening with 2 cups of the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs until combined. Stir together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Beat the flour mixture into the shortening mixture alternately with the sour cream. Beat in the vanilla.

3. In a medium bowl, stir together the apples and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Fold into the batter. Spoon half of the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth with a spatula. In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the cinnamon mixture over the batter in the pan. Top with the remaining batter; smooth with a spatula.

4. Bake 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Turn immediately onto a rack to cool before serving. Serves 10 to 12.

Shana tova!

It's Pie Day! Little Cheesecake Pies for Babushka's 40th Anniversary

Little Pies

Last week was Babushka's 40th Anniversary, and in honor of this great event, we made little pies to commemorate the little fruit tarts that we ate on our honeymoon, aboard an Air France flight to Israel.

Filling:

1 oz. container Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
2 eggs, separated
1/2 c. sugar
pinch salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
12 prepared graham cracker mini pie crusts

Preheat oven to 350.

Beat the egg whites, gradually adding 1/4. sugar until stiff.
Beat the egg yolks with the remaining 1/4 c. sugar, then beat in Better Than Cream Cheese, salt, vanilla and lemon juice. Fold in the egg whites. Pour into little pie crusst.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Topping:

Decorate with fresh raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, kiwi or any fruit you like.

It's Pie Day! Glazed Fruit Tart with Vanilla Cream Filling

Super easy!

Crust

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 + 1/3 c. shortening (shortening should be chilled in refrigerator)
1 tsp. salt
7-8 Tbsp. ice water

Mix together flour and salt. Cut shortening into flour with pastry blender, mix until mixture resembles large crumbs. Add ice water 1 Tbsp. at a time until you can form a dough. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400. Roll out the dough and line a 12" fluted tart pan. Prick the dough with a fork, and bake for 10-15 minutes until crust is light brown. Do not over bake. Remove from oven and cool.

Filling:

2 c. non-dairy whip mix
1 pkg. vanilla instant pudding

Pour non-dairy whip mix into mixer bowl. Sprinkle the pudding mix. Beat at high speed until fluffy. Spread into the pie crust.

Fruit topping:

Arrange blackberries, blueberries, kiwi, strawberries, raspberries on top of the cream filling.

Glaze:

1 pkg. lemon gel dessert

Prepare according to directions on package. Chill until slightly thickened but not set. Spoon carefully over the fruit.

It's Pie Day! Chocolate Duplex Oreo Cookie Trifle (It Will Get You High)

 Every day should be Pie Day

We haven't had Pie Day! around here for a long time, but due to popular demand and yada yada. We don't usually find Cholov Yisroel (Kosher dairy) heavy whipped cream very often, usually around Shavuos and during the 9 Days, and then when it does show up in the dairy case, it's in 1/2 gallon containers. So, now that Tisha B'Av is over, we decided to use that whipped cream in a spectacular dairy dessert. We can use the whipped cream that's left over to make half & half with regular milk and enjoy a fancy coffee drink every morning.

DUPLEX CHOCOLATE COOKIE TRIFLE

Ingredients:

1 pkg chocolate/vanilla duplex cookies (You can also use Oreos for this recipe, but WARNING: the combined sugar/chocolate rush will get you high. So if you like getting high, go ahead and use Oreos.)
1 pkg. instant chocolate pudding mix
2 c. milk
3 c. heavy whipping cream
1 c. confectioner's (powdered) sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Prepare the chocolate pudding mix with 2 c. milk according to the package directions. Put in fridge to set, about 30 minutes.

Put the cookies (I know you're going to use Oreos!) into a qt. sized ziploc bag. Tap a few times with a rolling pin to crush the cookies into coarse chunks.

Pour the whipping cream into a large mixer bowl. With the mixer on high, beat the cream until thick and peaks form. Sprinkle in the confectioner's sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla while the mixer is beating. When the mixer attachments can stand up straight in the bowl, it's ready.

Spread a layer of crushed cookies on the bottom of a trifle bowl. Then spread the chocolate pudding. Then sprinkle a small layer of crushed cookies, then the whipped cream. Top with the rest of the crushed cookies.

Get high.

The Jewiest "As A Jew" Ever!

The Vicious Babushka!

There are thousands of people claiming to speak "As A Jew" by writing anti-Israel, anti-Jewish, anti-Zionist, downright anti-Semitic screeds for various media outlets. They claim their right "As A Jew" even though their connection to Jews, Israel and the Jewish people may be abandoned decades ago, marginal, or in some cases, totally non existant.

Now on the other hand, there are others who are extremely qualified to speak "As A Jew" who do not receive any of the media attention that Hedy Epstein, Gabriel Matthew Schiavone, Gilad Atzmon, or "Jewish Phelps Cult" Neturei Karta receive.

For example, The Vicious Babushka.

The Babushka is a Jewish grandmother with 30 Jewish grandchildren. That is more grandchildren than any other blogger! Add to that the 9 Jewish children that Babushka has brought forth into the world, together with Babushka's partner, the Zedushka, makes 39 Jews who are more qualified to speak "As A Jew" than all of these poseurs combined.

Babushka can speak with authority as a member of the Haredi community. Babushka also has a full time job in industry and a college degree in mathematics.

Babushka was also raised as a Reform Jew, actually attended Temple for many years, and can therefore speak with as much authority for that community as any of the "As A Jew" poseurs who board the Gaza flotilla.

Babushka, as a Jew, is a proud Zionist, and has a son who served in the IDF.

Babushka, as a Jew, is a satisfied consumer of Israeli products, particularly Ahava cosmetics, Max Brenner chocolates, and Golan Heights wine.

Babushka, as a Jew, has had her 6 sons and 15 grandsons circumcised according to the ancient traditions, and of course the same applies to Zedushka and 3 sons-in-law.

Babushka, as a Jew, is firmly opposed to BDS and all other attempts to deligitimize Israel and Zionism, and denounces all those who participate in these activities as anti-Semites and clueless idiots. BUY ISRAELI PRODUCTS AT THE ZIONIST MALL!

And Babushka has pie.

Babushka's Super Awesome New York Cheesecake

 New York Cheesecake

CRUST

1 1/2 sticks butter
1 egg yolk
1/4 c. sugar
1 3/4 c. flour
1 grated rind of fresh lemon

In small mixer bowl, combine egg yolk, butter, lemon zest and sugar. Slowly add flour and mix well. Cover dough and refrigerate for 1/2 hour.

Preheat oven to 400. Divide dough into 3 pieces. Spread 1/3 of dough on the bottom of a 9" springform pan and bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Preheat oven to 450. Prepare filling

FILLING

4 8-oz. packages cream cheese
5 eggs
1 3/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. flour

In large mixer bowl, combine cream cheese, eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla. Beat well at high speed. Add 3 Tbsp. of flour 1 at a time. Beat until well combined.

Line the sides of the springform pan with the remaining dough. Pour in the filling. Lift the pan about 1/2" above the table and drop it a couple of times (this removes the air bubbles which can make a cracked crust)

Bake for 10 minutes at 450, then turn down the temp. to 300 and bake for another 55 minutes. Turn off oven. Let the cake cool in the oven. Remove when the cake is cool enough to touch with your bare hands.

Top with whipped cream and fresh fruit.

What happened to the pie? Easy streusel cupcakes for beginners.

 
Babushka just grabbed this picture from somebody else's blog.

You may be wondering what happened to the "Pie Day!" feature. Well, for one thing, Babushka now has a full time day job and does not have time to bake. Secondly, Babushka is really trying to adopt a healthy lifestyle and not eat stuff like home-baked pie, cake and bread.

In the meantime, other family members who lack Babushka's amazing baking skills still want to enjoy freshly baked snacks.

Easy Streusel Cupcakes.

1 package Duncan HinesTM yellow cake cupcake mix (It's really the same as the cake mix, but only exactly enough to make 1 dozen cupcakes).

Preheat oven to 350.

Follow the instructions on the box to make the batter.

Line cupcake baking tray with cupcake papers. Pour 1/4 c. of batter into each opening.

Streusel Topping.

1/2 c. unbleached enriched flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. chopped walnuts or pecans
2 Tbsp. margarine
1 tsp. cinnamon

Combine flour, brown sugar, nuts and cinnamon. Cut margarine into the mix with a pastry cutter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.

Sprinkle the streusel topping over the cupcakes.

Bake for 25 minutes.

So easy, even a 5-year-old child or a 62-year-old man can make it!

It's Pie Day! Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie

 Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

    * 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch single crust pie
    * 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
    * 1 cup packed brown sugar
    * 1/2 teaspoon salt
    * 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
    * 1 teaspoon ground ginger
    * 2 tablespoons molasses
    * 3 eggs, beaten
    * 1 cup nondairy creamer (such as Coffee Rich^TM)

Directions

   1. Mix together pumpkin, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and molasses. Blend in eggs and non-dairy creamer. Pour filling into pie shell.
   2. Bake at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for 40 minutes, or until set.

 

It's Pie Day! Sweet Potato/Butternut Squash Pie

 Sweet Potato/Butternut Squash Pie

Sweet Potato/Butternut Squash Pie

3 cups mashed cooked sweet potato & butternut squash
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. margarine
1/2 c. non-dairy creamer
1/2 c. flour
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 9-inch prepared pie shell, unbaked.

Preheat oven to 350.

Peel and slice about 2 sweet potatoes, and 1 c. of butternut squash chunks, cook until soft.

Mash sweet potato and squash in a mixing bowl. Add sugar, margarine, creamer, flour, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Beat at medium speed about 2 minutes.

Pour squash/potato mixture into pie shell and bake for about an hour.

It's Pie Day! Apple Crumb Pie

 Apple Crumb Pie

Ingredients:

1 9-inch deep-dish pie crust
6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. white sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. margarine
2 tsp. cornstarch

Topping:

1 1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. white sugar
1/3 c. chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 c. flour
3 Tbsp. margarine
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 425.

Bake pie crust for 20 min. Remove from oven.

In a large bowl, combine the apples, lemon juice, brown and white sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and mix well. Allow the apples to "marinate" for about an hour.

Strain apple mix and transfer the juice to a small saucepan. There should be about 1/2 to 2/3 c. of liquid. Add 2 Tbsp. margarine and boil the liquid at medium-high heat until it is reduced, syrupy and carmelized. Pour the hot syrup over the apples and mix well.

Pile up the apples in the prepared pie crust, cover loosely with foil and bake at 425 for 1 hour. Remove from oven and sprinkle streusel topping over pie. Turn heat down to 400 and bake for another 20 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temp. Top with ice cream, if desired.

It's Pie Day! Cherry Cheese Pie.

 Cherry Cheese Pie

1 8-oz. container Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
2 eggs, separated
1/2 c. sugar
pinch salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 prepared graham cracker pie crust
1 can cherry pie filling

Preheat oven to 350.

Beat the egg whites, gradually adding 1/4. sugar until stiff.
Beat the egg yolks with the remaining 1/4 c. sugar, then beat in Better Than Cream Cheese, salt, vanilla and lemon juice. Fold in the egg whites. Pour into pie crust.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool for 1 hour.

Top with cherry pie filling (or any other flavor of filling, or fresh fruit, or whipped cream, or nothing).

 

It's Pie Day! Middle Eastern Baklava

Baklava, super easy to make. 

1 lb. phyllo leaves
1 c. melted butter or margarine

Filling:

1 pound chopped nuts
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/4 c. sugar

Syrup:

1 c. water
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. honey
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. cardamom
2 Tbsp. rose water or orange blossom water (optional)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C). Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 inch pan.

2.  Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon, sugar and allspice. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut whole stack in half to fit pan. Cover phyllo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle 2 - 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go. The top layer should be about 6 - 8 sheets deep.

3.  Using a sharp knife cut into diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. You may cut into 4 long rows the make diagonal cuts. Bake for about 50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp.

4.  Make sauce while baklava is baking. Boil sugar and water until sugar is melted. Add vanilla, cardamom and honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes.

5.  Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. Let cool.

It's Pie Day! Shoo Fly Pie

 Shoo Fly Pie

Ingredients

    * 1 (9 inch) pie shell
    * 1/2 cup molasses
    * 1/2 cup dark corn syrup
    * 3/4 cup hot water
    * 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
    * 1 egg, beaten
    * 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    * 1 cup packed brown sugar
    * 1/4 cup shortening

Directions

   1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
   2. To Make Bottom Layer: In a medium bowl combine molasses, corn syrup, hot water, and baking soda. Stir well. Whisk in beaten egg. Pour mixture into pie shell.
   3. To Make Crumb Topping: In a medium bowl combine flour and brown sugar. Mix well, then cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle on top of molasses layer.
   4. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Lower temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake an additional 30 minutes.

 

 

It's Pie Day! Pecan Cream Cheese Pie

 Pecan Cream Cheese Pie

CREAM CHEESE PECAN PIE
Printed from COOKS.COM

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese or Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 (10 inch) pie shell, unbaked
1 1/4 c. chopped pecans

TOPPING:

3 eggs
1 tbsp. melted butter or margarine.
1/4 c. sugar
1 c. light corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla

Cream together cream cheese, beaten egg, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Spread over bottom of unbaked pie shell. Sprinkle pecans evenly over cream cheese layer. Combine all topping ingredients and beat until smooth. Pour over pecan layer. Bake 35-45 minutes at 375 degrees until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

It's Pie Day! Better Than Cheese Pie and Tiramisu Pie

 Better Than Cheese Pie

Better Than Cheesecake (Non-dairy cheesecake)

1 oz. container Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
2 eggs, separated
1/2 c. sugar
pinch salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 prepared graham cracker pie crust

Preheat oven to 350.

Beat the egg whites, gradually adding 1/4. sugar until stiff.
Beat the egg yolks with the remaining 1/4 c. sugar, then beat in Better Than Cream Cheese, salt, vanilla and lemon juice. Fold in the egg whites. Pour into pie crust.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Let cool, and decorate with fresh fruit.

Tiramisu Pie 

Tiramisu Pie

1 package Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 tablespoons brandy or 1 tsp brandy extract (I used rum extract 'cause I didn't have any brandy)
Vanilla cookies
1 keebler chocolate graham pie crust
1/2 cup strong black coffee
1/2 pint Rich whip
1 bar chocolate, shaved

In bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs and brandy; mix until smooth.
Arrange vanilla cookies on bottom of pie crust, drizzle with coffee.  
Pour cream cheese mixture over cookies.
Bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes or until center is almost set.
Cool and then chill for 3 hours or overnight.
Garnish with whipped topping and shaved chocolate just before serving.

Chag Sameach!

It's Pie Day! All-American Apple Pie

 All American Apple Pie

Crust

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 + 1/3 c. shortening (shortening should be chilled in refrigerator)
1 tsp. salt
7-8 Tbsp. ice water

Mix together flour and salt. Cut shortening into flour with pastry blender, mix until mixture resembles large crumbs. Add ice water 1 Tbsp. at a time until you can form a dough. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.

Filling

8 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine

Combine all filling ingredients except for the butter/margarine, and let the apples sit for 30 min. to 1 hour. Drain the apples and pour out the juice into a small saucepan (there should be about 1/2 - 3/4 c. liquid). Add the margarine and bring to a boil, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens. Pour the syrup back over the apples and mix well.

Preheat oven to 425. Roll out the pie crust and line a 9" pie pan. Add the apple filling, and top with rolled-out crust, with shapes cut out.

Brush the top of the pie with beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake for about an hour. A pie crust cover may be used to keep the edges from getting too brown.

It's Pie Day! Fresh Blueberry Pie

 Blueberry Pie

Crust

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 + 1/3 c. shortening
1 tsp. salt
7-8 Tbsp. ice water

Mix together flour and salt. Cut shortening into flour with pastry blender, mix until mixture resembles large crumbs. Add ice water 1 Tbsp. at a time until you can form a dough. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.

Filling

6 c. fresh blueberries
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. tapioca
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 425. Mix together blueberries, lemon juice, sugar, tapioca and cinnamon. Roll out the pie crust and line a 9" pie pan. Add filling, and top with rolled-out crust, with shapes cut out.

Brush the top of the pie with beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake for about an hour.

It's Pie Day! Fresh Peach Cobbler

 

Ingredients

    * 1/2  cup  unsalted butter or margarine
    * 1  cup  all-purpose flour
    * 2  cups  sugar, divided
    * 1  tablespoon  baking powder
    * Pinch of salt
    * 1  cup  milk or non-dairy creamer
    * 4  cups  fresh peach slices
    * 1  tablespoon  lemon juice
    * Ground cinnamon or nutmeg (optional)

Preparation

Melt butter in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish.

Combine flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt; add milk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter over butter (do not stir).

Bring remaining 1 cup sugar, peach slices, and lemon juice to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly; pour over batter (do not stir). Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired.

Bake at 375° for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve cobbler warm or cool.

MyRecipes.com

It's Pie Day! Classic Cherry Pie

Classic cherry pie with Michigan tart cherries

Crust

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 + 1/3 c. shortening
1 tsp. salt
7-8 Tbsp. ice water

Mix together flour and salt. Cut shortening into flour with pastry blender, mix until mixture resembles large crumbs. Add ice water 1 Tbsp. at a time until you can form a dough. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.

Filling

6 c. frozen tart cherries, thawed
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. tapioca
1/4 tsp. almond extract

Preheat oven to 425. Mix together cherries, sugar, tapioca and almond extract. Roll out the pie crust and line a 9" pie pan. Add cherries, and top with strips of dough woven in a lattice crust.

Brush the top of the pie with beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake for about an hour.