Here Comes The Sun - Ready for Spring Ice Pops

By: Amy Weinberg

If you’re like me, March 1^st officially means spring to you. It means flowers are starting to bloom, snowstorms are turning into thunderstorms, and ice pops are once again edible. Yes, there is still snow on the ground. Yes, it still gets dark before 6pm. Yes, playoff basketball hasn’t even started yet. I do not care. To me, March = Spring. While I tend to commit to spring a little early, I understand that t-shirts and ice pops in March may not be for everyone. I’m not here to tell you how to spend your March. I am here to get you JACKED UP about spring and all of the fun desserts we will make to celebrate.

I am going to dive head first with this dessert and go straight for the ice pops. And no, I will not be turning our delicious coffee cake into an ice pop. (Although, if I ever figure out how to do that, you guys will be the first to know.) Instead, I’m going to give you an ice pop that will leave you feeling so great, so refreshed, that you'll be ready for that second slice of coffee cake in no time. 

I mean, who doesn’t love popsicles? They’re cool, refreshing, and you can make them out of just about everything. The ice pops I’m going to be making are even healthy.

What You'll Need:

1 cup spinach, packed

1 mango

1 banana

1 cup fruit juice (something lightly colored - I used Dole Mango, Peach, Banana juice) 

A blender

It probably could not be any easier to make these ice pops. Simply take your spinach, banana, mango, and juice and combine them in a blender. 30 seconds in my new NutriBullet and these pops are ready to freeze. 

Pour the combined ingredients in your popsicle molds, secure the tops, and pop them in the freezer for a few hours. 

As I was making these I was thinking to myself, "Why don't I make ice pops more often? They're incredibly easy to make and they taste great." Only when I tried to pop the ice pops out of the molds did I realize why I don't make ice pops more often. With three pop-less sticks sitting on my counter, I had one chance left to get this popsicle out of its mold and in one piece. 

Luckily, I was able to wiggle that last pop out of its mold.

And let me tell you, these popsicles were DELICIOUS. Who would have thought that frozen, blended up spinach would taste great? Certainly not someone whose desserts normally consist of coffee cake. But here I am, frozen spinach in hand, waiting for that grass in front of me to turn the same color green as the ice pop. 

After finishing my ice pop I turned to my mother to see if she could bestow any of her ice pop knowledge upon me. I remember making an ice pop or two when I was a kid so I figured she MUST have some insider tips to get the rest of them out. The one tip she gave me was so simple, yet so perfect - 

"Uhhh... Just dip the mold in warm water for a few seconds."

Of course it worked perfectly. Moral of the story, every now and then you just have to suck it up and ask your mother for help, even if you know that her response will be sarcastic.

Apple Cider Caramel Sauce

by: Amy Weinberg


Spring is coming.

"To get Spring, you must be willing to endure Winter" - A quote said by many different people, in many different ways, throughout many different time periods. 

I remember having to walk my friends though the meaning of that one after I tweeted it years ago. Well, anyone who is reading this is alive and (hopefully) well, and that means you were able to endure Winter. So, congratulations! It helped that this Winter was like a vacation in the Bahamas compared to Winter last year. Regardless, we all endured which means that soon we will be able to bask in the glory that is Spring. 

Yes, apple cider is a fall drink and yes, I drink it to celebrate the coming of Spring. As long as my grocery store keeps selling it fresh, I'll keep buying it. And what pairs better with apples than caramel? Today I'm celebrating the coming of spring and warmth with this Apple Cider Caramel sauce. 

What You'll Need:

2 cups apple cider 

1 cup brown sugar

4 tbsp. butter

2/3 cup heavy cream

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. apple pie spice

1/2 tsp. kosher sea salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract 

First you have to boil down the apple cider. Place 2 cups in a small saucepan and boil for about 10-15 minutes. A good half of the apple cider should be evaporated at this point. Next, remove the pan from heat and stir in the brown sugar, butter, cream, cinnamon, and apple pie spice. 

Return to heat and let simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Remember that sauces thicken as they cool! That being said, you'll definitely want to mix and thicken this up a bit before refrigerating. After reaching an ideal thickness, remove from heat and whisk in vanilla and salt.

Once the sauce cools a little bit, you'll be safe to seal in an airtight jar or container. Store in the refrigerator until use. 

The sauce may separate a tiny bit in the fridge. In this case, just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds and mix it back together. No, this is not in fact raspberry preserves. Yes, we recycle in the Weinberg household. 

I used this sauce on an Original Cinnamon Walnut coffee cake because it is what I had in the house. This sauce would be perfect with a number of our cakes, including the Cinnamon No-Nut, the Granny Smith Apple, and the Chocolate Chip Walnut. Try out this sauce with any one of our cakes and get ready for a great Spring! 

Delightful Delectables - Sautéed Banana Grilled Coffee Cake!

By: Amy Weinberg

My goal every time I come up with a recipe for this blog is to create something that will enhance the already delicious coffee cake from My Grandma's of New England. Sometimes I succeed, and sometimes I fail. Sometimes I give up and just make little sugar figures to display next to the cake. This was not one of those times.

For the most part, the dessert ideas here are very simple and very delicious (with the exception of the Kahlua Soaked Coffee Cake Sundae, which was both very delicious and very complicated). I am not a baker. I am just a kid with a sweet tooth and an education (still up for debate), so anything I can bake, you can probably bake better!

Sometimes I make something that has out-of-this-world flavor just to look at the clock and see that it is already 9:00 pm. Sometimes I whip something up quick and easy but it doesn't do much for the coffee cake. Sometimes I stumble upon the winning combination of both ease and flavor. 

This is that dessert.

I suggested this dessert idea to our wholesale customers and because of such a great response, I bring you the Sautéed Banana Grilled Coffee Cake. 

I already had a Banana Walnut coffee cake from My Grandma's but I would suggest going with the Original Cinnamon Walnut just to balance out the banana flavor a little bit. Once you have your coffee cake, the only other ingredients you need are bananas, sugars, butter, and some spices. The first thing I did was melt about 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan while tossing slices of the bananas in the sugars and spices. Once the butter was all melted, I dropped in the bananas and remaining spices and brought the heat down to a medium-low simmer. A perfect way to step this dessert up even more is to sauté the coffee cake. 

After about 10 minutes for the bananas and another 5 for the cake, you are pretty much done! I placed the coffee cake in a bowl with the bananas on top and gave it to my Mom. The only thing it was missing was a little bit of whipped cream.

So whether you are cooking for a date, or a party, or just because it's Monday and you're alive, this banana-fest is the PERFECT 15 minute dessert. Remember the whipped cream and GET CREATIVE. This dessert is delicious but there is so much room for you to make it your own!

Happy Labor Day!

By: Amy Weinberg (9/7/15)

Break out the barbecues and the white shorts one last time this summer because today is Labor Day! 

How are you going to celebrate all of the achievements of the American Workforce? My mother is celebrating this morning by doing yard work while I sit in this nice air-conditioned house listening to music and brainstorming dessert shooter ideas. The only laboring I will be doing today is moving my fork from my plate to my mouth.

If you’re not wearing Red White & Blue, you’re not doing Labor Day right. I think today is the perfect day to rock my American flag shorts (they’re mostly white so today is their last hurrah anyways). Whether it’s on your shorts or on your plate, today is a day to represent America.

And what better way to represent?

Now, it wouldn't be a holiday or a barbecue or America with out My Grandma's. I didn't want to labor myself too much today (always up for a good pun though), so I kept this dessert extremely simple. I was going to make an icing for this cake but I’ve been making a lot of icings and glazes lately. Plus, our cakes are too good to be hidden under a delicious layer of sugar every single time.

(Maybe every other time?)

I broke out Nana's nice China, slapped down an Original Cinnamon Walnut Coffee Cake, and called it a day. 

Just kidding, that's too easy. To go with the coffee cake, I quickly whipped up some red white & blue shooters. All you need is a blue fruit (blueberries), a red fruit (I chose raspberries), and some freshly whipped cream. These shooters are quick, easy, and most importantly, CUTE. 

Whoever came up with the idea of putting desserts into shot glasses deserves a medal of some sort.

Maybe even his/her own holiday.

I mean come on, Chewing Gum has its own day (September 30^th). 

WHEN WILL DESSERT SHOOTERS GET THE RECOGNITION THEY DESERVE.

Anyways, dessert shooters, along with everyone involved in the American Labor Movement, will be honored today in the Weinberg household. How did you celebrate your end-of-sumer day off? 

Delightful Delectables - Kahlua Soaked Coffee Cake Sundae

By: Amy Weinberg

Happy National Hot Fudge Sundae Day! What’s that you say? You’ve never heard of such of thing? Well, it’s a real thing, it’s a great thing, and it’s tomorrow. Tomorrow is also National Merry-Go Round Day. I would suggest not celebrating both of these days at the same time. You’re welcome.

Instead of going the traditional hot fudge, vanilla ice cream route, I decided to whisk things up a bit with this Triple Layer, Kahlua Soaked, Chocolate Mousse Coffee Cake Sundae. Again, you’re welcome.

Things You’ll Need:

Layer 1: My Grandma's of New England Cinnamon Walnut Coffee Cake, Kahlua

Layer 2 (The Mousse): 12 ounces of milk chocolate morsels, 4 Tablespoons of butter, 4 Tablespoons of water, 4 eggs yolks, 1 Tablespoon of sugar, 1 ½ cups of heavy cream

Layer 3 (The Whipped Cream): 1 ½ cups of heavy cream, 1 Tablespoon of powdered sugar

Last But Not Least (The Glaze): ¼ cup water, ½ cup sugar, 1 cup cream, ¼ cup coffee, 1 tablespoon vanilla.

Note: before fully committing to a recipe that involves freshly whipped cream, first check to see if you have an electric mixer. (Amy’s Hand-Made Whipped Cream Workout Video will be released later this year.)

Clearly, I want you to learn from my mistake. But, the chocolate was melted and the coffee cake was already soaking in Kahlua, there was no turning back now.

As for the coffee, I just went to Starbucks for my regular Café Americano. I set aside ¼ cup for the glaze, poured some Kahlua in the rest, and got to work. The coffee cake wasn’t the only thing soaked in Kahlua by the end of this.

For the exact recipe, check out this website.

I’m not going to lie, this came out a lot better than I thought it would. It’s not that I wasn’t confident in the recipe. What made me nervous was how my patience, or lack thereof, would impact my cooking skills. Pro tip? Playing your favorite album makes whisking for 6 minutes straight a little more bearable. I went with Days Are Gone by Haim.

I’m the kind of person that will spend hours in the kitchen making something and not even eat it when I’m done because I’m “just so over it.” “Get it away from me, I can’t even look at it anymore” I’d say, hoping someone else would try it and like it. Maybe it’s because I can’t handle the very real possibility of my hours of hard work leading to a dessert equal to a McDonald’s parfait. Anyways, this just looked too good not to eat.  

And let me tell you, McDonald’s wishes they could make something like this.

I went wish a mason jar because it was pretty and I wanted to seem creative. Although I did achieve my goal of it being pretty and creative (I think), the portion was a little ridiculous. Even for my standards. I was in a chocolatey coffee cake Kahlua induced coma. Ask me if I regretted it.

I did not.

Mix it up on Memorial Day and a Giveaway!

by Maggie Kelleher

Memorial Day is coming up soon, and although it is still a bit cold on the East Coast, we at My Grandma's are really looking forward to the start of Summer and bonfires, picnics, and family get-togethers in the sun. And we want you to look forward to Memorial Day, too. Just scroll down to the bottom of this post to enter our Memorial Day coffee cake giveaway and you could get a delicious patriotic cake (Red, White, and Blue Patriot Coffee Cake anyone?) delivered right to your door! You can earn extra entries just by telling us about your amazing family, because we love making you a part of ours! Happy celebrating!

And to make sure that celebration is really memorable, I'm here to tell you that My Grandma's coffee cakes go fantastically with every mood, from your fanciest fundraiser to your laziest Sunday picnic. And as you prepare for whatever Memorial Day festivities you have in store, think about your favorite flavor in our wonderfully extensive list, and order just the cake to go with your favorite wine, beer, cocktail, mocktail, or type of milk!

Just think...

Snow Day Procrasti-baking

by Maggie Kelleher

So you might have heard that we're expecting a blizzard and My Grandma's offices are going to be closed this Tuesday (January 27th)! We apologize in advance on behalf of the snow for any late cake deliveries this week. We promise we're trying our best to make sure that doesn't happen!

Well in case you're in the Boston area, we wanted to commiserate (or celebrate, depending on your view of snow-days) and share some ideas on what to do with your possible day off instead of your backlogged work.

Charming Crafts- DIY Easy-Peasy Holiday Wrapping

By Maggie Kelleher

The Holidays have arrived! With Hanukkah starting on December 16th and Christmas on the 25th, it's the gifting time of year! But who doesn't have some trouble getting the perfect presents for everyone on your list? It's hard! We know.

Thankfully, not only do I have some handy tips about how to wrap your finds into masterpieces (even with last minute household odds and ends) but I also have a suggestion for some of the easiest and sweetest little presents that your entire list will love AND a Giveaway for the chance to win the perfect gift for Christmas delivery! Just head to the bottom of the post to enter by Midnight EST December 15th. TONIGHT!

Autumn Adventures- Halloween Scare Package

by Maggie Kelleher

Today I had a little free time and a small task to do.

The other day I found a product that I knew would be the perfect gift for my little sister. Just another one of my Fall Favorites!

A little about my sister.. my freshman year, I bought her ninja cookie cutters for her birthday, and she sent me a care package of home-made ninja-bread cookies. Well now it's her freshmen year, and I have found the perfect follow up gift... zombie cookie cutters! I just had to send them, and instead of just a box in a box, a full care package was in order!

Back to the point, today I had the task of sending my sister the Halloween fun I bought her, but I had a bit of free time, so I decided to decorate the box and give her a whole Halloween treat!

Delicious Delectables- Lemon Curd Coffee Cake

by Maggie Kelleher

I discovered a new dessert topping! I don't know if you are aware of the power of lemon curd, but I was blissfully naive about this delicious topping until very recently.

Last week I found myself sitting around trying to decide what I should blog about next when I thought it might be fun to get some new opinions in the conversation, and boy was that a good idea! Quite a few ideas were raised (that you will be seeing soon on this blog), but one idea made my friend Sankalp SO excited that I had no choice but to help him make it come to life. What was this idea?

Lemon curd and coffee cake! 

"Lemon curd" you say? "That won't go well with coffee cake!" Well when I started this I have to say that I had my doubts, too. But I trusted in Sankalp's judgement, and boy did it pay off!

Flavorful Fundamentals- All About Walnuts!

by Maggie Kelleher

Do you like walnuts? We here at My Grandma's definitely do. We put walnuts in many of the cakes we make! Luckily for those of you saying "ewww" to the idea of walnuts, it is also possible to special order any of our cakes without walnuts if you so choose, but this particular post might not be for you.

Why not?

A delicious walnut and streusel ribbon runs through the center of our Cinnamon Walnut Coffee Cake. 

Because this post is all about walnuts and the amazing things they do!

Fourth of July Fun- Grilled Coffee Cake

by Maggie Kelleher

Are you excited for the Fourth of July?! We are here at My Grandma's of New England! We are even giving away a FREE coffee cake of your choice! Enter the giveaway by sharing or re-tweeting any of our Facebook or Twitter posts this week and filling out the form at the bottom of this page!

The Fourth of July is often a time when friends and family get together and celebrate the U.S., the summer, each other, and food. I always like to show up at family gatherings with something new and different. But coffee cake is just so good! How can I get my coffee cake fix while still impressing everyone? Have I got the answer for you!

Grilled Coffee Cake

Delightful Delectables- Father's Day French Toast With A My Grandma's Twist

by Maggie Kelleher

Some might think that coffee cake is reserved only for mornings, coffee breaks, or bridge parties, and served plain (or slightly warmed) with the beverage of your choice.

I might disagree. I already know that My Grandma's coffee cakes are good anytime, day or night. But I can not disagree that a coffee cake breakfast is one of the best types of breakfast you can serve up.