Cyber Monday Continues: 2 Recipes for the Price of 1!

By: Amy Weinberg

This time of the year is all about a good deal (among a few other things), and what better deal than a 2 for 1? Entering Winter means leaving behind the pumpkins and picking up just about everything else. But because we do love pumpkin so much in this country, I have for you 2 INCREDIBLY easy sauces to begin the pumpkin swan song.

There are few flavor combinations out there that are more flavorful, and more classic than pumpkin and chocolate.

Chocolate ganache is one of those things you hear about everywhere but sounds way fancier and more complicated than it really is. All you really need is some chocolate, heavy cream, and a set of eyeballs. The first, and basically only, step is to boil a cup of the heavy cream over medium high heat. You need to make sure to watch the pot because as soon as the cream starts to boil, it'll boil right out of the pot (this is where your eyeballs will come in handy). Once the cream starts to boil, pour it over 9oz of semi-sweet chocolate morsels and mix until completely combined. 

Let that settle in the fridge for a few minutes and viola! Fancy chocolate ganache. 

In the few minutes the ganache is in the fridge, you be able to quickly whip up the second sauce. I swear, these have to be the 2 simplest ways to take our coffee cakes to an even higher level. The maple pecan glaze may be even easier to make. The recipe call for a whole 3 ingredients: maple syrup, powdered sugar, and pecans. First, pour 2-3 tablespoons of maple syrup into a bowl and gradually start mixing in the sugar. Once it is completely mixed and you have the right maple-to-sugar ratio for your taste, let it hang out with the chocolate ganache in the fridge for a few minutes. The outcome will be a beautiful neutral color to match my neutral colored countertop and yellow kitchen lighting. 

While your sauces chill, finely chop up a handful of pecans to top off your dessert. Once your sauces are chilled and your pecans are chopped, use a spoon to drizzle on to the pumpkin spice coffee cake. 

I decorated the chocolate ganache slice with some whipped cream and white chocolate. 

And whipped cream and pecans for your maple pumpkin dessert! 

Delightful Delectables: Pumpkin Meringue

By: Amy Weinberg

'Tis the season for pumpkin, am I right? In a world where pumpkin rules the months of September, October, and November, blogging without this orange fruit almost felt blasphemous. 

I decided to take a swing at some meringue after seeing an adorable pumpkin meringue recipe online. I've only every experienced meringue on top of pies and didn't even know that it could stand on its own as a cookie. 

Meringue is not as complicated as one may think. With only 4 simple ingredients, the only headache you'll run into is the preparation. As is the case with most baking, patience is key. Patience will transform OK meringue into thick, stiff, beautiful peaks. Patience is something I do not have. 

Along with your patience, the other 4 ingredients you will need are 2 eggs,  1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar, 1/2 cup sugar, and food coloring. 

Step 1: Preheat your over to 275 degrees and place wax paper on a cookie sheet.

Step 2: Separate the yolk from the whites and mix the egg whites in a bowl with the cream of tartar. Beat with an electric mixer on medium-high until stiff peaks begin to form.

**This is when you will find out if you really have patience**

You will beat and beat and beat until you can hardly hold the mixer and you still may not see results. I can't even give you an accurate timeframe of how long it will take for the stiff peaks to form. Let's just say, don't attempt this recipe when you're pinched for time. 

Note: If there is ANY trace of yolk mixed in with the whites, you will not get those highly-covetted stiff peaks. 

Step 3: Slowly (1 teaspoon at a time) beat in all of the sugar until your mixture is stiff and glossy.

Step 4: Gently fold in your food dye and place your mixture into a pastry bag.

Step 5: Step 5 is piping your meringue onto the cookie sheet in a pumpkin form. This is where the recipe lost me. While my peaks were stiff and my meringue was holding, I had no idea how to pipe it into the form of a pumpkin. 

Step 6: Bake your cookies for 40 minutes. Once the 40 minutes is up, turn off your oven, but LEAVE IN your meringue for another hour. 

Some of you may be thinking "Hey Amy, your meringue came out looking not so pumpkin-like, can you eat them at least?"and the short answer is yes. Long answer? I personally put meringue I the same category as fondant: edible for all, enjoyable for few. 

In order to jazz these up a bit and avoid having the cookies look like orange-brown blobs, I decided to use them as a cake topper. I grabbed the closest My Grandma's Pumpkin Spice coffee cake and some cream cheese frosting and went to work. 

All in all, if someone can show me how to make a pumpkin out of meringue, I'll show you a pretty sweet cake topper. 

Delightful Delectables- Colorful Cream Cheese Icing

by Maggie Kelleher

It's dark and rainy outside today. I suppose I should expect it -- it is April -- but I miss the sunshine and could really use some color in my day. So I decided to add some of my own color to the day, with some bright and colorful cream cheese icing. 

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- Caramelized Autumn Goodness

by Maggie Kelleher

Fall is here. Did you not know yet? Well then I'll tell you, Fall is here!

What is your favorite thing about Fall (or Autumn, as we fancy people call it)? I really can't decide.

Apples? 

Apple picking? 

Pumpkins? 

Pumpkin pie/cake/soup/bread/anything? 

Cranberries? 

Cider? 

Big scarves/boots/gloves/hats/anything wool?

Bonfires?

Leaves?
Fall-themed mini coffee cakes?

Delightful Delectables- Pumpkin Spice Is Ready For Summer

by Maggie Kelleher

Coffee cake. It conjures up images of a December morning snuggle by the fireplace with a steaming cup of coffee, doesn't it? That's all I thought coffee cake was good for too, until I was introduced to My Grandma's of New England. 

In my first week as the new Social Media Intern at My Grandma's I had a large 3 lb Pumpkin Spice coffee cake in my hands and no idea what to do with it. It was summer after all, how do I serve coffee cake in the summer? Luckily, my sister was graduating High School that weekend and we had family coming over, so I knew I had family to share it with. I started brainstorming.