Wow, you could cut the tenseness in this house with a knife...I can't say the same for these granola bars... [a.k.a. my weekend]

Hi there. Erica here. I had a pretty busy weekend...so obviously no blogging. But here I am, on a Tuesday. Shocking...Mondays and Tuesdays are usually the least-likely-to-blog-days...but not this week. I'm mixin' it up.

I went shopping all day on Saturday with my Mom. Things are a bit tense at our house these days with all we have going on...and trust me, there's a Lot. And as a result, unfortunately our outing wasn't as fun as ones we've had in the past. But one block of time where there was no tenseness or grumpiness was when we were eating lunch at Chipotle. It's like a Celiac's dream. EVERYTHING except for the flour tortillas is gluten-free. Beef, pork, chicken, guacamole, 4 salsas, sour cream, cheese, cilantro-lime rice, black & pinto beans...and the beat goes on. Yummm...I'm seriously drooling right now.

And another AWESOME perk? All you have to say is "I have Celiac, so I have to eat gluten-free..." and the people on the line pull off their gloves, wash their hands, and put on fresh, un-glutened gloves. I feel so special when I go there. 

"Really? For me? Just for my little tired villi, you changed your gloves?! How sweet!"

All this to say...if you are a Celiac and haven't tried Chipotle, do yourself a favor. Just go! :)

And then, on Sunday after church, I was feeling hungry for granola bars. Just in case you are still wondering...yes, the house was still tense - everyone was cranky about something and stressed to the point of cracking.

So I did what any stressed-out foodie would do. I ran to the kitchen...the place where I am in control. I armed myself with honey, agave nectar, gluten-free oats, craisins, chocolate chunks, and almond butter...and I set to work.

Now, this recipe isn't like my other recipes thus far. Honestly, this recipe is not blog-ready. Why? Well, because my execution clearly left something to be desired. The 8x8 pan I baked my granola bars in still has baked-on granola-bar "sticky" on it. And I had to literally PEEL the granola bars out of the pan. No easy cutting and bagging here...oh no. I actually had to scrape as much as I could salvage into a new wax-papered and greased pan, pressed them down - hard - again, and refrigerated again.
Then I cut them.
And they were messy.
But they were GOOD.

Epic fail? No!
Epic win? Definitely not.

But the taste...oh. Oh, the TASTE. Sweet chocolate and tart cranberries.
And the texture! Ahh...chunky fruits and chocolates, sticky honey and almond butter.

So while I deal with my roller-coaster life, my crazy family, and while my family deals with crazy me (poor them!)...I will perfect these granola bars.

Only then will I share the recipe...in the meantime...eat your heart out with these pictures...after the battle they fought, they're looking good. Versatile, valiant little buggers, aren't they?

I chose chocolate chunks, cranberries, walnuts & almond butter to flavor these.
Maybe that's why they were so sticky...

I ate one today, and get this - I wasn't hungry for nearly 3 hours. For me, that's saying something,
considering I was sitting in an infinitely boring training at work that usually makes me eat nonstop to stay awake.
Good times.

Be back soon with the recipe...wish me luck. :) I'd really rather not have to scrape hardened and petrified sugar, honey, and agave crystals off my pyrex bakeware anymore.

xoxo

Erica

This gives new meaning to "Coffee Cake"

Espresso makes me melt (Erica here, by the way).
Coffee in general makes me melt.
However, I enjoy what my Dad calls "Fru-Fru" drinks. Lattes, cappuccinos, macchiatos. Really...extra foam, caramel, chocolate, with whip...give me all of it. I'd be one happy lady.

So when I was introduced to the idea of espresso cake, I was determined to make it gluten-free. Espresso cake?! Coffee IN the cake?! YES PLEASE!

I think you'll agree with us. This cake passed the test in my house...everyone loved it. In fact, my sister's fiance, Jon, told us that the chocolate espresso ganache was "knee-buckling good". How's that for a review?

Don't be intimidated by the steps. It's not difficult, and even if it was it would be worth it. :)

White and Dark Chocolate curls make a lovely topping.

That would be the cake. And Cait's fiance, who was waiting to eat the cake.

Chocolate Espresso Cake

1 cup tapioca flour

3/4 cup white rice flour

1/4 cup potato starch

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon instant coffee

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 ½ cups sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 ½ cups low-fat 1% milk

2 squares Baker's unsweetened baking chocolate, melted

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour (with tapioca starch) two 8-inch pans and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, cocoa, powder, soda, salt, instant coffee, and set aside.

It's very important to combine the dry ingredients thoroughly to get an even cake.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla, mixing well - then add eggs one at a time. Add melted Baker's chocolate, mix until well combined.

Gradually add flour to wet ingredients, stirring well after each addition. Add the milk gradually during this stage as well. Try adding some flour, then some milk, mixing well, and so on. Mix batter until incorporated (do not over mix). Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in center of cake comes out clean.

While cakes are cooling, prepare the chocolate ganache for the center:

Chocolate Ganache

3/4 cup semi-sweet, milk, or white chocolate chips

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

(You may use a double boiler for this process, but if, like me, you don't have a double boiler, you can just use a sturdy glass bowl over a saucepan with an inch or two of simmering water. Whatever method you choose, take great care not to let the simmering water touch the bowl/double boiler. This will cause the ganache to "seize" and will be unusable.)

Melt butter and chocolate chips together until smooth and thoroughly melted. Pour over cake.

(Note: If you want the ganache to really soak into both cakes, simply top with 2nd tier immediately after "ganaching"…that's what I did and the center was fudgy and moist!)

And finally, the CROWNING glory of this cake…the frosting.

Espresso Buttercream Frosting

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

16 oz. powdered sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla

3 teaspoons instant coffee granules

1-2 Tablespoons half & half (to desired consistency)

Beat all ingredients using electric mixer. Frost top and sides of cake with Espresso Buttercream.

You'll want to eat this frosting by the Tablespoon.

You want to eat this...trust me.

It's already disappearing!

Enjoy!

xoxo

The Celiac Sisters

Welcome!

If you have found your way to our blog, we are going to assume that you are in one of the following situations:

1. You have been diagnosed with Celiac and you think you will never eat again. (You may or may not have cried all by yourself over the loss of pizza and those late-night raw cookie dough binges...this is an embarrassing but necessary step. Embrace it.)
2. Your child has been diagnosed with Celiac, and you have no idea what you're going to feed your little one. You have nightmares about them accidentally consuming gluten...again, normal.
3. Gluten-intolerance has robbed you of your energy and vigor for too long...and it's time to do something.

Now, before we go any further...let us address these 3 situations:

1. Don't cry. You WILL eat again. That's why we're here. We're right there with you. Celiacs UNITE!
2. Don't panic! Your child has so many options opening up for him - more options every day, in fact. No, it's not easy at first - but truly, Celiac is simply a bump in the road. We promise!
3. Gluten Intolerance is a difficult and sometimes painful affliction. We feel for you - it's not easy! So, these recipes, hints and tips are for you just as much as the Celiacs! We will post information on gluten and wheat-free beauty and home products whenever we hear of something up-and-coming!

With that said - we are excited to be joining the ranks with other awesome gluten-free blogs.

Please follow us and check out our Link Love page to see more awesome gluten-free blogs that inspire us, and are sure to inspire you too.

Here's to eating well after Celiac and GI. :) We're all in this together!

xoxo

The Celiac Sisters