Spring in Montana

Spring is here!


We get such a variety of weather here in the spring. We experienced rain, sun, and 6 inches of snow all in a span of 5 days. The sunny 60 degree days are quite a treat!


This little girl could live outside. She was loving marching around with her umbrella in the rain.


This is our 6 inch snow storm we got. It was so crazy watching all the snow just pile up so quickly. It was then gone 48 hours later.

Blessings,
Joyful Momma

Friday, Oh Friday

No post in a week?!  No new recipes all week?!!  Its just a fact of life I suppose.  My hand is finally on the mend and I am no longer wearing that horrible brace that made me feel like I had a claw instead of a hand with opposable thumbs.
We have A LOT of family and friends in and out this week.  Last night we had 11 here for a birthday party and tonight we have 12 for dinner.  Lots of hustle and bustle and others are cooking.  Love that!!
Enjoy your weekend….I will be visiting our new cupcake bakery.

Glazed Chai Muffins

I love chai.  I make chai mix to keep on hand at all times. *FIND THE RECIPE HERE*  I saw these muffins on Pinterst and I knew I had to make them.  I found this recipe from a blog called “my baking addiction”.
 
These were so easy to make and watching the glaze drip down the sides of a warm muffin was a drool worthy site.
 
I love to bake for breakfast.  My 2 year old usually is not ready to eat right away and wants a project.  So, we bake together.  Her favorite part of this was taste testing the frosting.  I told her that is a very important job
.

Glazed Chai Muffins

For the Muffins

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup milk

For the Glaze

3 tablespoons butter; melted
1 cup confectioners’ sugar; sifted
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon milk

 

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a standard muffin tin, or line with 12 paper muffin cups. 2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter, vegetable oil, and sugars until smooth. 3. Add the eggs one at a time, beating to combine. 4. Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, allspice, black pepper, salt and vanilla. Mix well to fully incorporate. 5. Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined. 6. Using a large scoop (I used my ice cream scoop), divide the batter evenly into the prepared pan, filling the wells nearly full. 7. Bake the muffins in preheated oven for 15 to 19 minutes, or until they’re a pale golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean. Prepare the glaze.

For the Glaze

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter, confectioners’ sugar, spices, vanilla and milk. Whisk until smooth. 2. When muffins have cooled slightly (about 5 minutes), dip the muffin crown into the glaze and allow the glaze to harden. At this point, you can leave them as is or go for the double dip. I glazed my muffins twice. 3. Serve warm, or cool on a rack and wrap airtight. Muffins will keep at room temperature for about a day.

Cooking Can Ruin a Manicure

For anyone who knows me well, in real life, they know that I always have my nails painted.  I cant think of a time that I didn’t like to have my nails painted.  I think I may have started this “personal trait” around middle school….but I would have to ask my parents….they usually know things like that. 

So, in the 16 (or so) years since then, I have tried nearly every painting method and product.  And I have settled on ones I love.  I can even get my at home manicure to last 10-12 days with no chipping and still shiny.  Now, it may go longer than that, but I typically change my polish after a week or so. 
Spending a lot of time in the kitchen and doing dishes, can be hard on a manicure, but I am happy to share my secrets with you.  You can have a lovely manicure that will last for a week or more.

I use an OPI color….sometimes another brand like Esse works well too.  But quality polish makes all the difference in getting it to last.


I start by cleaning my nails with a 100% acetone remover.  Nothing expensive needed here.  A large bottle of this costs me only about $2. This helps dry the nail and makes the polish really adhere to the nail.
 
I then file my nails and push back my cuticles. 
I start by adding a thin layer of Orly Primetime: Chip preventing primer.

I order it on amazon usually.  I don’t get many chances to get to the beauty supply store where most of these products are sold.  So, online ordering is best for me.
Then, two coats of color.  I do a coat on one hand, then the next, then I go back.  This gives the polish a little time to set while you paint your other hand.
I then use my INM Out-the-door super fast drying top coat immediately.

  You don’t need to wait for the polish to dry.  This stuff is amazing.  Salons use this to dry your nail quickly.  I tell people that this is really my secret to a great manicure.  And let me tell you….I have tested about 50 different top coats….and this is always the winner.
When you do the top coat, make sure you get it on the tip of your nail to.  This will wrap the color so there is no raw edge for chipping.
Now, let it dry for about 2 minutes, and you are good to go