Monday, December 3, 2012

Ten Pretty Nails

My two older daughters and I like to play nail salon.  I've always loved having fresh polish on, even when it's just a clear coat to keep my nails protected.  For years I went without getting any new polishes, but I'm a big couponer and I've been watching the sales so I started acquiring polishes again.  LOTS of polishes.  I think I came home with ten one time (I got them for 69c each!).  Every time I bring home a new polish the girls get giddy and impatient to try it out.  Plus, Mommy does nail art on them too, and they really like to show it off to their friends at school. So here are some of the things we've been doing lately.  We've also gotten some inspiration from Pinterest.

It's snow season now so we've done some snowflakes. The blue is Bijou Blue by Wet n' Wild, then I did nail art with white and silver.
I found some nail art polish (the kind with the long, skinny brush specifically for making lines and drawings) at Dollar Tree, no joke.  So I bought almost every color they have.  I use the white and the silver glitter the most.  My close-up shot is a bit blurry.  It's hard to get a clear picture with a cell phone.

I really like the look of a good French tip and we have lots of great colors to do tips, so here's a purple version.  I used a sheer purple by Pure Ice for the main color and then Purple Heart by Cutex for the tips.  I did nail art on my ring fingers in white and silver glitter, and added a silver dot on all other nails.

We have a few of the Sally Hansen magnetic nail polishes, which we love so much.  I did Rachel's nails with the purple, and my toenails with the copper color.  I usually keep my kids' nails really short, but I let my two older daughters grow out their nails a bit because we're doing polish all the time now and I need the space to be able to do nail art or make magnetic polish show up better.

Last night we played Christmas nail salon and Rachel wanted alternating nail colors with white dots that look like snow falling.  The red is Jezebel by Wet n' Wild, and the green is some very old discontinued Sally Hansen thing that I think I've had for over 15 years.

This was very hard to do on my own nails.  I made an ornament with tiny details.  I did the same on my daughter Alice's nails and it was a little bit easier because I was able to do both of hers with my right hand instead of struggling to draw and paint with my left hand.  Again, I used Jezebel by Wet n' Wild and that old Sally Hansen green one.  I used China Gold by Sinful Colors for the small top part of the ornament that the hook comes out of, and then I clear coated the heck out of my nails because I do not want this chipping off any time soon!  That was a lot of work.


I only ever do my nails during nap time or after the babies have gone to bed at night so they're out of the way and not interrupting me or needing me to get stuff while my nails are wet.  Then I can leisurely watch some TV while my nails dry. 




Saturday, December 1, 2012

Gluten Free Pie Crust, Part II

OK, I made another gluten free pie last night and this time I actually took pictures.  This should help as a supplement to my last post.

I made the two pie crusts per the recipe in the last post, this time I used shortening instead of butter and it was waaaaaaaaaay better.  The shortening and xanthan gum really make it stay together instead of crumbling apart.  Then I wrapped both crusts in plastic wrap after shaping them into discs and put them in the fridge.  I was intending to make the pie later, but then the water line behind our fridge burst, and then a knitting student showed up for a lesson, so the pie got put off, which is okay because the crusts got to chill overnight so they were super ready for rolling.


I used a silicone mat on top of my pie rolly-outy mat (that's a technical term there). The pie mat protects the crust from rolling out over the edge of the silicone mat and getting stuck to the counter.  The silicone mat is handy for flipping the crust over into the pie pan so it doesn't crack and break into pieces (since GF pastries are inclined to crumble, though this one did remarkably well at staying in one piece).  Then I just gently peeled away the sil-mat.

Here I have the top crust on now (after finishing the bottom crust, pricking it with a fork, and adding the peach pie filling).  I trimmed the edges, pressed to seal them, and then used a fork to make a pretty edge.  Then I cut slits in the top in a pretty pattern to let the steam escape.  Almost done.

I brushed the top with some melted butter.  I've also been told you can use milk; I just happened to use butter.  Then I covered the edges with aluminum foil to keep them from burning and........

...popped it in the oven at 375 for about 1 hour 20 minutes, checking it every 10 minutes after the first 55 (I live at a high altitude, so my cooking time is long; I think normal time would be around 55-60 minutes).  I took the foil off the last 10 minutes.  I have got to remember to put a baking sheet under it next time, because it oozed glaze and now I have to clean the oven rack and replace my oven liner.  NEVER go without an oven liner, trust me!  ALWAYS have one in the oven!

Et voila!  That is a good lookin' pie! I could have probably browned it a bit more if I'd given it another 10 minutes or so, but I'd rather not have any burnt or dried out crust.  I like it just the way it is.  I'll serve it with whipped cream or ice cream tonight at dinner.

Viva la gluten free!