• 2 1/2 cups twice-sifted unbleached all-purpose flour or cake flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup canola oil
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs plus one egg yolk
  • 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped melted and cooled
  • 1 teaspoon good vanilla extract
  • 1 cup room temperature chai tea
  • 3 tablespoons Nutella hazelnut spread
  • 1/2 teaspoon good vanilla
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • Enough powdered sugar to make a glaze

I know that it’s all about how you look at things.

We recently hired a company to pressure wash our house and stain our back deck and screened in porch.

It was, well, a job gone bad. The house sure was clean, but the beautiful bead board on our ceilings and wooden doors were, well, bleached! My hubby works so hard so naturally feelings of hurt flooded my heart.

I am so blessed to have Mike as my partner in life, my best friend and my protector. He’s also a great teacher. He never really got upset. I did though!

After a while I went from being very disappointed when this damage first occurred, to realizing that things always work out in the end.

Did I do that? My Bad

It always seems like when it rains it pours, right? I was also irritated the day I found the bag of bird seed I left on our back porch AND the holes made by a very determined squirrel in our screens. Ugh!

That was all me. And God bless my hubby; he never said a word about it. He just smiled.  I was frustrated. I’m sure that although he never said a word, he will be happy to see the screens repaired as well. : )

Who am I to hold a grudge?

I remembered my frustration two months ago after seeing the damage done to our beautiful property by the pressure washing company. Um, I was not happy. I was hurt because my husband works so hard to provide us with everything we need. He provides more than I could ever ask for and in one day a company could scar our home in such a way and then refuse to take full responsibility and repair our home back to it’s original standard.

BUT, after two months we are finally getting everything back to it’s original state. Although the company did not help us repair the damage, I am able to see the light at the end of tunnel and to reflect on the whole experience.

Who does holding a grudge and getting upset with hurt more? You, or in this case, me! In all of this I realized that I have hurt someone’s feelings more than once. In many instances I could have done things differently. I’m sure I have let someone down without even knowing it. Holding a grudge hurts you more than those you are upset with.

Instead of holding a grudge towards this company I have moved on, and now everything is getting repaired and I had the opportunity to make my buddy Brian and his crew these delicious chocolate chai cupcakes!

Here’s how easy these chocolate chai cupcakes were to make:

1. Position your oven rack t the center of your oven and preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Line a standard 24-cup with muffin liners.

2. In a medium-sized bowl whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.

3. Use an electric mixer to beat together oil, sugars and eggs. Add melted chocolate and vanilla.

4. Add half of the dry ingredients and half of the chai tea. Beat just until combined and add the remaining dry ingredients and tea. Blend again just a bit.

5. Fill your muffin tins 2/3 of the way up with your yummy chocolate batter.

6. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Glaze

I did not want a heavy frosting for these cupcakes so I opted for a simple and yummy glaze instead. In a bowl stir together, Nutella, vanilla, half and half and enough powdered sugar to make a glaze. If the mixture seems a bit dry, add a touch more half and half. It may seem a bit wet, but it will set up once on the cupcake.

Allow the cupcake to cool just a bit, place on a wire rack with a cutting board or plate underneath to catch any excess glaze. Pour glaze over each cupcake. Allow it to dry a bit and then ENJOY!

Brian and his crew did…