Wake Up and Smell the Cake

Please please let me get well soon. It was only a few weeks ago I was plagued by cough, and now I'm having slight fever and a bit of flu. I have to be in tip top shape! Gonna use a lot of energy soon! Was very reluctant to come to work today, felt like sleeping and sleeping and the weather's perfect for that too. But then I thought of outstanding laundry and cooking and I thought, ah well I'll just leave those and go to work hahaha. Or maybe I shall go back in the afternoon. Yesterday I felt these weird constipation-contraction-like compresses coupled with backaches for about one and a half hours. I'm seriously not sure what it was, could be false alarm cos I walked a lot right before getting those, and when we got home I felt much better. Have to start monitoring such pains. Baby don't come out so soon! I have yet to stock up my fridge, and iron as many clothes as I can, and go Ikea! :)

I have 3 bananas and sour cream that are about to go bad/expire, so I went to Google sour cream banana cake, and came across this ! So there IS a recipe for sour cream banana cake haha! Made some adjustments, but sadly I should've increased the amount of sugar instead. And bananas too if I have them. Sadly the banana taste wasn't much, but the cake is really moist! Especially after you leave it after a day. Soft, moist and the taste of banana and butter becomes more distinct! Ingredients 180g salted butter (honestly I don't know how much I used but it's sort of more than half a pack of 250g butter) 3/4 cup caster sugar 3 eggs 2 1/4 cups cake flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp bicarbonate soda 250 light sour cream 3 mashed bananas Generous doze of chocolate chips! Mix everything! Then bake using a 10 inch round pan, 180°C for 40 minutes. Recipe called for 60 minutes but since the cake was already done and oh so sweet smelling, I took it out impatiently! Ma

So I ended up not baking anything over the weekend. Was planning to do cheesecake and/or German cookies but none done. I was so certain I bought potato starch already but I couldn't find it anywhere! I also have a tub of sour cream to use before it hits expiry date i.e. in two days' time! Luckily I found some banana sour cream cake recipes that looks easy and have great reviews. Hope to try it out today! I have been feeling lazy and sleepy a lot lately, especially during the weekend. Shopping trips have to be cut short cos I feel my legs are too tired, tummy too heavy. Eyelids become easily heavy too, haha. And besides, I can't buy clothes yet! Not even shoes! Emergency grab bag already packed, and we've pretty much cleared Junior's room, washed his clothes and put up his wall sticker, all set for his arrival! My mum says he has too many clothes. Haha. But thinking that Junior will need to change clothes a few times a day, and I bought sizes of up to 9 months,

So on the way back to office, I beat the red light at that unnecessary traffic light near MacRitchie specially installed for all these rich buggers who play golf at the posh country club nearby. Other times I beat or choose not to beat (hey, I'm not always a reckless driver haha) the red light, I make decisions swiftly. But not just now! This is not good. I saw the light change, and I braked. Not once, but twice. But it wasn't enough to stop the car in time, so I stepped on the accelerator instead. Why in the world did I brake when I know I couldn't make it!! Darn. I do hope the cameras didn't catch me. Or else I'd have to say I thought I was going into labour and I needed to rush to the hospital. Hahaha. Bought a whole tiramisu cake, hopefully it'll stay intact. Can't find a fridge big enough to accommodate it. My sister thought that tiramisu has coconut milk. Wonder where she got that idea from. And!! My dear sister-in-law bought this for Junior! H

In a couple of weeks or so, I'll be having a baby. I can't imagine it happening! I can't imagine myself going through labour! But holding our little bundle of joy in my arms would erase the pain I suppose. Speaking of which! Junior is kicking me non-stop. Hahahha. I can't believe it! A baby! Our baby. Our very huge responsibility. Have been looking around for educational books. And my my these books especially those in series aren't cheap! I tried looking for second hands, but there's not much of a market for them. We'll have to get creative and find ways to stimulate Junior's brain! I do hope we'll be able to educate him well, and bring him up in the best possible manner. Maybe I should get my craft materials out again and make some DIY cards and toys! Makes it more worthwhile and get myself involved in the whole process. I have some ideas already in mind, I hope I'll find the time to make them for Junior! :) Oh and I would love to do so

French toast for Other Half's breakfast this morning! He requested for it yesterday. I was feeling sleepy and tired, was supposed to wake up half an hour earlier to make them, but I woke up at the usual time I do without alarm. Thank goodness I didn't take long. Haha! Decided to add a bit of milk, added about 1 tsp evaporated milk (because I have half a tinful not used yet) and a pinch of salt to one beaten egg. I have a tendency of cooking extra and I end up eating the leftovers, so this time round I limited myself to one egg. And it's perfect too! Just enough to coat three pieces of bread. I think they tasted awesome! One of my better tries of french toast :) I should make breakfast more often haha.

Baked egg tarts (or so I thought) last Saturday. It was a nice, couple time Saturday. Sometimes our weekends can get so packed, there's no couple time. But on the bright side we're living on our own, and that gives us more opportunities for couple time. I love our own little space :) I happened to come across egg tart recipes, and this particular one from Chow Times which didn't need to use a crust. Perfect since I couldn't find instant crusts at the NTUC near my house. All I need is a greased muffin tray and I'm good to go! Adapted the recipe a little bit for some experimentation. My Ingredients 1 cup mix of white and brown sugar 3 1/2 tablespoons margarine, melted 2 eggs 1 cup flour 1 can 388ml condensed milk 2 cups milk 1 tsp vanilla powder Mix the ingredients together to form a smooth mixture, and transfer to the muffin trays. I baked at 200°C for 15 minutes, and then 160°C for 18 minutes. Tarts in the oven!! Look at them rise so high! And yet no

I've subscribed to the daily English papers for my home! So exciting! Reading the actual papers isn't the same as reading the online version. There seems to be less news online too. Reading the papers used to be a chore. It is one of those things that your parents force you to do when you were younger, and you hated it, but later on in life you'll finally see that they're doing you a favour. Now, I check with the CNA website or TV channel almost everyday, and we listen to 93.8 Live on the radio to work without fail. I used to think who would listen to such a boring music-less channel, but look at what I'm doing now! Haha! And I'm going to introduce Junior to the newspapers as well, even though he won't be able to read yet. Never mind that he'll mess up the papers and dirty his hands and looks intensely at the news but not understanding anything (oh won't it be sooo cute! Haha), as long as he familiarises himself with them. Oh yes! Now that I&#

Yay! New sandals! My second pair of Papillios, the first one was like at least five years ago? That pair went long distances, took me to many faraway places! This pair? We'll see where they'll bring me :)

Been feeling oh so lazy to wake up these past few mornings, unlike the little one in me who cannot stop squirming and swimming and kicking! Our adorable little angel :) Only a few weeks left now! Yesterday I got the chance to go to NTUC Finest. Other Half didn't allow me to go in initially, cos I'll always end up buying a lot of things even though there's no urgent need for them. Hehe. Finally got my muffin tray, but thinking back now I should have bought another one so I can bake two trays at a time. Hope to make egg tarts this weekend! :) And of course, I stocked up on cheesecake ingredients! I found mascarpone too, thought of getting it but it's quite expensive for a small tub. Well at least now I know where to get some if I wanna make tiramisu. Hope to get home early today, have a simple dinner at home (thawed chicken but have no idea what to cook), cos there's housework piling up after days of going home late these past few days. Tiring. I am so sleepy. I wi

Made pengat pisang today! Was all prepared, with sago no less! And of course, leftover bananas. My first time attempting this, as usual when my mother does it, I wouldn't pay attention to the method or recipe haha. Anyway when I asked my mum, there wasn't a clear recipe either, all is by estimation. So here's my version! Makes 1 potful. Ingredients 4-6 ripe bananas 150ml coconut milk 2 cups water 1 pandan leaf 1 1/2 inches' block of gula melaka Sugar to taste, if necessary Heat water with coconut milk until well mixed. Tie the pandan leaf into a knot and put in the pot. Chop the gula melaka into smaller pieces so that it'll dissolve easily in the mix. Dissolve the gula melaka. Slice the bananas (not too thin or else they'll break) and put them into the mixture. Add already boiled and washed sago in! That's it! :) Chopped gula melaka! Not that easy to chop :s   End product! Couldn't be bothered to take a proper photo cos I was more w

Life has been good, and very much in love with The Husband :) Am always thankful to be married to him, to have someone as amazing as him to spend my life with. He's more than I could ever ask for, sometimes I wonder what I did to deserve him. Anyhoo!! Was on half day yesterday, was awaiting shelves and drawers for the baby room, and I did loads of things! When I go on leave, it's superwoman time! Especially when The Husband isn't around to tell me to not exert myself too much hurhur. I do admit, it's tiring, but kinda fun too! And anyway I didn't have internet nor cable TV to entertain myself haha. Managed to cook a proper meal (by this I mean there's vege) and made begedil too, mopped the kitchen and did laundry including bedsheets (ironed, no less)! Haha! The bright sun was too tempting! Tiring but satisfying. Wanted to transfer some of baby stuff into his room, but I'll leave that to today or tomorrow probably. Baby's arrival in a few weeks'

hungry woman = irritable woman hungry + pregnant + impatient woman =  

Sounds yummy doesn't it!! I first saw this recipe at Belzy's Kitchen and I thought what a cool idea! But to my amazement there are many other recipes out there too! Yesterday night I was on a dessert frenzy. I have been longing to make agar-agar to eat in this hot weather, and I have all the ingredients ready. And I have like seven very ripe bananas that would end up in the rubbish bin unless I cook it. So! I did agar-agar sweetcorn and this chocolate banana roll. My mum often makes agar-agar sweetcorn, but I've never even bothered to help out or ask how it's done. All I know is there's many little containers in the fridge filled with yummy agar-agar waiting to be eaten. Haha! I use the one my mum always does, the instant mix from Swallow Globe. No fotos cos it's too simple to make and I didn't use any fancy moulds, just plain ol' Ikea square containers hahaha :) Agar-Agar Sweetcorn 1 packet instant mix 1.2 litres water 3 tbsp condensed mil

Have quite a few things I am feeling ambitious about making this week, that is if I've gone marketing. This is what happens when you start making your weekly grocery list! Haha! Sambal godok Kicap cili to go with fried tempeh and tahu Ayam lemak mangga Agar-agar jagung (found some tips here !) Banana hot pockets cos I have leftover bananas. I think I can do this today since the bananas are reeeaaalllly ripe already One whole jugful of fresh lime juice! Couldn't get enough of it especially in this hot weather! And I came across this recipe at the same page I found agar-agar recipe, Chinese Custart Egg Tarts . Looks easypeasy! But this weekend I'll be quite busy. I hope to find time! :)

Yay! Family came over yesterday to help get the chinese calligraphy up, and in the evening the coffee table and TV console arrived! Bought artificial orchids for the display in the coffee table, but it took quite some time to decide which flowers. I initially wanted lilies but they didn't look that nice. Sigh. So we settled for white orchids instead. Decided not to drill TV to the wall cos there'll be permanent hole damage and in case we decide to get a new TV (though not anytime soon cos aircon is definitely a priority in this sweltering heat!) we'd have to plaster back the holes and probably drill again. Elections yesterday. Voted for the first time! With technology it's easy to keep up with the results. And with me having sudden leg cramps at 2am and in my cringing and tossing and turning, woke up Other Half. Perfect time to check results haha! And so we have two unemployed ministers now. It's like being fired! So does that mean they have to clear their desks o

Here's the recipe for the chocolate chip cheesecake I mentioned earlier ! Got this recipe from Fantastic Cheesecake - Kek Keju Hebat by Alex Goh. My auntie gave it to us cos she doesn't have use for it hahahaha. Made some adaptations. For the base I used leftover digestive biscuits instead of the recipe's Oreo base. Like any digestive cheesecake base, crumble the digestive biscuits and mix with melted butter and press on the base of the springform tin. I think I used about 80 to 100g of digestives and 80g of butter. Bake in oven 170 degrees Celsius for 12 minutes and cool. Cheesecake: 500g cream cheese 140g sugar (hehe I ran out of white sugar so I topped up with brown sugar haha!) 20g flour 2 eggs 200g whipping cream semi-sweet chocolate couvertures Topping: 200g sour cream (recipe calls for 400g but I only had 200g with me) 3 tbsp condensed milk (recipe calls for 2 tbsp sugar but I ran out of sugar) generous amount of chocolate chips!!! Mix and cream chees

So it was major fatty food alert for the birthday/Good Friday weekend.Yes I know! Backdated post! It started off with Cream Cheese Brownies, for birthday boy's birthday cake! :) I searched for a fool-proof recipe and I found one at Betty Crocker's website using their instant brownie mix, and made a few adjustments. Filling 8 oz cream cheese, softened (recipe only used 4oz but I thought that's too little!) 1 egg 3 tablespoons sugar 1/4 teaspoon vanilla Brownies 1 box (1 lb 2.4 oz) Betty Crocker® Original Supreme Premium brownie mix Water, vegetable oil and egg called for on brownie mix box Sprinkle-happy semisweet chocolate chipsand white chocolate chips :) Heat oven to 170ºC. In small bowl, beat filling ingredients until smooth. Set aside. Make brownie batter as directed on box. Spread 3/4 of brownie batter in a 9 by 9 inch pan. Spoon filling by tablespoonfuls evenly onto brownie batter. Spoon remaining brownie batter over filling. Cut through mixtur

FABULOUS weekend! :) Saturday morning's class was fun! Especially love the part where they gave us dolls to play practise holding babies in breastfeeding position wahahaha. Other Half thinks I'm too rough with the doll. Hehe. Went for a short getaway to JB. Stayed at Thistle for the second time because the first time was totally awesome, but this time round the service sucks. We were made to wait for like an hour before we could get our room because it wasn't ready. What the heck!! It's not like we asked for early check-in! I think they were shorthanded, but knowing that it's a public holiday, and the number of bookings they have, shouldn't they get more people to come and work?! Disaster at the reception I tell you. So many people were waiting. Anyway. That aside, it was a good getaway. Laze around doing nothing haha. Other Half wanted a seafood dinner and so we went to Senibong. I haven't even heard of that place in my life yet it's so popular! L

I always tell myself, lower or have no expectations, then I won't feel disappointed. But it isn't easy. And I'm all kinds of emotional right now.