Start Them Young

Came across this post some days back from Terri of Hunger Hunger and thought it would good to share with you. While I could not load the video (not sure why), but reading what she wrote is enough to convince me. She is a sincere blogger and writes what she believes in. Do hop on over to her blog as the areas covered by her are vast. I am picking out just one of points mentioned as I was astounded by the message Jamie Oliver wanted to bring across. The amount of sugar found solely in milk consumed by a child over a period of 5 years is incredible. After knowing this, it would make any parents think twice about giving out carbonated/cordial drinks, sweets and chocolates freely. Below, are some of my efforts to introduce healthy eating habits to my kids.

Speaking of which, I am guilty of giving my kids cordial drinks like Ribena. Though I did not start this habit but I did not stand firm enough stopping IH from buying it. These 2 months however, I started buying barley and boiled them with some pandan leaves. The kids are getting use to this. It's now either barley water or just water. As for sweets, chocolates and carbonated drink, as long as you don't have them at home, they can't ask you for it. Simple as that. I don't stock sweets, chocolates and ice cream at home. Occasionally, I will buy them sweets and chocolates in smaller packagings or ration out to them. We bring bottles of boiled water when we are out, so no excuse for ordering carbonated drinks.

Being a baker, it is inevitable that there will always be cakes, bread and cookies at home. One benefit of homebakes is that you can reduce the amount of sugar used. That is what I did for most of the recipes I have tried out. With the constant supply of homebakes, I would always ask my helper to share with my neighbours, their kids and helpers. This way, my kids learnt about sharing. In fact, my kids must have gotten tired of my bakes these days.

I breastfed Ah Girl for 6 months and Ah Boy for a year. When they were weaning, the first solids were vegetables puree which I made myself. Pumpkin, carrots, potatoes, chinese spinach, corn, peas are some examples. All of which are unadulterated with seasoning. My mom had advised me to feed them pork bone or fish porridge but I believed that by starting them with vegetables to their untainted palate, they would be more receptive towards vegetables when they are older. Indeed, nothing makes me happier to hear my kids say, 'I want vegetables' or 'I want some broccoli'. Though they are quite picky when it comes to fish, I'd rather that than them picking out vegetables from their plates.

As mentioned before in my earlier posts, I do not offer deep fried food at home. Once in a while, IH will bring them out to McD's. Probably due to the lack of exposure to deep fried food, they usually cannot finish the chicken nuggets or french fries. It is some relief that McD's now offers yoghurt, apples and corn cup in their kid's meal. I believe all kids love McD's for a reason. The same for my kids; its toys. In general, Ah boy and Ah Girl prefer homecooked meals. There is pros and cons about this. They usually can't eat much when we eat out.

A must-have for my kids is soup. Particularly, clear soup. Soup is good for 2 reasons; nutrients in soup are easier absorbed by body and it hydrates the body. There must be soup in 1 of the meals for them. Besides the regular ABC soup (potato and carrot soup), below are 2 soups which I usually cook for them. For soups to be clear, it is important to remove the scums during boiling.



















I believe that all parents want to inculcated healthy eating habits in their children but sometimes, we adults who are 'young at heart' inevitably fall into temptation ourselves. If we as parents do not check ourselves, wouldn't it be hypocrisy to ask our young kids to exercise self restraint?

It's been a long break...

... And thank you if you are still reading this. I've been experiencing a little fatigue these couple of months. Recently, I have been boring you with cakes. I have baking cakes week in and week out. Not that I have lost my interest in baking or decorating but I have lost my direction in blogging. I cooked, I baked but most times, just too tired to take pictures. Partly because fearing they might ended up in the draft box like, forever.

During this break, I took time to prepare Ah Girl for Primary 1. More than ever, I realised that I had been too lax with her. Her handwriting is atrocious, especially for her Chinese. That also made me feel rather guilty. I didn't spend enought time with her to correct her handwriting.

Ah Girl's graduation day. She performed in one of the skits.






















I took time off to accompany her on the first and second day of school. Everything was a breeze except for a hiccup from the transport company. She was being assigned to the wrong bus. From a supposedly half an hour ride, turned into a near 2 and a half hour journey. I had to sit at the drop off point, worried sick and not knowing when she would reach home as the driver couldn't give me a confirmed time. Call it being Singaporean or whatever, I called up and gave them a piece of my mind. Honestly speaking, if she were to take public transport, it would probably take 10 to 15 minutes to reach home. I thought the arrangement would be more convenient for Ah Girl and my helper. I was quite surprised when Ah Girl reached home without tears. I must say I was rather proud when she said she wasn't afraid, just bored nd hungry. Perhaps she is more independent than I would like to admit. By the time she had her meal, it was close to 4 p.m. She asked if it was her lunch or dinner. Hah.






















The only thing I am worried about is her spending too much at the bookshop and being talkative in class. Thus I wondered if she was made monitoress because of her constant chattering.

At the same time Ah Boy fell sick, recovered and fell sick again over the weekend. He is getting used to Ah Girl's new routine and will ask where is Ah Girl when he wakes up. He used to follow Ah Girl to the Kindergarten but she now has to go off at 6.15 a.m. This is his cheeky self. His favourite TV shows are Pingu, Bob the Builder, Barney, Hi 5 and of course Thomas Tank Engine. Favourite song? 'Happy Birthday'. He comes in really handy at birthday parties.























This is his not-so-cheeky self. I noticed his hidden double eye-lids will appear when he is unwell. If that is really the case, I'd rather they remain hidden forever.


















I enjoyed the company of my kids while slowing down. I think I have been doing too many things at the same time. Finally, I had time to sit down and read. Finished 4 books to be exact. Found time to revisit beading and unfortunately, discovered jewellery making. Argh.

Birthday Cake for My Kids

My kids' birthdays are just 10 days apart and celebrating together makes sense. I do not have to bake and consume 2 cakes. But when it comes to decorating the cake, there is no such thing as a theme. You see, what has Ben 10 Alien Force Omnitrix got to do with Thomas the Tank Engine? But to be fair to the both of them, they have to co-exist on the same cake.



















While assembling the cake, Ah Girl commented that it was unfair that 'Didi' has a cake on his birthday. Apparently, she forgot that she had a Ben 10 Alien Force cake to celebrate at her kindergarten. I told her she actually celebrated twice. She was convinced only after I placed the Omnitrix on the cake. Kids. Speaking of this; I wish to thank Little Fun Store from Ebay. I placed order for stuffs needed for Ah Girl's birthday celecbration at the school at the very last minute. Thanks to her, I got my order really quick, in time for the party. I bought kids stuff from her over a couple of years and she has never failed me.

















A close-up on Thomas and his truck loads of sweets.



















Lights down and candle-up.



















Ah Boy looked on with interest. He thought he could play with Thomas like a real toy.



















No crumbs gone to waste. I had to wash the knife after that. Ah boy was facsinated by the candle flame.



















And went on to touch it. The poor boy burnt his finger. Brave boy didn't cry, just clenched his fingers together. I had to pry his fingers open to apply ointment. Till now, whenever he sees a candle or saw these pics, he will say 'hot hot'. Silly boy also got a 'Harry Potter' scratch between his eyebrows before his birthday.

Comparing last year's pictures, they are growing up so fast. If I could make a wish; time stands still for 1 day and let me hold you a little longer.

Weird Pic Parents Take

Yeah, I was bored. One sunday, my kids happened to be napping. I do weird stuffs like holding their hands, kiss their palms/fingers, smell their hair, planting kisses on their cheeks while they are asleep. I can just sit there and watch them sleep. Well, sometimes I fell asleep as well. Then I noticed how long Ah Boy's eyelashes are. So I took a picture. Worried that Ah Girl's eyelashes aren't as long, I took a picture to compare.




































Who won?

My Kids

They are the best playmates together, otherwise known as the 'Twin Terror'. That is when they are not fighting. When they do, terror escalates to horror.
























She going to be six this August. I just wish that she will be more lady-like. Ironically, I signed her up for Aikido class instead of art class. I want her to be disciplined and respectful. And of course, drain off her excess energy. She does her homework dutifully but can be really cheeky at times. She's a little stingy and still doesn't like to share her food with Ah Boy. But she will share her toys and make her brother laugh.
























He is tall for his age. Last month, he had his last jab but didn't cry at all. He recognise quite a number of pictures. His vocabulary so far; 'jie jie', go where, bird, bag, back, ball, book, apple, fish, eat, dog, cat, duck, pig, horse, nose, head, mama, dada, aunty, please, thank you (though not too clear), yes and no. He likes to shake his head when he meant 'no'. He is able to point to his tummy, ears, nose, mouth, head and hair when prompted.











































Both have the same temperament, they fight but they do love each other. Captured this moment so when they quarrel over petty things, I can show and remind them. Both are animals lovers. They are crazy about the hamsters, terrapins, birds, dogs and cats.

This is the evidence of Cartoon Network influence. You'll get Superhero kids when they start watching TV.























Ben 10 Girl. Told you she is unlady-like.
























Ultraman. Okay, to be fair, this was taken when he was a couple of months old. But I believe his time will come too.

Ah Boy is 1!

Today is Ah Boy's first birthday. Time really flies. He's 'talking' alot more and making lots of sounds. Crawls really fast and cruising steadily. He's able to stand unaided for a short while so I think he's not far making his first baby step. We actually celebrated his Lunar birthdate instead which was 2 weeks+ back. It was just a small celebration at my parents'. I made Chirashi Zushi and a birthday cake.

























This picture exposed flaws of my piping skills. I bought this cake pan during a spree. Ah Boy loves bears and Barney. Going by the Lunar birthdate, Ah Boy gets to celebrate his birthday first. Ah Girl said it wasn't fair that her brother celebrated his first since the actual date is in September. Hers, August. Guess she remembered the month sequence really well now. As their birthdays are only 10 days apart and to appease her, the poor bear had another 5 candles pounded into its tummy. *Ouch* She loves birthdays and she's already counting down on her next! My dear, you just celebrated it 10 days ago.



















Abit blur at first.



















Getting excited.



















Chuckling when we sang 'Happy Birthday'.



















'Hey, Jie Jie! That's my cake yo!'



















Can't wait to take a bite.

I used my sis's Sponge Cake recipe, the one she which she called her own. She's generous to allow me to share the recipe in my blog. Thanks S! The recipe shared here should be enough to fill an 9 inch pan. I used the whole recipe as I do not know how much batter the bear cake pan would need. In the end, I had enough for the bear pan and a short 6 inch cake. Also, her original recipe was a Lemon Sponge, but I used vanilla instead. This recipe is using egg separation method.



















This is the texture of the sponge. Wonderfully soft. Ah Boy likes this alot. I will be baking this more often but perhaps I will reduce the recipe and bake them into cupcakes.

S’s Sponge Cake
Ingredients(A)
5 Egg Whites
100g Fine Sugar
½ Tsp cream of tartar

(B)
5 Egg Yolks
80g Fine Sugar
1-1/2 Tsp Vanilla Essence
125 ml Milk
4 Tbsp Melted butter

170g cake flour
½ Tsp bicarbonate of soda

*Sift together

Method
1) In A clean bowl, whisk egg white and sugar. Add cream of tartar and whisk till peak.

2) In another bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar till pale and fluffy.

3) Add vanilla essence, milk and melted butter to egg yolk mixture then fold in sifted flour mixture.

4) Fold in egg yolk mixture into egg white mixture.

5) Bake at 180°C for around 50 minutes to an hour.

*Note : The bear pan is my first silicone bakeware. It may be the size of it or silicone bakeware bakes fast. It took 25 minutes.

**Note : I used dairy whipped cream (150ml + 1 Tbsp Icing Sugar) and chocolate ganache (65g chocolate + 65g dairy whip cream) for the piping.

Castle Cake For My Girl

I am so, so behind my posts. And I identify this as the culprit. I want to publish this post first among those backlogs as it is Ah Girl's 5th birthday today. She had requested for a castle cake earlier (initial choice was Ben 10, *faints*). Before this, I was clueless about fondant, royal icing and let alone decorating a cake. All my past bakes have been 'naked'. But to make Ah Girl's wish come true and a cake for her to remember, I decided to try make it for her instead of ordering.

Having accomplised this cake marks a milestone for me. So now is the time for me to give a 'thank-you' speech. Please bear with me. A couple of months back, I wrote to KWF and Edith for their advice. They responded and that gave me an idea how to proceed. Gina not only gave me tips but also gave me some colour gels. My sis, J lent me her silicone mat and Moss Green colour gel. The green colour would be impossible without it. And there is Yuri who cheered me on. The credit is not solely mine. Most importantly, I would like to thank the blog owner of Cake Journal. I followed her tutorials on Royal Icing and Marshmallow Fondant.























So this is supposed to be a 'Sleeping Beauty' castle. I left the space on top for the Princess Aurora figurine. But I forgot to put it there when I took these pictures. Tsk. Can't blame myself too much, I took these pictures at 3 in the morning! Prior to this, I made alot of planning and even wanted to do a trial run on this but couldn't find time. I made the fondant last Sunday at my mom's. I used my Chocolate Pound Cake recipe to bake an 8 inch and a 5 inch cake in the morning. This part was the easiest. After cooling, I crumb coat them with chocolate ganache. Most of the time spent was cutting out the flowers. I discovered that 1 of the plungers broke but still usable. Kinda slowed me further. By about 8p.m., it was time to cover the cake. I got abit worried as I have only 1 shot. Fortunately, all went well. The turrets were made of 'Smarties' Chocolate marbles. I wrapped the fondant around the bottle. I had to saw 1 cm off the ice cream cones as they were slightly too big. The middle piece was made of chocolate wafer, wrapped with fondant. The sides were covered with royal icing and sparkles.























Though tired, I had fun. I am thinking of doing this for a friend already! When Ah Girl woke up and saw the cake, she was elated! I got a hug and she said, 'I love you mommy!'. That was all I need, it made my effort seemed worthwhile. The cake was not perfect, I know because I hid the flaws. But to her, it was something she could show off to her friends and proudly declared it was made by her mommy. Her own special cake. Happy Birthday my dear girl, I love you too!

I didn't have anymore time for another cake for the teachers but am glad that the teachers liked the cake too. Putting the cake together took longer than I expected. They thought it was store-bought. Ahahaha.. I still have Ah Boy's cake done earlier coming up next. Stay tuned.

じゃね～～

Happy Boy

This picture was captured by my helper. 笑到见牙不见眼. Oops... can't see his teeth here. This is one moment, which I am sure, every mother would want to see on their children's faces. Ah Boy is able to stand up with support now. One of his favourite sport is to crawl to the TV console, grab the edge and pull himself up. Or he would stand up in the play pen, grumbling and babbling his displeasure at us for leaving him there. He is able to cruise, taking small, baby steps. He is not afraid of falling either. He will just give you a big grin and pick himself up again. Maybe his 'airbag' (a.k.a. diapers) works. In time to come, I may need to remind him of this spirit should he falter; if you fall, pick yourself up.

He has got 6 pearlies now and started biting his Jie Jie when he is angry with her. So now, Ah Girl knows that he will retaliate if he is bullied. However, I need to curb this habit. Need to get him those toothpaste and brush thingy meant for babies. He is taking solids really well. It will come a time when he will not need to be nursed anymore. Think I will miss holding him so close to me, near to my heart. When did you last hug your children? I made it a point to hug them everyday; when I leave for work, when I come home, or whenever I felt like a hug.























Just when you thought you have loved them enough and couldn't give anymore; children has this special key to unlock your heart further. Talk about unleashing your potential, eh?

To my dear children :

Sleep well, sleep tight, mommy will always be by your side.

Lots of hugs and kisses. *muak muak muak*

My Japanese Girl

Ah Girl's kindy celebrated Racial Harmony Day last Friday (the actual day is on 21 July). So instead of the regular 4 hour session, she only had to attend school for an hour. Maybe our government or school, thinks that the racial cohesion can be promoted within an hour. Talk about 速食文化. Anyhow, the children were supposed to dress in their ethnic traditional clothes. To be honest, Ah Girl is growing quite fast, Her traditional Chinese New Year Sam Foo has become three-quarter pants (I exaggerated, but you get the point). There is no way I am letting her wear that and I am not buying a new pair just for that purpose. So usually I will dress her in other countries' costumes (courtesy of my mom and sis). Last year, she was a Korean girl. Photos by the courtesy of anyhow point and shoot IH. His photography skills are worse than mine. And it shows. I have to edit the photos like crazy.


The reluctant model. Angle no good, 'kena' my bum.


Finally a smile. But angle also no good, 'kena' the head.

This year she's a Japanese. My mom bought her this Yukata (浴衣) during her trip to Japan. Yukata, as suggested, is worn after baths. However, they are also worn during summer in Japan. I was told it costs 100 plus in Sing dollars. Should have gotten a cheaper variety. Look at the hem! She's going to outgrow it soon! (*faint + heartache). I must convince her to wear it more often. Ahahaha~~ I asked her to smile for the camera and she showed me this instead.



I warned her not to let her classmates pull and tug her clothes. Last year, her classmates (boys) pulled at her Hanbok till one of the buttons gave way. I was really upset (authentic from Korea and expensive!) but fortunately, the Hanbok was alright. This time, her classmates (boys again) pulled her obi. The bow I tied for her was gone when she returned from school. They are going to get it from me one of these days! She is just too friendly and so not like me when I was her age. Perhaps I should teach her what my parents taught me; if boys disturb you, hit back (wrong, I know ). Throughout my school days, I earned myself the nickname, '恰查某' (in hokkien). Should I impart my 铁砂掌/Karate chop skills and Uppercut to her? Contemplating....

Haircut & First Words

'Mom, you're pointing your handphone at me again...'




'Are you going to give me the rest of that biscuit when I'm done with this one?'

I brought the children for their haircut 2 weeks back, before the school re-opened. Ah Girl is used to the idea now, I should say she has been looking forward to her haircut. Probably because she can watch 'Barney' or "Hi Five' at Junior's League. I am glad that Ah Boy did not put up any struggle or cry when it was his turn. He stared at the hairdresser the whole time and I was distracting him with the video clip I put up here earlier. He only started to squirm in his seat towards the end. Probably sitting still for too long.

He is getting more and more active these days. Wanting to explore things around him, that includes tugging, pulling, scratching, stuffs like that. I don't why but he is deeply facsinated by the tissue box and he likes to tear up tissue paper. He will giggle when he got some of the tissue paper in his mouth. More giggling if you try to take them out of his mouth. He is eating and sleeping well. Staying true to his Chinese Zodiac sign, a little piggy. There will be some drama when he doesn't get his way. I have to constantly remind myself not to give in to tantrums. But on a whole, I am blessed with a cheerful, playful and healthy baby.

Ah Girl must be his best friend now. Although he pulls her hair sometimes, he will shower her with his kisses along with his drool. At 8 months plus, his first distinctive word is not 'Ma Ma' but 'ball ball' when I showed him some grapes. I was kinda sad because Ah Girl's first word was 'Ma Ma'. I then, drilled him with 'Ma Ma' whenever I had time. My strategy must have backfired. Instead, his next distinctive word is 'Deh Deh' (refering to Ah Girl) and followed by 'Ah Der' which means water or milk. My dear boy, when are you going to call me 'Ma Ma' instead of 'Nn' (sounds like you are poo-ing, you know)? Haiya~

Two At Play

Ah Boy can sit up on his own and crawls about (actually he's sliding on his tummy) quite well. He is 8 months and 3 weeks now. He loves it when we sing for him. I think his favourite songs are '大苹果' and 'Ten Little Indians'. He'll laugh out loud whenever he hears them. He's making those 'boo-boo' sounds and been 'talking' quite abit. He likes to wave 'bye bye' and acknowledges his name with a 'nn'. I don't know why, but both of them like to lie their head down on my pillow. He misses Ah Girl when she's not around. He welcomes her with a big chuckle when she reaches home. Fortunately, I got the same treatment as well. Ahaha.. I can't wait for the day when he calls 'Ma Ma'. Ah Girl first word was 'Ma Ma'. Actually, I am teaching him everyday. Heheh..

In my opinion, Ah Girl plays rather rough. Not sure how to tell her to be more lady-like. But I know she loves her brother. Next time, when they quarrel, I'll show them this clip. Must love each other, okay? Looking at them, a part of me can't wait for them to grow up. Another part of me is afraid that they are growing up too fast. That I will not be able to hold them in my arms anymore. I guess all mummies feel that way sometimes. My dear children, please let me hold you tight for a while longer. Let me hold you every day. I love you.

Momoko

Isn't she beautiful? I adopted her when she was about 3 months old. I'm not sure about her parentage but I know her mommy is a Siamese-mix. So, that makes her a Siamese-mix-mix. Ahahah~ She is what my mom called 'long kang' cat (stray cat). Her coat does not have a very clean-cut, distinct colour theme, I named her 'Momoko' anyway, which means 'little peach'. I picked her out of a litter of six. I don't know why, but I think I picked her out because she did not have a very nice, long tail like her siblings. Her tail is stubby and curved like a hook.

Momoko was adopted when I had my own place. She was the 'Queen' of the house. She does not come to you when you call out her name. She only responded when she wanted to or when she was in the mood. Likewise during play time. It is like she owned you, not the other way round. Sometimes in the middle of stroking her, she would suddenly go crazy (kee siao, in hokkien), scratch or bite you. She chews the plastic bag at the waste paper bin to remind me to feed her on time. Things remained this way until I had Ah Girl. I stayed in the hospital for about 1 week and when I came home, she turned into a super 'manja' cat. Apparently, during my absence, she missed me and had been looking for me. She paced around the house restlessly and waited for me at the door. She also slept on my side of the bed. That said, once in a while, she will still ignore me.


*Bo-chap look.

Most of the time, she will follow me around in the house. When she is up to some mischief, like chewing plastic bags or scratch the sofa, she will make the dash when I called her name or when I brandish the cane (unless her claws got caught in the fabric, hahaha). She knows how to open the cupboard, which has a sliding door and hides there when I am angry or when I took out the cane. She is the one who kept my house lizard-free and insects-free (not including ants though). But I never knew that she is good with children too, given the fact that cats are independent and self-centred creatures. Although she was being 'de-throned' as the 'Queen' by 'Princess' Ah Girl, she likes to stay around with the children. Momoko would sit very close them so that she can be 'sayang' (pat), by them. Ah Boy loves having her around. Momoko will get restless when they cry.


I want to freeze this moment in time so that Ah Girl and Ah Boy will know that Momoko loves them too. Even when Momoko will no longer be with us in a few years' time.

Every day, she will wait for the children to go to bed and come to me with her constant meow meow meow, pestering me for her 'massage'. Momoko, although you are now 'de-throned' by the children, you still hold a special place in my heart. Love you and stop attacking my plastic bags!

じゃね～

Grumbling Baby

抱抱~~ 抱抱啦~~ Complain for so long already.. why mommy never 抱抱?



Okay, okay... mommy 抱抱啦~ *muak muak muak*

No matter how stressed and depressed I am right now, looking at you and 'Jie Jie' give me the strength to carry on. A reminder that you need me, to carry on.

Japanese Cheesecake

A fellow blogger once said, when you feel down, your bakes sink with you. Couldn't agree more. The cake rose close to 3 inches in the oven and ended up standing at 1.8 inches (I know, I measured). Shrunk at the sides too, totally unacceptable. Been caught up with work lately and have not been in the best of mood. I found out that if you feel really down, no amount of chocolate you consume can alleviate your mood. Probably just leads you to nose bleeds. I had to go back to the office last Saturday and Sunday. Was planning to participate a blog event but couldn't find time and didn't have the heart to do it. At this point of time, work schedule remains sh*tty, nothing seems to be moving. I tried hard not to let work affect my time with the children but clocking 10 hours each day doesn't help. Everday, I wake up with the children, go to work. Come home, play with them for about 15 mins to half an hour, it's time to tuck them to bed. Making matter worse, I worked weekends for 2 weeks in a row. Does Ah Boy see me as a walking pacifier/milk dispenser? Does Ah Girl feel that I'm just a bedtime playmate?

I am kind of feeling burnt out. Maybe, I am getting in age. Maybe my priorities have changed. I have always envied stay-at-home moms. They can be with the kids all the time. I miss my kids when I am at work. But then, knowing my temperament, I would be tearing my hair out if I were to be a stay-at-home mom. Should I then, be grateful that the circumstances don't allow me to stay home? Speaking of temperament, I did the unthinkable on Saturday night. I feel ashamed to be even talking about it. I smacked Ah Girl's mouth for crying and it was not even her fault.

Came back home with a headache and hardly had a wink after nursing Ah Boy. Ah Girl woke up suddenly, still dreaming I guess, started wailing for no reason. She was crying so hard that she coughed. Past experience was that; she would cry and cough till she vomit. Instead of consoling her, calming her down, I got really angry and irritated that her cries woke Ah Boy up. Yes, I was worried that she would vomit on the bed and the cleaning involved if she did. Cleaning up = less sleep. When she didn't stop, I smacked her mouth, which resulted more wailings. That finally got IH out of his vegetative state in front of the TV. I left IH to comfort Ah Girl while I pat Ah Boy to sleep. I'm a terrible mother and felt even more guilty in the morning. Ah Girl couldn't recall the incident and kissed me 'Good-bye' when I went out for work. I'm so sorry baby. What was I thinking? Why did I raise my hand to hit her? As much as I try not to let work affect me, I feel that I am fighting a losing battle. I have been losing sleep for a couple of nights over nearing deadlines. Something triggers off and I just snapped. I need a break soon, seriously. I do apologise if you do find my post abit too windy and kinda deviated from the title. Let's get down to business then.

To atone myself, despite being tired after work, I decided to bake Ah Girl's favourite cheesecake. You should see her eat this cake (not this one ) , gone in lightning speed (okay, I exaggerated). No fork for her, no ma'am. She will use her hand, thank you very much. I'm trying out a recipe from here. Made some adjustments as I do not have a digital scale.

Japanese Cheesecake
Ingredients
180g Cream Cheese
100g Fresh Milk
30g Butter

3 Egg Yolks
30g Cake Flour
10g Corn Flour
2 Tsp Lemon Juice
a pinch of Salt

3 Egg Whites
80g Sugar
1/4 Tsp Cream Of Tartar

Method
1) Lightly grease and line a 7 inch round cake pan. Prepare hot water and oven for Bain-Marie (water bath).

2)In a bowl, melt cream cheese and butter using double boil method. Add milk. Leave aside to cool for later use.

3) Sift in cake flour and cornflour. Add egg yolks, lemon juice and salt. Mix till incorporated.

4) In another clean bowl, using a mixer, whisk the egg whites till foamy. Gradually add in sugar and whisk to soft peaks. Add in cream of tartar and whisk till stiff peak.

5) Fold in the egg whites till well corporated. Pour into the lined cake pan. Bang the cake pan on the table. Bake in Bain-Marie at 170 deg.C for 15 mins, cover the top with aluminium foil. Lower the temperature to 160 deg.C, bake for 60 mins. Uncover the foil and brown the top for 10 mins.

6) When the cake is done, open the oven door and leave the cake in the oven for 10 minutes (started to deflate here). Remove from oven and let the cake cool in the pan for 10 mins before removing to a rack.

*Note : Remember to add hot water to the water bath if it starts to dry up. The top of my cake is rather flat but tiny 'craters' are formed due to bubbles. Guess I should have bang the pan harder next time.

Something must have gone wrong somewhere resulting the above cake. Perhaps it's time to get a digital scale? I am rather sure I did not overfold the egg whites. All in all, the cake is still edible. Soft, moist and smooth. Though it collapsed but it's not hard but there is much room for improvement. How do I make it more fluffy? I'll leave that till later. Now I've got to go back to work.

それじゃ～～