Marble cheesecake

Have been really lazy and kinda too busy to blog these days.

Ever since my old helper came back last Wednesday, i've been busy going out, for shopping mostly. Lol. Been deprived of it badly after my old helper went back and now that she is here again, it's all about making sweet comeback with my mil of course despite the fact that i will go into labour anytime anywhere :P

Anyway, when my sis was here 2 weeks ago, we made marble cheesecake with oreo cookies for crust instead of the normal digestive biscuit. Also, this recipe is not adapted anywhere. Thought of it myself based on the ingredients and cravings i had ;)

Marble cheesecake

This entry will most likely be my last entry this year, so i would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you a very Happy New Year! May next year be a great great year for all of us :D

(i know my life will definitely not be the same next year since there'll be another addtion to the the family and i'm pretty sure we'll enjoy his presence to the max since we won't be having another baby anymore *wink*)

Oh, i nearly forgot.. my blog turned 1 on 27th December. I always thought i started blogging on the 29th until i double check just now. I must say, i truly enjoy the time i spent blogging, sharing my thoughts and my days, my passion [shopping + cooking] and most importantly, getting to know some really really wonderful bloggers :D

Have a Blessed New Year!

Greetings!

Have a merry Merry X'mas everyone! :D

Baby at 37 weeks

Just went to my gynae today for my check up and baby's head is engaged but am not dilated yet.

Weighing at 3kg now, another 250g to go before my stomach 'says' stop. You see, both my boys weighed 3.25kg and 3.255kg so i guess that's the max my stomach can stretch up to. Also, been having stomachache very frequently lately, almost like labour pain but the frequency is not there though. So, false contractions might soon, very soon become real? :P

Anyway, doc predicted it'll be anytime after X'mas and before New Year. But to play safe, no X'mas eve plan this year, just in case i pop. Usually, reputable and established restaurants require an upfront full payment to confirm the table so, we decided to just skip the fancy dinner maybe and eat at hawker? Lol.

What do i feel right now?

Scared.

Terrified.

Wish that i'll be a boy in my next life. Lol.

Silly isn't it especially when this is my 3rd child! But you know what? My pain threshold is so so so low that i'd cry when i go for blood test, yes.. that little prick will make me shed tears :(

Imagine, i went through 2 child births without any drugs (mainly because the epidural needle is too huge for me to agree to it :P ) at all.. The pain was extremely excruciating and thinking about it now really freaks me out. I really wonder how i did it for both.

Anyway, hope my coming delivery would be a sweet and short one, happens only when hb is at home with me so that he can send me to hospital asap.

p.s : guess what? As i'm typing this, my stomach is moving up and down, left and right, sudden juts out of nowhere no thanks to the little one inside. Think he's having some wild party inside. Lol. Love looking at my tummy when he's doing 'it'. So alien-ish! Never fails to amaze me. Will definitely miss all these.. since this will be my last child :)

My wish came true :)

Remember my X'mas wishlist this year? (made 2 weeks ago)

Actually, it's not a wishlist at all, more like just 1 wish that's all. Well, the tittle says it all, didn't it? :P

I actually received a call from my helper the very next day!! Unbelievable right? Santa Clause came early to me this year. Lol..

Anyway, guess what? She is here right now, at this very moment as i'm typing this entry, in my house. Heh. She arrived on Tuesday midnight and i've sent the one i had before this back to the agent yesterday morning. Caught her lying to me in the morning as well. Thank God she was to be sent back that very day *phew*.

I'm now definitely a happy to be mommy again :)

Picnic day

Last week, from Tuesday till Friday night, my youngest sister came down to visit her nephews and most importantly, me :)

Even though i was tired and couldn't move much most of the time, i'm glad we still had a blast during her short stay.

Picnic at Botanical Garden was one of the activities i'd promised the kids when their maik maik (aunt) comes down and we did. The kids went fish feeding, duck feeding, kite flying and ball kicking [read:soccer]. The last 2 activities weren't included in the plan though.

You see, when we were there, there was this caucasian man who is 70 BUT very fit and sporty were spotted kite flying with his grandchildren. I guess my boys must have looked real eager, hence, he came over and asked if the boys wanna join and off they went.

It was indeed very very entertaining, seeing my boys running down the slope, trying to fly the kite, especially the younger boy. So FUNNY! We laughed till our stomachs cramped. Heh. After kite flying, it was soccer time. The grandpa seems to have the time of his life, kicking, shouting and laughing with 5 little children. Poor him, but hey, he seems to enjoy every moment of it. Such a nice and friendly chap :)

Been feeling pretty empty, lonely and bored now, ever since sis has left us on Friday night. Sigh. Wish she could stay abit longer to accompany us :(

Can't wait to receive another visitor soon.

Duck feeding

Sz and i

Love this shot even though i look a tad too pale (sans make up)

My sister and her beloved newphews

Below would be (anti clockwise) : i- My sis and i, taken by Sz -- explains the blurness ya? Grin ii- our lunch at Cafe Les Amis - gourmet breakfast, iii- grilled chicken sandwich, iv- our very cute picnic basket -- my birthday pressie from my bestie this year :)

Grilled chicken pasta

Initially, i didn't wanna cook for yesterday's dinner. Was too lazy and tired to go through all the hassle but in the end, i still had to cook because we didn't know what else to eat. Lol.

Take away seems easy but but, there wasn't much choice to pick. We usually call for pizza when i get really lazy :P

After a short brainstorming on what to cook, something easy and appealing at the same time, i came up with the below..

Totally last minute.

Grilled chicken pasta

The pasta was tossed in olive oil with garlic, sauteed shiitake mushrooms, boiled broccoli, milk and parmesan cheese together with dried herbs and little of lemon juice + zest.

Didn't follow any particular recipe, just anyhow used the available ingredients on hand to prepare and surprisingly, it turned out pretty appealing afterall. Lol.

Quite pleased actually because everyone finished off the very last strand of the pasta on the plate in a pretty short time :P

My 1st bundt cake

The other day when Tangs was having 12% rebate, i decided to pop down to take a short skincare shopping spree as my products are running low.

Little did i know that i will actually come back with a bundt pan on top of what-i-was-supposed-to-buy :P

As most bakers who got their new toy, i couldn't wait to try the pan out. Hence, a coffee butter cake in bundt pan in making..

Coffee butter cake

Yummy yum~~

I love the shape of the cake lots. So pretty..

Really glad that the pan didn't give me any problems. Initially i was really worried that the cake might come out black, get stuck here and there or refuse to come out etc.

However, i do have 1 small headache though. The pan is slightly too big for my liking. The amount of batter used to fill the pan is equivalent to amount of batter used to fill in a 9" cake tin. Abit too big for my family to finish at 1 go for breakfast. I wonder if all bundt pans come in standard size?

If anyone sees a smaller bundt pan anywhere, please please, let me know yeah?

Thanks! :)

p.s: i'm so happy! Something happened yesterday but because of its uncertainty, i will only disclose the good news once everything is confirmed. Hopefully everything will go as planned :D


Coffee butter cake by Alex Goh

A -

275g butter
200g sugar ( i cut down to 160g)
230 flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp of coffee paste

B - 5 eggs

C - 60g almond flakes

D - 1 tbsp rum

1. Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add coffee paste and rum.
2. Add in the eggs one by one till well mix.
3. Fold in the sifted flour and baking powder till well incorporated.
4. Lastly, pour the batter into a greased and lined 9" mould. Sprinkle with almonds.
5. Bake at 180 for 45 mins. Cover the top with aluminium foil half time if you wish to prevent browning.

Note: pardon me for the short and simply instructions. I usually copy my recipes in the shortest sentence possible :P

Christmas wishlist

This year, i only want 1 thing for X'mas..

All i want is.. for my maid (the old one) to call me and say that she is ready to come back to work for me in Febuary 07 and hopefully to work on for the next 4 years or at least 2 years with the same personality and attitude nevertheless.

I do not need any other fanciful presents.

Just that will do and i'll be the happiest person on earth.

Dearest Santa, please let my wish come true. I promise i'll be real good *pray* - been praying everyday actually. Still no news- :(

The husband

bought me this! *smile*

Olympus Stylus 740

Or rather, the husband surprised me with it ;)

Hb knows i've been wanting a slim digicam for the longest time. I have somehow stopped liking our current bulky digicam which was bought 5 years ago that costs us a whopping $1.7k then.. To me, lugging the bulky camera everywhere is really no fun so, yeah.. *grin* the complainssssssssssssss.. :P


Last week when we were at Orchard, we were given by the roadshow girls the Olympus digicam promo flyer. Then casually, hb asked which one i would prefer. After thinking for sometime, i said the one which costs $399 since i am not a pro photographer and i will use it to shoot mainly food, kids and outings, hence, no need for an extra expensive and high end one. Save $$$ ya!

We even went to the booth after our dinner to take a look but that was it.

2 days later, hb came home with my new camera BUT it was not the camera i pointed out earlier. It's Stylus 740 which costs $599.. I really never expected it.. but i did suspect hb would do so though. Hahahaa.

I was of course, touched to no end and couldn't stop smiling that night and the day after. Grin :P

Hmm.. i wonder if this is my X'mas pressie? But hb never says anything leh.. so perhaps, possibly, maybe, i might get another surprise for my X'mas pressie?? Lol! *greedy me*


An overview of the camera..


Incredibly thin. Powerful zoom. Irresistible. 7.1 Megapixels effective. The Stylus 740 is the thinnest 5x optical zoom camera in its class, and it boasts all the quality features you expect from a Stylus. With an amazing 28x total zoom, Digital Image Stabilization (DIS) and Bright Capture Technology, you'll capture near-perfect images every time.

More info?

http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1265

BEWARE..

of bogus/fake monk!

Sad to say, i'm one of the victims who kena conned by the fake monk, yesterday *roll eyes*

It was totally unexpected!

My kids and i were on the way to the carpark from our house, going for my gynae appointment when i saw this monk walking as though he was going somewhere, with a destination in mind. So when he stopped me and curtsy a little, i thought he was just gonna ask for direction and i stopped too but instead, he handed me a small charm in a paper form and said it was for 'ping an'. As it was totally unexpected, i actually took it and he walked away.

However, in less than 1 second, he turned and called to me, as though he has forgotten to ask me to write down my name for taking the charm. He was indeed pretty smart. He actually showed me the paper with the names on it but covered the amount donated part. I didn't feel comfortable writting my real name in Chinese words as others did in that piece of paper so, i wrote my English name instead.

But just as i was gonna finish writting, i uncovered the covered section and saw the amount donated and asked if he was asking for money. He then took out a photo of a temple saying they need money to build the temple bla bla bla, then only i realised that he is one of the bogus monks which i've read in the paper last week!

By then, it was too late. I wanted to cancel my name off but he refused to let me and actually turned pretty aggressive saying once i wrote my name on the paper, i cannot simply cancel it off. It's for my 'ping an' etc in a irritating manner.

I was getting pretty pissed at that point but because of my situtation, pregnant and with 2 young children around plus, it was a very quiet morning in the neighbourhood (i didn't see a single soul at that moment), i decided to just give him what he wants..

$2.

That too, i was too pissed to pass it to him myself. Instead, i asked my son to do it and walked away with him still talking.

It's not the matter of $2 that got me pissed off. It was the way they deal with the whole situation. So cunning and aggressive! Plus, they really ruin the good name of Buddhism. Real monks don't ask for money. Gggrrr...

If not because i was with the kids and pregnant, i would have just ignored him, shoved the so called charm back to him and ran away!

So, word of advice : When u see these monks, do walk towards another direction. They really do not appear as though they'll ask u for donation for they don't carry any donation box or bowl or anything at all. Do be wary of them!

The bogus monk. UGH!

If only the Straits Times article were to publish yesterday instead of today. The monk in the picture looked the same as monk who conned me! Ok ok.. not sure if it was the same person but they definitely dressed in the same clothings, same colour as well and bald :P

Abalone

Every year without fail, mil will give us 3 cans of abalone during Chinese New Year.

Like most of the peeps, i'm the kind who will keep and keep until year end comes not because of any particular reason but mostly because i 'bu she de' to eat them. Lol.

This year is no different than the years before. This month alone, we've eaten 2 cans! Haha.. as for the other can, hmm.. maybe i'll open it when my mom comes *wink*.

Just the other day, mil offered me another can but i declined politely. Really running out of ideas what to eat them with! Lol.. think both of us are trying to clear the old stock before new stock comes in :PpPP

I know nuts on how to cook abalone. Hb usually likes to eat it just like that, without cooking. He likes the original taste. So what i do is, cook porridge or mee sua to go with it and sometimes, even instant noodles! :P

Personally, i prefer the Horse Brand abalone, which we've been eating for the past few years. This year, fil bought New Moon brand instead. I find it a tad too tough for my liking. Told mil this and i was told to cook the whole can (unopened) in the boiling water for 3 hours to get the best out of it.

Hmm.. perhaps i'll try this with my next can aye?

New Moon brand abalone

Abalone to go with minced pork porridge. Splendid!

Minced pork porridge with dried scallops, dried abalone, dried oysters and garnished with fried shallots and tong chai. Too bad i didn't have chopped spring onion nor parsley..

Madness

I've gone mad recently. I think it's because i'm seeing too many advertisements and beautiful window displays on Christmas this and Christmas that until the shopaholic in me has been unleashed, after more than half a year of persevering. Lol.

So, what do i do when i see nice and cheap clothings online and sprees are being held?

JOIN of course :P

Even though i am huge beyond words and still have no idea if i could ever get back to shape after delivery. Kiasu right? But but, i cannot take it anymore *lol*.. and hoping by buying these clothings, i will somehow be more motivated to lose weight and exercise accordingly :)

Below are my recent buys from online stores. Can't wait to receive them in the mailbox!

Gojane olive dress but i got it in brown though

VS Henley racerback tee

VS bra top cami

Mandee pinstripped cropped pants

Mandee O-ring gaucho for sis in law

Smocked waist gaucho in brown

Mandee wide waist gaucho in black

Last but not least, lemming for this top! But the price is slightly on the high side, i'm still thinking about it.. hehe. And i do not know how the front looks like too. Furthermore, i've got a similiar piece which is also in white with a different design at the back.

Should i get it? *blink*blink* :P

VS crochet bra top

p.s: If u have no idea what dress to wear for this festive season, check out Her World Dec 06 issue, the Marina Square shopping little booklet. The dresses are simply droolicious. Aihh.. if only i'm not pregnant now. So many beautiful dresses and clothes now! Eeeshhh.. :P

p.p.s: If u have not changed to Blogger beta, please do not do so. It's really frustrating to use. Definitely unstable and problems keep occuring. I want back my old Blogger! Ugh.