Suzette's Parenting and Breastfeeding Blog

Few weeks ago, when I was cleaning my fridge, I realized there are so many ingredients that were going to expire soon, which I bought some time ago, planning to bake a Chocolate Banana Cake for DH’s birthday.

I didn’t manage to bake it because of the new demanding job (ya, so demanding that I worked till 10pm on last Friday in the office, and it seems to be like an upcoming trend!).

So I have decided just to bake the cake even without any events.

It turned out to be very nice. Even nicer than the Chocolate Indulgence cake earlier, and I think it is because of the good quality chocolate that i used. This chocolate costs double the previous one, as a topping it tastes really yummy. It is also the same chocolate that I used for my ‘Famous Amos Cookies’. The only issue I had was how to slice the cake evenly. You can see that the top layer was so thick and the bottom 2 are so thin!! I always have issue in this. :p

My kids loved it so much and ever since then they kept begging to bake it again. LOL!

For more info on how to bake this cake, you can check out my cooking blog here for Chocolate Banana Cake Recipe.

I got this so called ‘Famous Amos’ cookies recipe in a chain mail some time ago. Never bothered to try until Piggy’s SIL tried and confirmed workable.

Last weekend I finally baked my first batch of it. Here is the outcome:

During baking, the aroma was so rich and filled the whole house, just like how the Famous Amos filled the malls. Isabel kept popping out from her room, sniffing around, trying to get some to eat!

I divided them into a few shares, thinking 2 tins for ourselves (1 reserved for CNY, 1 for immediate consumption), 1 tin for MIL family, 1 tin for Piggy and 1 tin for Aiyu. My mom can’t eat anything with sugar, so she said she will skip this.

But then… it is so delicious that, I couldn’t resist myself – nearly every night I would open it, pop at least 2 or 3 pieces into my mouth. Ian and Isabel as well as DH were eating a lot as well. It finished within a week, with a LOT of control.

Yesterday morning, Aiyu told me that it is very nice and asked for the recipe.

If you want the recipe, I have posted it in my recipe blog here – Famous Amos Cookies.

The key is in the chocolate that you use, I think. I have used the more expensive chocolate. Now I understand why Famous Amos is so expensive!! The amount of chocolate that goes into the cookie is so so so much, that it can be called “Sinfully” delicious cookies!

There is a recall for Honda Jazz/Fit manufactured in between 2002 and 2008.

It was reported that in some extreme condition, liquid/rain-water can seep into the car from the driver’s windows, causing malfunction at the switch to the power window. This can cause overheating, hence fire.

It was reported that there were a few cases of fire sparks, and in US one child was killed in the car fire. For more info, follow these 2 links (sorry in Chinese):
http://hk.news.yahoo.com/article/100129/4/gd96.html
http://paper.wenweipo.com/2010/01/30/GJ1001300015.htm

The recall involves many countries including: China, Japan, Brazil, Thailand, Malaysia and India. For your safety, if you own a Fit/Jazz, you better contact local Honda dealers.

I am glad that I have sold it, following the issues with failed gear box. I hope Honda learn something about this. They should have made recall on the gear box too, unfortunately that probably is less obvious as their fault, and received less publicity, they have just buried the issue.

I have been coughing for 3 weeks already. Couldn’t sleep at night.

So so so tired.

Lots of work to do. Last week my boss was away, and just got back today. Lots of things on me. I just couldn’t catch up, couldn’t breath! And I didn’t deliver all the stuff that I supposed to. Panic.

Sigh! With children, life in agency is really demanding. Come back, brought work home, but the kids all wanted mommy’s attention, how? Settle them first, then attend to my work. So So So tired…

Hate it, night time telecons are coming back. Talking to the same people in my previous job. Now, they are my client. Last time I was their colleague. Geez. Can’t get away from telecon.

Okay, enough complaints. Head to my dreamland now. ZZZZZZzzzzzzzz…….

Yesterday I made this steamed blueberry cheesecake. Very easy to bake… oh, not bake, it was STEAMED.

Yes, so if you don’t have an oven at home, or think baked stuff is ‘heaty’, you can try this version.

It is very easy to make. Too easy that I doubted that it could be successful, but it did. The only complaint I have is the overpowering egg scent/taste. It uses 6 eggs, which is 50% more than what I normally would, for a cheesecake same size. So, if you want to make the same, do reduce to 4 eggs and I think it would be even better.

Isabel loved it. Ian hasn’t tried it as I am writing this post. LOL!