Strawberry Cupcakes

When I bake for kids, I generally like to use ingredients that are healthy for them (e.g. Cheese, strawberries, blueberries, etc). So when I saw the recipe for strawberry cupcake in the new book I bought, I got excited. It got lined up in the baking queue. Moreover, strawberries are Dallen's favourites! 

The sis is involved in a twice-weekly playgroup date with some friends and I thought that's a good way for me to share and bless; I can bake for them! Strawberries are good for the eyes, amongst other benefits. So I decided to give the new recipe (from the book Cupcakes by Peggy Porschen) a go; changing it slightly to suit my style.

Ingredients (makes 24 cupcakes):

- 225g unsalted butter, softened 

- 225g caster sugar (I used only 120g)

- a pinch of salt (I omitted)

- seeds of 1 vanilla pod or 1 tbsp vanilla extract

- 4 medium eggs

- 240g self-raising flour 

- 300g fresh strawberries, finely diced

Method:

- Preheat oven to 175 degrees celsius and line two 12-hole muffin trays with cupcake cases

- Cream butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy 

- Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition

- Add in vanilla extract and mix well

- Sift in the flour and fold until just combined

- Place a teaspoonful of the mix into the bottom of each case, then fold in the strawberries into the rest of the batter.

- Fill the cases until two-thirds full and bake for 20-22 minutes

- The tops should be slightly browned and spring back to the touch (I still prefer the age-old toothpick test)

- Once cooked, let rest for a few minutes outside of the oven

- Remove from the trays and leave to cool completely on a wire rack

When I was mixing the batter, I was really in doubt if the cupcakes will turn out well; it was kind of dry. But the diced strawberries lent the correct amount of moistness to the cupcakes and drew a nice balance. I've baked with strawberries before and they turned out too wet. This recipe is indeed better. Go ahead and give it a try! 

Cousins Fun

The bro and family have been back for barely a weekend and we already had much fun!

First stop, it's off to Sentosa we go. The Port of Lost Wonder provided much respite for the heat that has enveloped us and anyway, the whole idea of going to Sentosa is already fun! And what's a trip to Sentosa without a beer or 2 at Coastes for the Ngs! 

We gathered again the next day for dinner at the parents' and the boys went wild! They were making sooo much noise! Faith is, yet again, the gentle and quiet one. Make some noise and have some fun, little one! 

I love it when the bro is back. The children get to enjoy themselves and it's a good opportunity for Lester to get familiarised with his paternal relatives. 

To more fun in the upcoming month! 

Childcare or Selfcare

Was going through my usual morning routine of scrolling through feeds on my Facebook page when I came across a friend's status update: "Coming to work with a heavy heart knowing we've dropped Callum off at a childcare with poor standards of care. But we don't really have a choice as supply doesn't meet demand." 

My friend must have been feeling really down in the dumps! Callum is her firstborn and as mothers of 2 or more children will testify, the firstborn always gets the best. You worry more; you pay more attention and you really do put in 101% as compared to any younger siblings who came along. So I really can feel her anxiety. And she doesn't have the support of family as she migrated to Australia. 

A few feeds further, a mother posted on a parenting forum that she's very affected by her daughter's obvious rejection of her and her husband, choosing to cling to her parents who are her daughter's primary caregivers. She's also worried about the difference in the ways her daughter is being raised. She wants her daughter to be raised her way, instead of her parents' way, which I assume would be doting and over-indulging. But she works to supplement the household income. So she's really at a loss. 

These are just 2 of the many cases I've come across that makes me very glad that I'm a SAHM. Although it's tough being a SAHM, especially of late when the boys are testing the limits and still getting used to their father's absence as he returns to full-time work, I'm still thankful that the hubs and I have the ONLY and FINAL say in how the boys are raised. I've witnessed how my mother, an extremely strict one I tell you, indulged my sons when they misbehave. Behaviours which earned my siblings and I canings, smacks across the face or reprimands suddenly got described as adorable and childlike when they came from my boys. I can only imagine the damage my parents will cause the boys (albeit out of love) if I were to work and leave them with their grandparents! The hubs and I are admittedly not very strict parents; but there are still boundaries that the boys are not allowed to cross. In our absences, these boundaries will undoubtedly be compromised, if not non-existent.

I've always championed for SAHMs. I know it's difficult to survive on a single income in a country like Singapore. In the half year that we've been back from Indonesia, I feel every dime and dollar. The hubs doesn't earn much and we're really struggling financially. I count every dollar I spend and even the boys have gotten used to not eating in restaurants (a far cry from our somewhat upper-class lifestyle in Indonesia) and staying in over the weekends. Bringing them to Sentosa is probably the furthest I'll go where indulgence is concerned. Even the toys buying has taken a huge cut back. Having said that, me going out to work (which will make our lifestyle MUCH more comfortable) is not an option. I see the evil that money can buy (a little "hardship" is definitely good for the boys) and how little time we'll be spending with the boys. Much as we could do with more money, I'm not willing to sacrifice my boys for that. Sure, the boys (especially Dallen since he's older and is used to a privileged lifestyle) will not feel good when classmates boasts of overseas trips or facilities in their condominiums. But learning humility will go a long way with them. When I see children excelling in extra-curriculum activities (e.g. Ballet, drawing), I feel guilty for not giving the boys that extra advantage. But, perhaps, play will benefit them more at this age (self-consolation!). 

We're not the best there is, but we're certainly not the worst out there. I've said it before and I'm saying it again: Parenting is really such an art. It encompasses so many facets that it's quite mind-boggling if one wants to excel in all of them. Perhaps, heeding the advice of the boys' principal will be a good idea: Don't be a super parent. Just focus on the child's discipline and moral standards. 

Can you?

Cream Cheese and Blueberry Pound Cake

One thing about me as a homemaker is that I'm always on the lookout for promotions in the supermarket. So when I saw 2 punnets of blueberries going for the price of one and cheese cream selling cheap (both are things the boys eat quite regularly), I snapped them up, only to have them stored in the fridge because the boys suddenly decided they don't like blueberries anymore and we already have more cheese than we can finish. 

The blueberries were really getting too ripe and I didn't want to throw them away. So I was looking for recipes to bake with them (I didn't want to bake boring blueberries muffins) and came across one (http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/cream-cheese-wild-blueberry-poundcake.aspx) which combines blueberries and cream cheese. Perfect! 

So I gave it a go and really loved the aroma coming from the oven. The best part really wasn't the cream cheese or the blueberries. Rather, it was the lemon zest which added character and spunk to the cake. 

I'm just wondering if I should change the flour and use cake or self-raising flour instead. I thought the cake was a little on the heavy side and would have been better if it was fluffier. 

Nonetheless, it's a tasty one packed with all the goodness that blueberries and cheese offer. Give it a try!