Melted Butter Vs Room Temperature/Softened Butter - Banana Muffins

Muffins baked with softened butter (left) is only slightly puffier than muffins baked with melted butter (right)

Since I began my baking journey, I've always wanted to really find out what is the difference between using melted butter versus softened butter in baking recipes. I didn't want to take a hearsay as an answer. So, today is the day that I am finally set to ascertain this - using my reliable banana muffin recipe. Hope this may be helpful in your baking adventures. Enjoy!

Melted butter = microwaved butter for 20 seconds until it becomes liquid.
Softened butter = put butter at the kitchen counter, at room temperature (about 27०c) until it becomes soft.

👉 As in the above picture, softened butter yields muffins that are slightly more puffy or taller/rounder at the top.

👉 Muffins baked with melted butter taste sweeter and has more moisture.

👉 In contrast, muffins baked with softened butter taste less sweet and is drier.

👉 Melted butter muffins have that melt-in-your-mouth texture compared to softened butter muffins which have more bite, like al dente.

👉 Lastly, melted butter muffins is softer and more pillowy compared to softened butter muffins which is more spongy, like a firm mattress.

A quick look at the recipe: 
Banana Muffins
150g mashed banana
80g self-raising flour
1 egg
20g sugar (more if you like)
50g butter (melted OR softened)
3 Tbsp milk

Directions: Mix everything together, do not overmix. Pour into muffin cups and bake at 170०c for 25 minutes. Cool and enjoy.

The End...

Differences Between My First And Second Pregnancy

Dear all, I did this post purely for comparison between my first and second pregnancy. This is also like a short summary of my two pregnancies, which are actually 6 years apart (in 2010 and 2016). My second pregnancy experience is slightly smoother than the first one. But other mothers may have it the other way. Indeed, all pregnancies are unique.

Side note: Compared to my first pregnancy, my second pregnancy was tougher in the initial months but giving birth was easier.

First Pregnancy

Prelude

My hubby and I tried to conceive for 6 months to no avail. 😐 I was in my 20s (28 years old) and both hubby and I were working full-time. Finally, after 6 months of disappointment, we've got a bun in the oven! Felt so thankful for that.

I began my maternity leave during week 37 and gave birth that very week, just hours after we've set up the baby cot. Talk about timely arrival! 😃 Because I worked full time, I have literally no time to indulge in feeling, counting, or monitoring baby kicks or Braxton hicks contraction. Neither was there time to relax or 'enjoy' my pregnancy. Everything was in a rush. It's work, work and work. I almost always helplessly fell asleep at the gynae's clinic. And even during my confinement period after giving birth, I was constantly checking emails, taking phone calls, replying sms, and even made a few trips back to the workplace to clear up some work clog.

Before pregnancy, I was 50kg, and then gained about 18kg during pregnancy, with the weighing scale tipping slightly more than 68kg - the heaviest in my entire life. Then I lost 10kg immediately after giving birth, reducing to about 58kg. I had water retention while I was 6 to 7 months pregnant which continued months after delivery. I guess, that adds on significantly to my total weight gain.

Pregnancy Symptoms

My first pregnancy was an uncomfortable experience. I had horrible constipation and haemorrhoids (piles) and was on laxatives every week. Once I didn't go for 21 days and felt like my tummy's about to explode with all the food eaten over 3 weeks! I felt like vomiting all the time but nothing comes out. I had frequent bleeding gums, carpal tunnel syndrome (painful, weak wrist), spider veins forming on my thighs, gestational diabetes and fainted twice while I was outdoors.

I also had terrible heartburn which literally feels like fire burning my heart and something strangling at my neck and I can't breathe properly every minute starting from the 4th month of pregnancy, and I needed to sleep on 3 pillows (slept almost sitting up!) to feel and breathe better and my feet swelled up from the 7th month onwards. I did not watch my diet and eat anything available but I exercised a lot (walked and hiked at the park every other day or two). One of the only few good things about the first pregnancy was having a crown of shiny thick hair, and another was having glowy skin.

D-day
Waters broke on its own on week 37 one night after dinner. Rushed to the hospital at almost 12 midnight. Contractions began soon and became more intense and more frequent as hours passed by - till dawn finally breaks. Took epidural 2 hours before birth, upon constant, almost vehement, persuasion. Pain subsided and we waited uneventfully, falling in and out of sleep while nurses walks in and out of the room checking on my dilation frequently. Then, I was finally told to push although I can't feel my lower body. I just 'pushed' really hard. After sometime, baby is out, on week 37+1 day. Had the episiotomy stitched back. Total 14 hours labour, from midnight to afternoon. My boy weighs 2.52kg, is 52cm in height and has 32cm head circumference.

Postpartum Issues
The uterine contractions (that is supposed to shrink the uterus back to its original size before pregnancy) were really painful when the epidural effects wore off - especially while I was breastfeeding. I took a lot of painkillers. I had heavy bleeding(lochia) for more than a week before it tapers off and stops completely in week 3 to 4. Right after birth, I had shivers and I vomited - the after effects of epidural that no one told me about. And I felt weak and tired like I'm being hit by a truck. I was heaty and sweaty all the time. For breastfeeding, baby had no problems latching on and it wasn't painful, even when he teethed at 2 months old. Milk supply came in abundantly after day 3. Weirdly, I cannot pump and store milk. It just won't let down with a pump - milk comes on only when baby is latched on, but not when I use the pump. Baby had high level of jaundice and needed phototherapy for 2-3 days.

I also had a prolapsed bladder after giving birth. My bladder hanged out of my below and I diligently did Kegel exercise for weeks before it went back up. Finally, I had back pain right at the spot where epidural was administered - for one entire year. So, that was 2-3 hours of pain relief (epidural) during childbirth in exchange for one year of back pain and weakness. Definitely not a good deal. The thing is, I was vehemently 'persuaded' into taking epidural by the doctor and  nurse while it was already nearing the end of the labour and I was in confusion and great pain. Doctor said it was because of incoordinate uterine contractions.

Mother-in-law came to help during my confinement period. She cooked meals for everyone and I hired massage lady for a 5 day postnatal massage.

PS: Later, I came to know, I was told to take epidural because of incoordinate uterine contractions which may prolong childbirth and thus cause maternal and fetal distress and whole lot of other dangers. Taking epidural is one of the ways to regulate uterine contractions. 

Second Pregnancy
Prelude

For my second pregnancy, I was in my 30s (34 years old), and we conceived after trying for a month. Lucky! This time round, I was a stay home mom with a 6 year old (my firstborn) to attend to. Although I did not exercise but I was actively doing all the housework and running family and personal errands up till the day I give birth. I also watched my diet and ate healthily. But I skipped taking pregnancy vitamins and supplements as they cause very bad constipation.

I was about 53kg before my second pregnancy and gained about 10kg during pregnancy, with the scale tipping slightly over 63kg. But I only lost 5kg immediately after giving birth, reducing to about 58kg. While I was breastfeeding, I ate alot and had water retention and gained 1-2kg of weight. After 5 months, I was back to 53kg. I would say I lost all the weight due to taking care of baby, doing housework and running errands.

Pregnancy Symptoms

Nausea kicks in very early from week 5 up to week 25, and heartburn begins after nausea ends. I was constantly peeing (every 15mins to 2 hour), had insomnia and had bodily heat and chills - my body heats up and sweats at one moment and then shivers in cold (till I get goosebumps) the next moment. It was unbearable. Plus, I was coughing for the first 3 to 4 months of my pregnancy due to atopy (allergic). That was quite unbearable too. 

I also had facial acne, hair loss, had all sorts of dreams (good, bad, weird, or meaningless ones), and had water retention only after sitting at the desk for hours. I had 3 episodes of diarrhea instead of constipation. (Hurray! I'm not complaining. At least things move!). And I skipped all supplements and vitamins as I was eating very healthily and for the fear of triggering constipation. I also ate lots of pineapple and guava in the 2nd and 3rd trimester. 

D-day

I was 2cm dilated at week 37. Then I was 2.5cm dilated at week 38 appointment at 9.30am at the hospital and requested to give birth that very day. Doctor gave the green light! Had Pitocin administered into my body to induce labour and also antibiotics because I had group B strep (GBS). This time I insist on not getting the epidural, but as the contraction pain became so intense I caved in and took the laughing gas (nitrous oxide) which reduced the pain by about 30 percent, in my opinion. Which is godsent.

Total of 8 hours labour, from morning to evening, normal virginal delivery with no epidural. Used laughing gas. After hours of contraction, I felt baby coming out. It was like a hard rock and the whole experience really felt like I was pooping the biggest poop in the world (sorry, but true! I don't even really have to push it out, it was involuntary). After some intense pain, which I thought I was going to die or pass out from, the baby is out. After a few moments, I felt the placenta coming out. Baby is 2.64 kg, 51cm height, 33cm head circumference.  Perineal tear is stitched up.

Postpartum Issues

Baby is constantly spitting out milk and having dark and sticky greenish poo for first few days. Doctor says it’s normal. I had hemorrhoids (piles), lumps in armpit (extension of breast lumps), painful and engorged breast with sore, bruised nipples, and more spider veins forming around both my thighs. Milk supply came in on day 4. Total of 2-3 days of heavy lochia bleeding before it slows to a stop in week 4 after giving birth. So much thick menstrual pads unused. Stitched area below is swollen, sore and numb. On the third week, had carpal tunnel syndrome (painful and weak right wrist and hand). Had bodily fluid retention and was bloated. Even put on weight during confinement as I was eating a lot due to hunger after breastfeeding.

Feel normal just after giving birth. Don’t feel weak, tired and sweaty at all. No obvious uterine contractions at all. Didn’t take painkillers at all.  Baby latching no good. Baby's mouth too small or doesn’t open wide enough for a good latch. But I persisted, rejecting all encouragement to formula feed. Thankfully, I can pump and store milk this time round. Meaning, if I am super tired and needed a rest, I can just pump milk so that someone else can feed him later while I rest. 40-100ml each time for both breasts. Not a lot, but still enough.

Hubby is the confinement daddy this time. He also helped with cleaning and cooking for me. I only drink red date tea and bathed with herbal confinement bath on the second day, the day I was discharged from hospital. Ordered confinement tingkat and had Jamu massage this time round again which helped a lot in milk production but only wrap tummy tightly for 3 days, 8 hours each before I gave up because I was so sweaty and it was really uncomfortable. It worsens my bladder prolapse (collapse) and I couldn’t really breathe freely. I was told that in order to have a flat tummy, I must wrap for a month! I decided to let go though. Due to the kegel exercises I did diligently, bladder went back up. But I have to deal with incontinence for about 5 months. I wet myself easily. Now I am ok, thankfully.  

The End

The Best Thing That You Can Do To Yourself

1. Learn how to reject others without feeling guilty at all. Say NO gracefully.

2. Do not hold on to grudges. They'll only give you more stress, physically and mentally. Set it aside and wait quietly for things to change instead. Nothing lasts forever.

3. Find a focal point of your life. The centre of interest of your life where everything stems from here. Something that makes you really happy. My main focal point is my family after I became a housewife. I do all sorts of things to make my family happy. It makes me happy in return.

4. Find a healthy hobby (or a few) that you can engage in and focus on during your free time. It makes you forget about all your worries and physical pain. Embroidery, photography, painting, jogging, swimming, cooking, baking, blogging, model making, scrapbooking, dancing - whichever makes you feel good.


5. Care less about those bad people who don't matter.


6. Come up with strategies to protect yourself from harm.


7. Let go of toxic friends.


8. Forgive your enemies. Perhaps they're feeling sorry and guilty about what they did to you. Perhaps they didn't really mean to do the bad things to you, or they are just ignorant at that time. Forgiving them may be the best thing you can do to yourself.


9. Last, but not least...
Laugh out heartedly. 
Love bravely. 
Smile lovingly. 
Hug warmly. 
Kiss blissfully.
Send someone a sweet message.
Say something to someone nicely.
Do everything peacefully.

Is Cooker Hood Really Necessary? Which Hood Is The Best?

During my renovation, I thought hard about whether I should really install a cooker hood. After all, I've been cooking without a hood in my old house for the past 10 years. Anyway, I finally went ahead to install one and here's my verdict.


Question: 
Is it necessary to install a cooker hood? Does it really remove smell and grease and keep your home smelling clean and fresh?

Answer:
Yes, it is necessary to install a cooker hood as it really does remove most smoke, smell and oily grease. In my opinion, between 70% to 80% of smoke and grease is removed, which keeps my house stay smelling fresh and clean. Most of the time, there's no need to mop the floor after I cook. I don't do deep fry though. Just some light frying. But the downside is that for maximum efficiency, I need to close all doors so that the kitchen is completely enclosed and it can be quite suffocating with the smoke, steam (sauna!) and the noise emitted by the cooker hood (which can be rather deafening).

Question: 
Which cooker hood is the best?

Answer:
It depends on the type of house and the users' preferences. 

1. Extraction Type (Ducted/Recirculated): Can the grease and smoke be extracted outside of your home through ducting shafts, or be filtered and recirculated back into the kitchen? Some cooker hoods are convertible between ducted and recirculating mode. Usually, if you live in high rise apartments, you can only install the recirculated extraction hood. For stand-alone houses, you can choose both ducted and recirculated hoods.

2. Extraction Rate (m³/h): Simply multiply the volume of your kitchen (LxWxH) in metres by 10 and you'll get the extraction rate (aka air flow, air exchange rate) needed for your kitchen. Usually the rating ranges from 200 to more than 1000 m³/h. But for me, I'll just go for those higher than 700 m³/h at least. More than 1000m³/h if I ever have an open-concept kitchen.

3. Size and Installation: Usually the length of cooker hood comes in 60 or 90cm. It should cover the length of your cooking stove/hob. If the length of your hood and hob differs, centralise the hood above the hob. Also, the minimum height distance between the hood and hob is usually 65cm for gas hob and 55cm for induction hob.

4. Types of Hood: They can be mounted on the ceiling (island style), on the wall (chimney, canopy, conventional, etc.), under the top cabinets (slimline, telescopic/retractable, etc.) or even concealed below your kitchen countertop when not in use (downdraft, countertop extractors). The choice depends on your needs and wants. Consider the extraction type and rate, size of hood and installation type (ceiling/wall/under-cabinet), your kitchen design and theme, your budget, space constraints (need more storage space?), maintenances needed (frequency of cleaning and changing filters), types of material (glass/stainless steel), etc.

5. Lighting: Finally, most cooker hoods come with lightings (usually LED or halogen bulbs) so that you can have a clearer cooking view. LED lightings are more energy efficient, last longer and emit less heat than halogen bulbs, making cooking a more pleasant (cooler) experience. Also, LED bulbs emit a cooler, whiter light as compared to halogen bulbs which emit yellowish light which I don't like. Whiter lighting makes me see much better.

Conclusion: 
If I can freely choose a cooker hood again without any space and budget constraints, I'll install a slimline hood (simple design looks neater) with the highest extraction rate (more than 1000 m³/h), the quietest (less than 50 db), the one with LED (white) lightings and finally, with no transparent glass material (glass is fragile and difficult to keep clean, coloured glass is okay). 

By the way, this is the online specification screenshot of the model I installed.

My New Home In 2018

Ladies and gentlemen, let me present to you my long awaited... New home! 

After an almost 5 year wait since 2013, I've finally moved in to my dream home. This is my ultimate utopia. My happiest place in the world. 😊

After so many obstacles, we've finally received the keys to our home. We chose the bank instead of HDB for our home loan. There was so much administrative work that we have to deal with. We were literally running all over, attending appointments, dispatching documents, making phone calls and sending emails. Then, came the renovations with its inevitable hiccups. And finally we've made it to moving into this wonderful home.

The unblocked view is amazing. And if you squint your eyes hard enough, there's a tiny strip of sea view in the farthest distance. Without further ado, let me show you around my little 4 room flat (93 m² or 1001 ft², including the aircon ledge). But firstly, the floor plan... 

This is the recommended layout. Mine's slightly different. The TV and sofa is facing the opposite way and the entrance of the kitchen is shifted to the left instead of being at the right which is directly facing the 3rd bedroom. No good. And the 3rd bedroom is actually converted to a study room for the 4 of us.  

After meeting up with our interior designer several times that comprises of hours and hours of discussions and decision making, to getting approval for the renovations which was delayed due to unknown reasons, the renovations finally began. 

                         

First day of renovation: Aircon installations, electrical wiring and hacking of kitchen wall - all in one day! No wonder our renovation took only about a month to complete. 😅

BEFORE...

The totally bare-faced home with my son. We opted out of the flooring, toilet accessories, and all of the doors.

AFTER... Because of our limited budget, our home was kept as simple and as practical as possible. More pictures...

Our living room with Van Gogh's beautiful painting. Wall fan is chosen for the entire home as I dislike how ceiling fan creates the flickering effect.

The dining area, with Van Gogh's painting again. Homogeneous tiles were used for the entire house instead of laminates that were used in the old house as they are much more durable and requires much less maintenance.  

The kitchen. I finally own an oven. The very first oven of my life. Heh heh...

Master bedroom

Boys bedroom

Study Room that can accommodate 4 of us

Master Bathroom

Storage heater tank was installed to counter the problem of low water pressure that the higher floor houses face. Moreover, the water gets really hot in the afternoon which is unsuitable for babies and kids to shower. So the cool water in the storage tank solves this problem as well.

Common bathroom

Non-slip black tiles overlay the existing grey tiles in the shower to fix the water pooling problems as well as making the shower area child-friendly. My older boy used to slip and fall in the bathroom at the old house but not anymore now.


Simple stainless steel shelves were used for easy cleaning. (The glass shelves at the old home were a headache to clean.) Plastic/acrylic shower screen was chosen instead of glass ones for the very same reasons, as well as for safety reasons because of my 2 rambunctious boys. My ID said he haven't done plastic shower screen for all his projects for the past 5 years! Haha. 

Lastly, the service yard.

Before I end, here's some beautiful sceneries I manage to capture...

The very first breaking dawn at our new home... I'll never forget how thankful, relieved and contented I am at that moment.

Sunset view from my yard. This earth is so beautiful and amazing.

But of course, to me, nothing is as beautiful as the family I love...

I hope my boys can grow up happily and healthily in our new cosy home. Love them always... 

After 36 years, I have finally created the home that I love. And I shall enjoy all this gratefully as long as it lasts.

My Diaper Bag Essentials Checklist

Dear all, let me share with you what's in my diaper bag as a second time mom. The following essential items are usually enough for baby (From 0 to 9 months) and me to be outdoors for up to 9 hours. Hope this helps 😉

1. Diaper Bag - mine was given free by the hospital. It has lots of pockets and it comes with a changing mat. Love this bag (in picture above).

2. Diapers and essentials - at least 3-5 diapers with disposable gloves (for my sensitive skin), wet wipes and dry tissue, nappy cream and hand sanitizer. PS: put all this together in a small bag so that you don't have to scrabble around looking for items during a diaper change.

3. Extra set of clothing - for any mess e.g. sweat, messed up meals, saliva, puke, pee, or poo.

4. Nappy cloth and hand cloth - to wipe up any mess. Sometimes, I also use nappy cloth as a scarf for my baby for chilly days or in very cold aircon areas like on buses or shopping centres.

5. Plastic bag - to place and discard used diapers or keep soiled clothings.

6. Weather essentials - umbrella, portable electrical fan, sunglasses and wide brim foldable hat: to cater for the unexpectable weather in Singapore (Rain>shine>rain>shine...)

7. Jacket - For the baby to wear if we'll be in a very cold area for extended periods of time, e.g. cinema, near ice-skating arena, or in arctic-cold supermarket.

8. Baby 'soothers' - Anything that soothes, calms, relieves, comforts, eases, pacifies or entertains the baby. The favourite toy car or handkerchief, the pacifier, teething toy, the blankie, that little crocodile soft toy or even a snack - anything that makes the baby happy. My baby likes to bite handkerchief and must nap with a pacifier so I bring these 2 things all the time. Sometimes you need to rotate the items in case baby gets bored. Bring anything (not too big) that works for your baby. A crying baby = a crazy mommy!

9. Handy tissue paper - for all occasions or mess. Due to hygiene reasons, I don't mix this with tissue used for diaper changes.

10. Mommy snack - usually an apple or a handy small bite in case I get hungry in between meals. 

11. Milk - When I stopped breastfeeding or was in transition, I bring 2 milk bottles which contain milk powder for one feeding each, a water bottle with plain water, a 1 litre flask that contains hot water, and a bib. I put them all in a separate 'milk bag'. PS: I give baby a full feed just before heading out and immediately upon return.

12. Mommy's personal things - My water bottle, wallet, handphone, lip balm, etc.

There Is Nowhere Else In The World Like Home

A dialog from Singapore's Channel 8 show: Tiger Mum show. Episode 19.

I find this very true and heartwarming. Just want to share with you...

"The world that we're living in is terrible as it is
Disasters, be it natural or man-made, nuclear leak,
Missile attacks, smog hazards, politicking at the workplace

Only one place offers a safe haven 
Home (is where it is)

Your family won't hurt you, or backstab you
On the contrary, your family will go through thick and thin with you

Home is where you find warmth 
Where you find hope

Home is where you nurse your wounds
It's where you catch your breath 
Pull yourself together and
Equip yourself to charge again...

When you return home battle-scarred"




There is indeed nowhere else in this world like HOME.
And I am now trying to create one such home. Wish me luck.

Lizard Tails: Why do they still wriggle after being cut off?

I am always fascinated about lizard's tail still wriggling even after it's severed from their body. In fact, I have an irrational fear of it wriggling into my ear and making me deaf - thanks to my mom who used to warn me about this when I was just a kid.

Fast forward, decades later, I've finally set down to find out the answer to this burning question.

According to Wikipedia, lizards actually lose their tail on purpose (!), not by accident, in a phenomenon called autotomy, simply known as self-severing or self-amputation.

When they feel threatened, they'll discard their own tail which continues to wriggle, in order to distract their predator while they make a quick escape. The tail is said to grow back later.

There are many other animals that have such self-defence mechanism to protect themselves.

Cool right? 😁

Why Can't I feel Satisfied With My Life?

In search of life's satisfaction:
Every moment can be the perfect moment, if you let it.

There was once in my life I had everything I wished for. Some rather common things like a family, a degree, a job, a home, and a nice pair of shoes. It's like I suddenly realised all my dreams came true. More or less.

But the irony is, why do I feel more alive and purposeful before my dreams came true? Shouldn't I feel happier, contented, and relaxed after fulfilling my dreams?

Of course, there was the initial joy and pleasure of having what I wished for. After all, I tried so hard and put in so much effort. I earned it. But those positive emotions didn't last as long as I expected. So, what went wrong? What's wrong with me?

It is like you can have everything you'd wanted but you are still unsatisfied. Is it because a person's greed/wants can be unlimited, if you let it? Like the saying, all the things in the world cannot please a greedy person.

After much pondering, these are the two conclusions I came about for my situation.

1. Perhaps I am not grateful enough for all the things I have, and taking things and people for granted. So, I must increase my 'gratefulness level'. I don't want to regret if I ever lose them one day.

2. When there was something to achieve, I felt alive and purposeful. What I did was meaningful and needed. But when I've achieved my goals, there was nothing else to do, and nowhere to go to, which makes my days meaningless. So, in order to keep myself feeling alive, I have to find something meaningful to do.

But this time, I have to find something that is more sustainable (i.e. not accumulating expensive things), something that lasts - like helping people (This won't end. There are countless people who need help). Or, I can simply do well in my job and provide my service professionally to the people around me (This won't end too, unless you quit, got retrenched, etc). In short...

Just do something positive to the people around you as much as you can afford; mentally, physically and financially. And always be grateful and treasure what you have (for both people and things). Do not take them for granted.

Rules Of Being Happy

My morning breakfast. Simple happiness.

Here are my simple rules for being happy.

Read this post whenever you're down for an instant mood lift!

Enjoy whatever that you are doing

Enjoy every step when you are walking

Enjoy every sip of hot or cold drink

Enjoy doing your job because it is the best job in the world (housewife included).

Enjoy your home

Enjoy your food

Enjoy your family

Forget all about your pain, worries, and grudges

Just really enjoy everything, anything...

Do not hold back your JOYs. Just En-JOY!