Any mothers handling two kids out there? Aren't we brave? Especially if we are managing with little help from the family and trying to juggle a job, doing the housework, keeping the older one happy and the husband is at peace?
Is that all really possible? Well, truth be told, I actually have help with my mom being in the same city. I am ever so often able to sneak in a movie or dinner date with my husband... so why am I still complaining? Well, it's rare that I have cooked to please myself in the last few months, my husband is away most o the weeks so I have no-one to share or blame my infants wailing with! Most days I don't make it to a bath before 4pm and if so have to hurry out to the sound of a wailing infant or a toddler mad at me for giving the younger one a snack before my older one, also I always seem to have a niggling ache in my lower back or legs and seem tired all the time! Top this with the pressure to lose the baby weight, my daughter is 6 months already and at this point the first time around I had lost most of my weight.
So today at 1am I decided to give myself some much deserved "ME" time without thinking about my weight or about eating a meal of stewed apple with Indian bread (parantha) for my lunch. I watched Gossip Girls and a re-run of Grey's Anatomy. I ate myself silly all through the day and am now in the midst of baking a yummy chocolate cake all for myself - it has butter, real chocolate, eggs, flour and some ragi flour (didn't have buckwheat) so I am hoping it cannot go wrong...
My daughter will be awake in a couple of hours or her feed but I plan to be sneaky. Psst... tomorrow is a holiday and my mom isn't working...if the children are too noisy I plan to fall asleep and leave them with her and she has no idea about this unless she reads this blog! Have you ever tried that?
The chocolate cake is real easy and inspired by La Tartine Gourmande.
4 eggs + 1/2c sugar beaten till doubled in size
100gm butter + 100gm chocolate melted together - either simmering over a bowl or in the microwave
Beat together the above. Add some vanilla extract or essence or vanilla beans
add 1/2c ragi flour and 1/2c all purpose flour (original recipe calls or almond flour) and gently fold into liquid mixture.
Bake at 170C for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
I thought I went a couple of minutes overboard and the cake would have been more moist if I had taken it out on time!
But, it is really good because I am on my 3rd slice and 1:30am is no time to get a nice pic :D!
