More binge baking/Marble cheesecake for Kevin

There is just too many things going on at the same time: We are leaving our rented space in two weeks so I have to find us a hotel or condo to stay in while we finalize the transactions for the house that we are moving in to. Of course, this entails a thousand phone calls to brokers and the bank people and the movers and the storage company. This also means countless hours planning and boxing up stuff and labeling etc. To top it all, in a few weeks school will start so I need to prepare the children's uniforms, books, school supplies etc. Oh, H will be in one of his business trips soon and he surprised me with a short holiday so we can spend time together and relax before the big move so I have to prepare for that too.

My constant phone pal nowadays is my brother Kevin, who patiently listens to me repeat to him the litany that I recite to H everyday: How some moving companies/storage companies/hotels/condotels charge ridiculously exorbitant fees, how I excited I am about the move, how we should organize things, how the dry weather affects my mood/skin/hair/sanity and some other random things. In our last phone call, we ended with him requesting (actually it was more like a demand from the brat) that I bake something nice for him and can I send not a morsel but a decent serving please?

H and Chy were also craving for cheesecake so I decided to make a huge batch. I made strawberry cheesecake for H and Chooch using regular graham cracker crumb crust and topping it with the most gorgeous fresh strawberries in the market that morning. I brushed the strawberries with mixed berry glaze and voila! A picture-perfect fresh strawberry cheesecake, no one can suspect that the crumbs was slightly burnt cuz I was packing instead of keeping an eye on it as it baked, haha.

For Kevin, I made chocolate marble cheesecake, using chocolate graham cracker crust. I had enough batter to make 3 more miniature ones so I can have Chy taste-test it before I send it off to Kev. The result was a pretty cake with the usual marbling and a lovely creamy texture that contrasted with the grainy graham cracker crust. Divine!

Of course I had to fish from Kevin if he liked it (Thankfully, the ungrateful brat said he did). I don't know which one I like more- baking something for my baby brother or the love and patience he shows me whenever I need to repeatedly express my nonsensical view of life and this world. All I know is, talking to my brother makes me happy and I was able to make him happy somehow this one time.

Oh wait, I got to call Kev and bore him to death about the difference between regular packing tape, masking tape and cellophane tape and how crazy expensive adhesive are nowadays!

MrsA