Day 2, post-surgery.
MAD. STARVING.
And I woke this morning horrified to see a chipmunk greeting me in the mirror. Well, okay that was an exaggeration but my cheeks (esp. the left) were visibly puffy and swollen. Painful to the touch too. Thanks to all the lovely concern and well-wishes sent over FB, twitter, text messages, emails, calls. I am sincerely touched. :*) But that ain’t gonna stop me from bitching about how HUNGRY I constantly am!!! ;p I’ve been eating congee for the last three and a half meals, and in between rinsing with warm salt water, I think my tastebuds have completely gone bust. I can’t quite open my mouth very wide so I also have been relying on using a teaspoon to put food into my mouth. :( And in the middle of the night last night, I suddenly craved deep-fried food. Deep-fried food = goodness in my book. Boy, this is torture indeed.
Hello, teaspoon. You’re my best friend this week.
I went out to the supermarket today to check out what’s available in the “soft diet” department. Ended up picking up the usual suspects: instant soup, sweet potatoes (to make mash), fish. Saw a beautiful Japanese pumpkin (kabocha) and picked one up; I’m gonna make something for breakfast… serve it with poached egg + shredded ham and cheese (stay tuned!). Also got two tubs of ice-cream from The Daily Scoop – Chendol flavour and Coconut flavour, both my faves. :9 Check out my full loot in the picture below.
Assortment of instant soups, fish, roots to be mashed. I have taken care of the dessert department too. Ice cream, caramel pudding and Grass Jelly (涼粉). There’s something majorly missing from this collection, uhm… let’s just say I’ll be constipated all week from the lack of greens + fiber. :[
The imitator.
The original.
I really had to take a break from congee temporarily, so I whipped up a quick meal for myself consisting of Salmon Teriyaki and Sweet Potato Casserole. Definitely not an optimal pairing, but hey… can’t be choosy at this point. Besides, I was so happy when the flavours hit my tastebuds that I almost slather the mashed sweet potato all over my chubby cheeks. :P j/k. The Sweet Potato Casserole kinda tasted like the one served at Boston Market (which I luuurrrv and always order), but without the mini marshmallows on top. Them sticky sweet things aren’t really a good idea right now with my teeth situation and all, ya know? Whoooohooo~ digging into mashed sweet potatoes feels like Thanksgiving has arrived early for me. Sorta. :D
Here’s the recipe for the Sweet Potato Casserole (adapted from AllRecipes.com). The addition of an egg is very unusual but it made the casserole really creamy. Try it!
Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
* 4 cups sweet potato, cubed
* 1/4 cup white sugar
* 1 egg, beaten
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 4 tablespoons butter, softened
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Put sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan with water to cover. Cook over medium high heat until tender; drain and mash.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs, salt, butter, milk and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Transfer to a 9×13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle brown sugar on top.
3. Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until the brown sugar has melted.
4. Enjoy while hot. Teaspoon and drugs optional.
Here are the meds I have to diligently take, thrice a day. Two types of antibiotics and one pack of painkillers. I swear the painkiller (blue pills) SMELL and TASTE like durian. =:0 ?!?!? Weird.
