Sunday Dinner (and Monday lunch, and Monday dinner...)

Turkey meatloaf from the Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook, and baked macaroni and cheese from Joy of Cooking: All About Pasta and Noodles, with a glass of carrot orange juice.

Since I became vegetarian when I was 15, I have never, as far as I can remember, ever in my life cooked meat until now. The idea of "ground turkey" repulses me, and kneading the dough I felt like Pee-Wee when he is saving the snakes from the buring pet store - freaked out and on total autopilot, trying not to look at what I'm doing. The end result though, I have to say, was pretty darn good. I also made a parmesean and breadcrumb crust for the top, which was crispy and delicious. I'm glad I consulted my mom before I made it, because she balked at the inclusion of a cup of milk and told me to leave it out. Glad I did - it would have been a soggy mess. Not sure why it called for that. I'm going to fool around with the recipe even more next time, replacing the turkey with brown rice and lentils - I'm determined to make an edible version of the laughable vegetarian staple "lentil loaf."

For the mac and cheese I used Cabot 50% fat-free cheddar, which, while better for you than full-fat cheese, is basically flavorless rubber. It tastes good when snacking, but I have to say I wouldn't use it again for making mac and cheese. I also used fat-free milk. Next time, it's all fat all the way!

Swedish Christmas Buffet

Tonight's episode of New Scandinavian Cooking was called Christmas Buffet. I am definitely going to make the Nougat with Almonds and Hazlenut, although to chill it I will have to use the conventional method, in the refrigerator, as opposed to flinging the pan across a frozen lake like Tina did! She said of the candy: "It makes a great gift when you're going to friends." And when making her Apple Drink with Absolut Vanilia she warned not to let it come to a boil as "it's a flat-out shame to burn it all out there, in the air." Agreed!

I've noticed she uses this totally cool little blond wood cooking station that she assembles herself. It's compact and looks like it consists of about 7 or 8 pieces. Another marvel of great Swedish design.

New Scandinavian Cooking

I randomly clicked on PBS tonight during dinner and caught New Scandinavian Cooking with Tina Nordstrom. The episode was "Frozen Menu" and she was making "Hearty Hunters Stew" with big slabs of moose meat at the Icehotel. Neat show! I'm always a sucker for accents and broken English, and this has plenty of both. On the Icehotel, Tina commented: "They have real fine room for wedding couples."

This brings to mind my new favorite restaurant, Smorgas Chef. I went to the lower Manhattan location with Kerry and her sister, and had a bowl of Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes and lingonberries and a Carlsberg for $9. So good! That has got to be one of the best deals in town. The location is great too - Stone Street, which is this cute little cobblestone street. All the restaurants put tables outside, filling the street. It feels very European, and there is even a gabled building! Highly recommended.

Pumpkin Pudding

This recipe is from SuperFoods RX: Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life by Dr. Steven Pratt. So good, and only about 10 ten minutes to prepare. It tastes just like pumpkin pie filling, and looks like it too. I bet it would be really good with whipped cream. This is a delicious and easy alternative to making a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. Cooking time said 30 minutes, but it took me about 40 minutes. But my oven is fussy, so that could be why it took longer. Anyway, recommended!

Oops

Don't steam broccoli in a plastic strainer. It will melt.