Of course, not to do things by half, my partner and I are both journalists and both work for the same company so we've both been slammed by the roll-out.
Not one to be beaten - at least not in the first week post launch - we went into working-parent overdrive today and cooked evening meals to get us through to at least mid-week. There's a light vegetarian option for Sunday's supper, a chicken curry for Monday and a homemade family-size pie for Tuesday night. There's a plan involving a barbecue chicken, phone-ahead pizza and salads for Wednesday and Thursday.
Friday night I'll fall into a heap on the couch with a piece of toast and a cup of tea - if that.
Clearly, our plan is not exclusive to the modern day. If the vintage cook book collection I have is anything to go by, I am not the first working parent trying to menu plan ahead of time.
A recent addition to the cook books was My Daily Dinner Cookery Book. The book quite literally gives you a menu for evening meals, Sunday through to Saturday. It's an Australian book and starts in summer. Here's just a hint of what a Sunday menu was in the first week of menus (remember it's summer). Roast lamb, mint sauce, green peas and baked potatoes. A baked custard and stewed apples finishes things off.
Anyone feeling sweaty, or greasy, or sweaty and greasy?
The Thursday and Friday of the third week had me feeling downright queasy. Thursday's menu was fricasse of sheep's head, carrots, parsnips and potatoes. A sponge jelly helps wash the whole thing down. The following day, so as not to waste your sheep head purchase, it's a sheep's head broth, with scalloped fish and potatoes as the main, and half pay pudding to finish. I could go on with a description of how to prepare your sheep's head but, honestly, I've decided the blog has a G rating.
Despite the overuse of offal, the puddings and sweets are a treat to read - most of them for name alone. Apple Ferguson, Pineapple Snow, Ponsonby Pudding, Siberian Cream, Pirate's Delight. They're dream dishes, no? And, if the desserts don't delight, at least the hints are helpful. Did you know macaroni swells to three times its size? Now you do.
11 comments:
Oh dear reading about that sheep's head broth has just about put me off my merlot! Especially when you have to have scalloped fish as well that night! Hope you survive your BIG week!
OMG that's disgusting. As if you would eat something that has been headbutting other sheeps you know whats. Those desperate days of eating every last piece of the chosen beast are long gone. hope you have had a restful weekend ready for the big week ahead. Your post has actually just inspired me to plan the dinner menu for this week though! Jane x
Whilst reading your post I started to imagine some woman staggering home from the shops with a sheep's head peering out from her bag. The more I tried to rid my mind of this image the more it stayed- thank you for starting my Sunday off with a good dose of laughter!
Half-pay pudding. Ummm...yum? Good luck with your week ahead, hope you make it to Friday tea and toast!
My mother tells a very funny story about when she was a new Bride (in 1956) and wanted to make one of Dad's favourite meals, involving a sheep's head. She didn't know you had to take the wool off. That is all I'm going to say. Ick.
Well. I'm not sure with that sort of week ahead, you really needed to go there with the Sheep's Head and associated gourmet delights. Breathe in. Focus on Friday's toast/couch/collapsing-in-heap dinner. AND GOOD LUCK).
While I love most offal, I have an aversion to food you have to shave, so a sheeps head is off the menu for me.
Errrrr. Some things really are best left in the past, aren't they? Good luck with the rest of the week!
Also, that is quite a title to hit you between the eyes when you arrive at the blog!
I had a mate with another one just like this from the UK.. it was just disgusting.. I am not veggie but still!!
Hope you survive the week xx
great post! What a delight that cooking book is. I hope your week is turning out a-okay xo
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