EAT YOUR DAMN SHEEP'S HEAD

IT'S a crazy week here in katiecrackernuts-land. The news company I work for is relaunching its print newspapers across Sydney and ...



IT'S a crazy week here in katiecrackernuts-land. The news company I work for is relaunching its print newspapers across Sydney and we're all busy beavers making that happen.

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.

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