Meal Planning:Getting It To The Table On Time - Steak, Potatoes, Rolls, Salad & Apple Pie
Long...very l-o-n-g post ahead but one I think requires some details and hopefully explains fully the how to's in preparing a meal. Sample meal provided...
How to prepare a meal so that it all comes out at the same time is not an easy task and takes practice learning how to do. I remember when first trying to do this the courses were in different stages of readiness - from cooked to somewhat edible to not anywhere close to being ready!  I had many trials and errors before learning how to get everything prepared properly and on time - I am still working on it. The key to all of it? Planning! Some meals you can actually put together rather quickly without worrying about everything being ready at the same time and then there those other meals we must take the time to plan for. Planning ahead will save you many a time!
Meal planning should be something you include in your weekly To Do list. There are several ways of doing this and one of which is writing out a menu plan for the week. If you do your grocery shopping weekly than you would make a weekly menu plan. If you do your shopping bi-weekly - make a two week menu plan, etc. Here is a wonderful and very resourceful website that I highly recommend that you can print off pre-made lists, planners, planning worksheets...
DonnaYoung.org
Printables and Resources
for Homeschooling and Classrooms
At the top of the page, click on "Household" and you will pull up several different types of forms you can use to help in meal planning and taking care of your home. If you are making your own Household Notebook...this talented lady has so many wonderful forms you can use and print for free. Thank you Donna!
When making out a menu plan, take into consideration your weekly schedule...
- Husband's work schedule and when he arrives home
- Outside activities (church, sports, clubs, etc.)
- Errand Days
- Children - Ages and Stages (fussy times, teething, etc.)
- Always plan for a "hiccup" (someone gets sick, emergencies or an unexpected visitor)
So now that you have made out your plan - how to get started and when do you start things ?!
I start by looking at what I have scheduled for the day and by 10:30 AM - I know what we are having for dinner that night and have pulled out what I need from the freezer to defrost during the day so that it will be ready by evening. Here is the menu for the day along with some things to think about...
Menu: Tuesday
Steak
Potatoes
Salad
Homemade Apple Pie
Steak: Is it thawed out or do I need to pull it out? Am I going to marinade it? Grill or cook in the oven?
Potatoes: Baked/boiled or fried? Do I have enough?
Rolls: Homemade or am I using leftovers?
Salad: Lettuce, tomato - do I have enough? Salad dressing?
Apple Pie: Do I have all the ingredients needed to make one? Pie Crust: Store bought or hand-made?
Other Ingredients & Condiments Needed: Flour, sugar, salt, pepper, sour cream, butter, etc.
By 10:30 AM I have pulled out what I need, checked to make sure I have all the ingredients needed for the meal and if I don't...it is early enough in the day to plan on making a quick trip to the store to pick up what I need. We usually eat dinner around 6:00 PM - knowing this I need to plan on when I am going to start preparing the food on my list and figure out how long it will take to not only prepare but cooking times. The great thing about the menu above is that the items that need cooking will all use a 400°F oven with exception to the rolls. This is not always the case when cooking but this time it worked out as such.
Just a Few Tips...
Tip: Knowing what your menu plan for the week is - you can make ahead of time things you will need on the days you are not so busy or have extra time. For instance...the rolls that I will be using for this dinner...I made the day before when making another meal. I made extra knowing that I would need them for this meal. This saves so much time. Or make an extra batch in the morning so that you have rolls for lunch and dinner or just make an "extra" batch for later. With this particular recipe, there is not any fat and so the rolls do not keep as long as those with oil/butter/fat.
Tip: Using the tip above...I will apply that to the potatoes. I will be baking them just before placing the steak in the oven but I will include extras. I can use the extras for another meal later on (fried potatoes or cut up and placed in a soup or it can be lunch for the next day with butter/sour cream and a salad). Doing this uses the oven while it is already being used and will save me not only time but energy too!
Tip: When you are done using the oven - include some herbs that you have picked from your garden and let them sit in the oven as it is cooling off. This will dry them out and you can use them for later. I do this with celery leaves, chives, garlic (mince first and after they are dried, crush and place in airtight container and you have garlic powder!) This is using your oven to full capacity and thinking about using it while it is warm - helpful especially during the warmer months ahead! Remember...we are still trying to conserve energy and learn how to waste not want not!
The Break-Down
With the rolls pre-made and I can check that off my list of things to do but now I need to figure how when to start the steak, potatoes, salad and the pie so that they all come out around the same time. Let's look at how long these things will take to prepare, cook and if they can be cooked together or need to be done seperately...
What do we have on our menu that does need to be cooked? Well...the steak, potatoes, salad and pie. Okay. Let's break each one down into a timeframe and place them in order...
Steak - 1 - 1 1/2" thick...season with salt and pepper, sear each side for 3 minutes and then place in oven for 10 minutes (medium rare to medium) and time to sit would be about 2 - 3 minutes. Total Time: 20 Minutes
Potatoes - I will be baking them so I will need to wash them, place in a shallow baking pan with water and cook for an hour. The potatoes can finish cooking while the steaks are in the oven too. Total Time: 10 Minutes (Prep)
Salad - This depends on what is in the salad. Lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers. Washing, chopping and general preperation time - 10 Minutes (maybe)
Apple Pie - I make my own pie crust and usually make several batches at a time and store in the freezer but I will include the time it takes to prepare a crust and make the pie itself. Crust prep time: 5 - 7 Minutes and then place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. During that 20 minutes, peel, core and slice apples, mix with ingredients, and make topping. Cooking time: 1 hour - which will be done while eating dinner.
Which Comes First - Order of Preparation
Okay...now which one do we start with first? Let's take a look at the one that will take the longest to cook and as to when we can do the others to follow...
Step 1: Potatoes...begin with preparing them at around 4:30 PM-ish¹ - Preheat the oven to 400°F and then wash the outside of the potatoes. Place them in a pan or dish with some water in the pan (setting the potatoes right into the water); place in the preheated oven and set timer for 1 hour.
Step 2: Salad...wash the lettuce and let drain; peel carrots and cucumbers & cut along with tomatoes. Mix with lettuce and place in dish and set aside.
Step 3: Make pie crust and fill with apple mixture. Recipe for Apple Pie and crumb topping below. Place in the fridge for 20 minutes. Peel, core and slice apples and mix with sugar, cinnamon and flour in large bowl. In another bowl mix up crumb topping and set aside. Your crust should be chilled enough by now for you to roll out and place in your pie pan. Fill with apple mixture and sprinkle crumb topping on and set aside.
Tip: Pie Crust - be sure to used chilled ingredients (water (I use a cup of water and place ice cubes in the water), egg & butter - all straight from the frigde). Do not over mix - this will make your crust tough.
Step 4: Set the table.
Step 5: Cooking the Steak using the stove and oven - recipe and instructions below...Using a cast iron skillet, set heat to medium to medium high. Season steak with salt, pepper & garlic powder. Pour in oil, enough to coat bottom of skillet. Sear the meat for 3 minutes on each side. Do not touch or move or poke at the meat. If possible use tongs to flip over. We want to keep as many of the juices inside the meat as possible.
Step 6: Place skillet with meat in the oven, next to potatoes, for 10 minutes.
Step 7: Clean up as much as you can will you are waiting for the steak to cook. Prepare dessert dishes and set off to the side. Tear off 3 strips of aluminum foil for pie crust edges to be used during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
Step 8: Take out the skillet and let the meat rest on a platter for a few minutes will you place the potatoes in another dish and set on the table. Place Apple Pie in the oven...this will cook while you are eating dinner and will be ready by the time you and your family have finished eating.
Step 9: Call everyone to dinner - it's time to eat!
Step 10: Enjoy!
And For The Recipes...
Apple Pie with Crumb Topping
4 large cooking apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 unbaked 9-inch pastry shell
1 cup sugar, divided (1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
dash of ground cloves
splash of vanilla extract
1/4 cup (about) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup butter
Combine apple slices and 1/2 cup sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and flour in a small bowl; stir well. Sprinkle over apple mixture and add vanilla. Stir. Place apple mixture into pastry shell.
Combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar and flour into a bowl; stir well. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle crumb mixture evenly over apple mixture.
Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes. Cover edges of pastry with strips of aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning. Bake an additional 30 minutes.
Steak - Using the stove and oven
Steak - 1 -1 1/2 inch thick, enough to feed family
oil
salt
pepper
garlic powder
& any other seasonings you wish to use
Cast Iron Skillet
Heat skillet to medium/medium high and preheat oven to 400°F. Add oil to preheated skillet.
Season steak with salt, pepper, garlic powder. Since we are searing the meat, using salt will not effect the meat. Do not pierce the meat. We want the juice to stay in the meat. Searing means you need to let the meat cook without touching or moving (avoid that temptation!) for about 3 minutes each side. Use tongs to flip over. Make sure the meat can fit properly in the pan without over crowding.
After searing on both sides, place skillet (with meat inside) in the preheated oven for 10 minutes for medium to medium well (7 minutes for rare to medium).
Remove from oven and let meat rest on a clean platter for a few minutes.
Cut and serve.
¹ ish: close to or around about... | 
Michel
