Ready? Here we go. Six meals are included in the plan leaving one night for what I refer to as CORN or Clean Out the Refrigerator Night.

You’re giddy, don’t worry it happens to the best of us. Leftovers from the first night in this week’s plan are given an overhaul and served on night three. This week’s plan also includes one meatless option. Rotating a meatless or vegetarian meal into your menu plan is a fairly painless way to shrink the grocery budget.

1. Beef shoulder roast, pan roasted vegetables, baked potatoes
Never baked a potato? It’s simple, just scrub, rub with a little olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and prick with a fork. Place on a baking sheet or oven proof dish and bake for at least 1 hour at 400, they’ll need just a little longer at 350. When the roast is done crank the oven up and put in the vegetables, by the time the roast is cut and ready to serve they’ll be done.

2. Eggplant parmigiana over spaghetti with marinara, Caesar Salad
I totally cheat and use bagged Caesar, if you feel industrious feel free to buy and shred your own Romaine lettuce. If you are in a huge hurry, use a jarred sauce. I won’t tell.

3. Beef and cheddar melts on hoagie rolls, steamed broccoli (or serve raw with ranch for dipping)

Beef and Cheddar Hoagie

If you have time, you can make your own rolls, otherwise just grab a pack from the bakery section. Cut hoagie rolls in half and toast under the broiler. Add thin slices of the leftover beef shoulder to each half of the hoagie roll, cover with cheese and place back under the broiler until melty, gooey, and delicious. Serve.

4. Chicken bog, cornbread, collards

Chicken bog is nothing more than a simple jambalaya type dish, don’t be intimidated and don’t forget to pass the hot sauce.

5. Taco Night, refried beans, fried green corn
Brown the meat, season with taco seasoning, and load up the shells with your family’s favorites.

6. It’s brinner time! That’s breakfast for dinner, this week, let’s try French Toast, fresh fruit, and yogurt

If you don’t have apple cider, just use milk, eggs, and cinnamon. If you can make grilled cheese, you’ve got French toast in the bag. Just dip the bread in your egg / milk mixture until well coated but not falling apart and then fry until golden brown.

The shopping list does not include basic pantry items such as flour and sugar, but does include all the spices, as most people keep spices based on their regional and ethnic traditions. Don’t be scared to substitute and remember many of the dry goods and cheeses will not have to be purchased every week. Simply cross off the items you have on hand and purchase amounts apprporiate to the size and appetite of your family. The linked recipes feed families of 4 - 6 with small amounts of leftovers.

If you are fairly new to cooking, your grocery bill will drop significantly once your pantry is stocked with the basic spices and dry goods.

Dairy Case and Products
Butter
Cheddar (potato topping & taco topping)
Eggs
Milk
Yogurt
Sour cream (optional for your baked potatoes and tacos)

Dry Goods:

Bread
Bread crumbs
2 (28oz) cans crushed tomatoes
2 (14.5oz) cans diced tomatoes
Hoagie rolls
Parmesan Cheese
Refried beans
Rice
Spaghetti noodles
Taco shells or flour tortillas

Freezer:
Broccoli
Corn

Meat:
Beef Shoulder Roast
3-5 lbs chicken bone in chicken parts (or one whole chicken cut up)
2lbs sausage (smoked beef, kielbasa or even smoked turkey)
Ground Beef or Turkey

Miscellaneous:
Red wine, any drinkable variety will do. If you avoid alcohol for religious or other purposes, substitute beef stock.

Produce:
Baking potatoes
Collards
Eggplant
Garlic
Onion
Parsley (optional)
Vegetables for roasting, your choice (ex turnips, parsnips, carrots, celery, sweet potato, cauliflower)
Taco toppings (lettuce, tomato, avocado it’s up to you)

Spices and condiments:

Bay leaves
Italian seasoning
Garlic Powder
Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
Red Pepper (optional)
Taco Seasoning
Worcestershire

Heather can also be found sharing more domestic time saving tips, tricks and recipes at <a href=”http://www.home-ec101.com”>Home Ec 101</a>

photo originally uploaded by Cathy

The Pilgrims would be jealous if they had any idea how easily you can whip up this fabulous Two Ingredient Pumpkin Cake with Apple Cider Glaze. I nearly shorted out my keyboard when this popped up in my reader on the delightfully talented Cathy’s blog, Noble Pig.

If you’re looking for something a bit different to bring to Thanksgiving this year or you just want to wow your friends and family with your superb culinary skills then you need to pop on over and get the recipe and the rest of the story about this suprisingly easy and delicious dessert.

I see this on my table in the near future!

Rachel is a mom of two tarnished halo wearing little heathens darlings who try her patience and bless her very existence. She can be found blogging about kids, marriage, food and other braingasms at her blog A Southern Fairytale

Though this recipe does take some time to set in the refrigerator, it hardly takes any time at all to whip up.  Making this a perfect light dessert when you don’t have a lot of prep time available.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cold milk
• 2 pkgs (4-serving size each) JELL-O Lemon Flavor Instant Pudding and Pie Filling
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 Graham Cracker Pie Crust (6 oz)
• 1 tub (8 oz) Cool Whip, thawed

Directions:

1. Pour milk into large bowl.
2. Add dry pudding mixes and lemon juice. Beat with wire whisk for two minutes or until well blended. (The mixture will be thick.)
3. Spread 1 and 1/2 cups of the pudding mixture onto the bottom of the crust, and then set it aside.
4. Add half of the Cool Whip to the remaining pudding (still in the bowl), and stir gently until well blended. Spread this over the pudding layer in the crust.
5. Top with the remaining Cool Whip that is still in the tub.
6. Refrigerate for at least four hours or until set.

Garnish with lemon peel, if desired.

Store leftover pie in the refrigerator.

Do you have a favorite, go to dessert that is quick to whip up?  We’d love to hear about it!

Angie can be found writing at Many Little Blessings, where she muses on family, faith, household management, and trying to live a more content life.

photo by Miss Muffin

{ Recipe modified from “BBQ Cupcakes” recipe on Rocks in My Dryer }

• 1 lb ground beef, browned
• 1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
• 1 can of layered refrigerator biscuits (I used Grands Biscuits, as recommended at Rocks in My Dryer)
• Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded

1. Brown ground beef and add in spaghetti sauce.
2. Pull apart the Grands Biscuits (in the middle) so that you’ll have two biscuits. There will be a natural place for them to pull apart, so just look for it.
3. Roll out each biscuit (you should now have 16, if you started with a Grands Biscuit tube that says there are eight rolls) until they are about six inches in diameter.
4. Put each rolled out biscuit into a greased muffin tin. You’ll put it in so that it makes a cup, like a pastry shell (you will fill these in the next step).
5. Fill each cup with a few spoonfuls of the meat/sauce mixture. (You may have sauce/meat still leftover — I certainly did. Just put it in the fridge to use later, or as happened in our house, our meat lovers asked for more of the meat and sauce.)
6. Sprinkle cheese on top of each of the cups.
7. Bake for 8 - 12 minutes at 350 degrees.
8. Pop them out of the muffin tins when they are done and serve immediately.

Angie writes about everything from homeschooling to household management to addictive Christmas candy at Many Little Blessings.

Photo by Angie ~ Many Little Blessings

How Delicious does that look? It tastes even better than it looks. This recipe comes from a fabulous brand new cookbook, CARMINE’S Family Style Cookbook. This cookbook is filled with amazing recipes like, Carmine’s Famous Caesar Salad, Salmon Puttanesca, Chocolate Bread Pudding and Italian Cheesesteak Heroes, and the stunning full color photographs well let me tell you, just thumbing through this cookbook will cause drooling and tummy growling. Consider yourselves warned

This recipe jumped out at me and I am so thrilled we tried it!

Linguine With Red Shrimp Sauce page 97
serves 2 to 4

* 1/4 C Olive Oil
* 2 Tbsp coarsely chopped garlic
* 12 fresh oregano leaves, chopped
* 8 fresh basil leaves, sliced
* 2 Tbs chopped flat leaf parsley
* 10 oz canned italian plum tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped**
* 1/4 C dry white wine
* 2 1/4 C clam juice**
* 20 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
* salt and freshly ground pepper
* 12 oz dried linguine

1. In a large saute’ pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  When the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute or until it is golden brown. Take care not to let the garlic burn.
2. Add the oregano, basil, and parsley.  Cook the mixture, stirring, for 30 seconds.
3. Add the tomatoes, raise the heat to high, and cook the mixture for 3 minutes.  Add the wine and cook it for about 2 minutes or until most of the wine has evaporated.  Add the clam juice, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer the sauce for 3 to 4 minutes or until the liquid is reduced by half.
4. Add the shrimp, lower the heat, and cook the sauce for 1 minute.  Remove the shrimp and set it aside.  Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Just before serving, reheat the sauce so that it bubbles. Return the shrimp to the pan and cook in the bubbling sauce for about 1 minute or until cooked through.
5. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the linguine for 7 to 8 minutes or until it is al dente.
6. Drain the pasta well and transfer it to a platter.  Immediately ladle the sauce over the pasta.  Mix them well and serve.

My husband and I devoured this and spent half the time shooing little hands away from our plates because they were snatching up the noodles and shrimp!

The wonderful people at St. Martin’s Press have offered us a copy of this cookbook to give away to one of our readers.  This would make a fabulous Christmas gift for the cook in your life or your favorite foodie, or be selfish and keep it all to yourself.  Either way, this cookbook is a feast for the eyes and the palate.

Leave a comment on here and tell me your favorite Italian Food, or what you would do if you won this cookbook.

I’ll use the random number generator to pick a winner on Saturday, November 15th.  That means this giveaway is open until Midnight CST Friday, November 14th

** I couldn’t find Italian Plum Tomatoes so I just used regular whole peeled tomatoes and I only used 2 Cups of clam juice.

Rachel can be found blogging about food, family and the joys of being a deep fried Southern Belle at her website, A Southern Fairytale.