As I mentioned during Econofest, Everyday Food magazine has started featuring recipes utilizing pantry staples and budget food items. This recipe came from one of those articles, with a few adjustments to accommodate the items I had on hand. Quick and easy, this is a great meal for a weeknight dinner.

Spaghetti w/ Sausage & Cabbage
from Everyday Food

Salt and pepper
8 oz spaghetti
1 tsp olive oil
1 lb sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 head Savory or green cabbage, halved, cored, and thinly sliced
1 tbsp white-wine vinegar

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot. Set aside.

While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook, breaking up sausage with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to a plate and set aside.

Using pan dripping, add onion and as much cabbage with fit. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until tender, tossing occasionally and adding more cabbage as space becomes available, 6 to 10 minutes.

Add sausage and cabbage mixture to pan with pasta. Toss with enough pasta water to create a sauce. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in vinegar. Serve immediately.

Here is a global twist to an old classic, pairing traditional Asian cuisine flavors with simple ingredients like chicken and pasta. This recipe is from Cooking Light magazine, and makes a great side for a vegetable stir-fry. Please enjoy the next recipe for Soupified.

To prepare lemongrass, peel the outside layer away and discard. Smash the ends (a meat tenderizer works well) to release the oils and infuse the flavor into the stock. You only need to pound lightly and do not break the stalk, as you will need to remove before serving.

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup
adapted from Cooking Light

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp minced garlic, 5-6 cloves
1 tbsp grated ginger
2 stalks fresh lemongrass, peeled and smashed
2 cups water
2  (14 oz) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1  lb chicken breast,  cut into bite-sized pieces
4  oz  uncooked angel hair pasta
1/2  tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 green onions, thinly sliced

Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic, ginger, and lemongrass; saute 3 minutes. Add water and broth; bring to a boil. Add chicken and pasta; cook 5 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove from heat; stir in remaining ingredients. Let stand 5 minutes. Discard lemongrass.

From Cooking Light magazine, this is a great recipe to bring to holiday dinners that incorporates sweet potatoes and apples without being overly sweet or too dessert-like. Made in any casserole, it is also easy to transport this dish without mishaps. I added cinnamon to the recipe to add a bit of warmth and compliment both the apples and sweet potatoes.

Allow bread slices to set out for a couple hours to dry and make better crumbs.

Sweet Potato & Apple Gratin
adapted from Cooking Light

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1 tsp lemon juice
4-5 small sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp melted butter (unsalted)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 slices dry bread, crusts removed
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400F and coat a 13×9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Combine apples with lemon juice in a large bowl and toss. Add sweet potatoes, maple syrup, butter, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Toss and spread mixture into prepared baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring once half-way through baking time.

Tear up bread slices and place in a food processor or chopper. Pulse until small crumbs form, and add olive oil and nutmeg. Pulse to combine. Sprinkle over sweet potato mixture and bake an additional 15 minutes, or until top is golden brown (if needed, drizzle with additional olive oil to prevent burning). Let stand for 10 minutes before serving, allowing baking juices to thicken.

With exactly three weeks left until Christmas, I felt the need to round up another gift-giving guide (with new links!). Merge holiday shopping with baking to save money and give a gift made with a little TLC.

Slashfood is featuring a monthly countdown of homemade gifts. Check out the Gift of the Day for an easy, homemade answer to gift giving. Rosemary Scented Salt? Sounds like a pretty good gift to me!

Wisebread offers some suggestions in the article Holiday Gift Ideas Straight Out of Your Pantry.

MyRecipes.com has tons of ideas for giving the gift of food:

Food Gifts Under $3: Breaks down the price per recipe and per gift (one recipe can make several gifts). Try giving decadent gifts like fudge dipping sauce or truffles.

Holiday Bread Winners: Fancy baked treats to bring to neighbors or strangers!

Eggnog…Beyond the Mug: Recipes for eggnog fudge, eggnog cheesecake, eggnog…you get the idea.

Gift-Worthy Holiday Jams, Spreads, & Sauces: Pick a traditional flavor like apple butter or cranberry-orange marmalade, or give them something unique like sun-dried tomato jam or peachy barbecue sauce.   

Gifts from the Oven: Gingerbread people, pound cake, biscotti and more!

Give the Gift of Candy: Sugared cranberries, candied orange rind, fudge, and other easy-to-make goodies to give as gifts.

Heartwarming Breads: Find the perfect baked goods to bring to family dinners or potlucks, such as flaky dinner rolls, cranberry-sweet potato quick bread, and orange-pecan muffins.

Here is a Cool New Food Blog to go along with the new Soupified Project: stonesoup, a blog about a lot more than soup. Named after a well known children’s story (click here if you do not know the story), this blog has tons of great recipes as well as a very detailed weights & measurements section.

Check out this awesome recipe for Cumin Paprika Salt:

cumin paprika salt:
2 tbsp ground cumin
2 tbsp smoked sweet paprika
2 tbsp sea salt flakes

This would be great as a spice rub for just about any cut of meat, or try it as seasoning for homemade tortilla chips or sweet potato fries! Add a pinch of cayenne pepper for a spicy kick (about 1/4 tsp of ground red pepper should do it).