Food Storage Friendly Friday – Meal Idea and Tip of the Week

Here is a fun tip that I recently started doing. It has always been so easy to buy bread crumbs already seasoned that I never really bothered making them. Now I have found that not only do I save money making my own but I have a new use for that bread that we don’t eat up before it goes bad. I like that! And I like the flavor of the homemade crumbs better. I use seasoned bread crumbs for many recipes that I make. One of my favorite uses is for breading fresh vegetables to bake or fry. I love how easy it is to make your own. Here is how I do it:

Bread Crumbs
Preheat oven to 250º. Using stale bread, arrange bread in a single layer in a shallow baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes until crisp. Cool. Break into small pieces and feed, slowly, into a blender or food processor. Store crumbs in an airtight container. They will keep for several weeks on the shelf and for a very long time in the freezer.

Italian Bread Crumbs
2 c. bread crumbs
¼ c. parmesan cheese, grated or powdered
2 T. parsley
1 t. oregano
1 t. basil
1 tsp. garlic powder
Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. *Note: If using grated parmesan, crumbs must be refrigerated. With powdered parmesan, they can be stored in your pantry.

This week I’m posting another dessert recipe (my favorite kind) that was sent to me by Marie C. of New Mexico. This looks so good and as I was posting this I had the thought that I bet the Raisin filling for these bars could also be made with dried apples. If anyone tries it let us know how it is. I will be making these bars for dessert very soon. They look so good. Thanks for sending the recipe Marie.

Cinnamon-Raisin Bars
½ c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
½ t. salt
½ t. soda
1½ c. flour
1½ c. quick oats
Raisin Filling
Cinnamon Icing
Cream Butter and sugar. Sift together dry ingredients; stir into creamed mixture. Add oats and 1 Tbsp water. Mix until crumbly. Firmly pat half the mixture in greased 9 x 13 pan. Spread with Raisin Filling. Mix remaining crumbs and 1 T. water; spoon over filling; pat smooth. Bake about 35 min at 350º. Cool. Drizzle with Cinnamon Icing. Makes 2 ½ dozen.
Raisin Filling:
Combine ¼ c. granulated sugar and 1 T. cornstarch in saucepan. Stir in 1 c. water and 2 c. raisins. Cook over medium heat till thickened and bubbly. Cool.
Cinnamon Icing:
Mix 1 c. sifted powdered sugar with ¼ t. ground cinnamon. Stir in enough milk, about 1 T. for drizzling.