Coffee.  That’s a given.  But I am also a salad girl.  Give me a good salad over a steak any day.  And I particularly love a salad that goes crunch. 

Salad, soup, or snack.  I.  Love.  Croutons.

I know these little bits of heaven are scarcely more than dry bread and a sprinkle of seasonings, but simplicity often leads to true deliciousness.  

Have you seen the prices retailers demand for such a treat?  Even my local store brand croutons are $1.88 for a mere 5 ounces of crusty, old bread. 

When I discovered how easy (and absurdly inexpensive) it was to make my own croutons, it naturally became a part of my weekly routine. 

It’s also a great way to put good use to dry, leftover bread (thus saving more pennies!).  We recently went out of town for a few days and returned to a cupboard of various breads that I had neglected to use up beforehand.  No problem.  The ends of the Italian bread (which no one in my house will eat), and a half loaf of whole-grain sandwich bread were transformed into delectable little croutons.

I have one child that refuses to eat the crusts.  Always.  (I think there must be a law written down somewhere that says every household must have at least one child like this.)  I have since decided it’s truly not worth the fight.  I oblige her by cutting off the crusts and saving them for my weekly crouton bake. 

Throughout the week, I toss all the crusts, heels, edges, and any other stale bread into an air-tight container for “croutoning.” (I’m pretty sure I just made that word up.)  I use almost any kind of bread.  French bread, Italian bread, various homemade breads, sandwich breads (even hearty whole-grains!), leftover hamburger or hot dog buns, etc.  Endless possibilities.  Then once a week (usually on Monday), I work my bread magic.

Here’s my favorite way to season them:

Parmesan Croutons

6 c. ½-inch bread cubes (any bread: French, Italian, sandwich, whole-grain, etc.)
¼ c. butter
3 T. Parmesan cheese, grated
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1. In a large skillet, melt butter. Remove from heat. Stir in Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasoning.

2. Place bread cubes in a large mixing bowl. Add seasoned butter mixture and stir until bread is thoroughly coated.

3. Spread bread cubes in a single layer in a shallow baking pan. Bake in a 300 degree oven for 10 minutes. Stir. Bake about 10 minutes more or until bread cubes are crisp and golden. Cool completely.

Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

NOTE:  These croutons taste absolutely fabulous when used in the Breakfast Casserole recipe from yesterday’s post:  Upside Down and Sideways!

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National Clean-Your-What Day???

I saw it on CNN.   This past Tuesday (2 days ago) was National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day.  Have you ever heard of such a thing?  I suppose it’s a great effort.  Way to go, People-who-think-of-these-rather-obscure-things.  

What I find especially disturbing is that we are encouraged to perform this task… once a year.  Maybe some people need this sort of yearly reminder, but I am pretty vigilant about thoroughly cleaning out the fridge very week or two, right before I make my big grocery trip.  (Can’t stand the thought of putting fresh food that just cost me an arm and a leg into a grimy fridge).  

I am not saying my fridge is always pristine (believe me, a week or two is all some things need to cause trouble in there).  And there is occasionally the thing that falls down behind the other thing that I completely forget about until it has gone all  “science experiment” on me.

I guess I’ll embrace this occasion to think about food safety.

Hubby and I are entirely obsessive about food safety…  especially leftovers.  (When in doubt, throw it out!)  I also really can’t stand being wasteful, so there has to be a healthy balance.  When it comes to leftovers, I never make more than what we will eat in the next two days.  Any prepared food older than two days gets tossed.  (Most experts say 3-4 days, but I use the two-day rule to play it safe.)  Generally, I am pretty good about making sure our leftovers get eaten so we don’t waste anything.  If I make a big batch of something, I freeze a portion of it right away to save for another time.  (Really, most everything can be frozen.)

I have a couple of trusty friends that help me out:  “Masking Tape” & “Sharpie.”  Everything in my fridge gets a dated label.  Everything.  Ketchup.  Mayo.  Leftovers.  Nothing is exempt from the treatment.  I used to think I could remember when I prepared everything, but when life gets busy (which is pretty much always), time rolls by like a steam locomotive and before I know it, I have no earthly idea if I hard-boiled those eggs yesterday or last week.

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I can’t help but think of all that food coming my way.  More than probably any of us can handle.  

Freeze what you can.  Be safe.  And happy eating to all. 

Tuesday.  Another perfect day to indulge in a sweet cup of Chocolate Caramel Brownie coffee.  Heavenly bliss.  I don’t think anything could ever completely replace my love for a Starbucks Sumatra, but this might come close!

It’s going to be a rather full day at my house.  Definitely a 2 cupper. (Meaning I will need at least 2 cups of joe just to get my posse out the door this morning.) 

On the agenda? 

School. 
Post office.
Library. 
Car wash. 
Grocery store. 

Oh, the grocery store.  Love and loathing.  My three little darlings count it success if there are melon samples in the produce section.  I count it success if we make it to the checkout with two or less trips to the bathroom. 

It is no stretch of the imagination that my grocery bill is growing and the contents of my cart are dwindling.  For a Type A budgeter like myself, this is cause for alarm.  Getting the most out of my food dollars, while making healthy choices, is crucial. (After all, somebody is going to have pay for these kids to get through college!) 

One of my favorite tricks revolves around ground meat.  I never buy less than 90% lean ground beef.  When you buy lower quality meat, you are paying for fat that cooks away and leaves you with less meat, not to mention it’s not the best choice for your health.  (Investing in yourself now, will reap many rewards later, including money saved on preventable health conditions.) 

Many recipes call for 1 pound of ground beef, but I always cut the amount in half and substitute the other half with brown rice or veggies, depending on the recipe.  I use Minute brown rice because it is quick and studies show that it offers the same health benefits as the regular.  You can try this tip with any recipe that calls for ground meat. 

As a rule of thumb, 1 c. of cooked brown rice is about equal to 1/2 lb. of ground meat.  Use less, if you want to add lots of veggies.

For example, when I make enchiladas, I add 1 c. cooked brown rice to 1/2 lb. of ground beef.  Saute some red peppers and onions in olive oil until tender.  Add to the ground beef and continue with your recipe as written.

If I make any kind of pasta dish, I omit the rice and load it up with shredded carrots, spinach, broccoli, mushrooms, etc.  Cook veggies in olive oil until tender before adding to meat mixture.  (If it were up to me, I’d be satisfied with a veggie sauce, but hubby loves his meat!)

For beef stroganoff, I add lots of mushrooms and onions in with 1/2 lb. of meat.  My whole family adores mushrooms so I can never go wrong there.

I do this with sloppy joes, tacos, lasagna… pretty much everything.  (Also, a great way to sneak veggies to my unsuspecting girls!)

This trick really stretches our meat dollars and it’s a healthier way to eat, too.  I watch for sales and buy ground beef in the biggest size possible to save more.  I wrap and freeze it in half pound increments right away so it’s all ready to go.

Off and running for the day! 

Given enough coffee, I could rule the world…

  This post is part of the Frugal Tuesday Tip. 
On Tuesdays, I am linking up with other bloggers to share a Frugal Tuesday Tip. Go here to learn more about it and get more Frugal Tuesday tips!