Homemade Bread Crumbs

As I've mentioned about 327 times, I got a bread machine for my birthday. It is my most favorite thing in the whole kitchen (until the day I finally get a KitchenAid, that is) and I use it all the time. Like two or three times a week to the point where I do not buy bread at the store anymore. It tastes better, it's cheaper, and it only has the few ingredients bread should have. 

But for some odd reason, I was still buying whole wheat bread crumbs. That is, until I turned the canister around a few weeks ago. I'm not sure why I thought the ingredient list would be any less tragic than a loaf of bread with its 35 components, but I did. And then it hit me - I make my own bread, why not make my own bread crumbs? The whole thing is so simple and (my favorite part) it's made from something I was going to throw away. They are fresh and real and tasty and now my only problem is that I'm suddenly trying to coat everything in bread crumbs. This too shall pass.

Panzanella

While I love to create my own recipes, I do watch a LOT of cooking shows for inspiration. I have a notebook full of famous-people-food that I love. Alton, Giada, Sandra Lee, Nadia, and Rachel Ray are some of my favorites. But the other day, I watched Kelsey Nixon make the most amazing sounding Smoky Panzanella with Market Vegetables. I couldn't wait - I went to the store that day to gather the ingredients. 

If you're not familiar with panzanella, it is an Italian bread and tomato salad traditionally made with day-old bread that soaks up this delicious homemade dressing. Kelsey adds cheese and a few other veggies to really take this one over the top. It's such a simple dish but the flavors come together so well and the bread soaks up the dressing and the basil screams summer and, well, I could go on and on about this. It's such an easy and perfect side dish, and it will only get better as summer heats up and tomatoes hit their peak. You should make it. Today. Now. You won't be sorry, I promise.

Garlic Knots

I love garlic knots. You know, those chewy little bits of pizza dough tied up all perfect with garlic and butter in every little nook and cranny. They taste so good, but I hate the price. Around here, the pizza shops charge $3.95 for 4 of them. That's crazy! For some dough that costs them like 2 cents to make with some garlic and butter thrown on top?? No, no no, it's definitely time to make my own.

French Toast Sticks

Between sports, music lessons, doctor's appointments, and everything else busy moms need to take care of these days, boxes of processed food and the local drive-thru seem like much easier options when it comes to feeding the family. I know because that is how we used to eat. But if you plan ahead, you can have homemade food ready whenever you need it.

Garlic Bread Spaghetti Calzones

I am very into the new My Plate eating guidelines. You know, the ones that tell you half your plate should be fruits and veggies. It doesn't bother me any because this is how I ate long before it became the cool thing to do. The boys are a little less receptive, but they are catching on quickly.

Almost every meal we eat is planned according to this outline. But every now and then, I am in the mood for an all-out carb-fest. That's how recipes like this one are created. The boys love it because spaghetti is one of their favorite foods. I love it because the garlic bread is the only thing that makes the spaghetti worth eating in the first place. I just ignore the whining the next day when I am serving up double doses of veggies to make up for it.

10 Ways to Salvage Stale Bread

Just because it's stale doesn't mean it's trash. Whether it's the dry ends of sandwich bread that nobody wants or half a loaf of Italian bread leftover from last night's dinner, there are plenty of things to do with stale bread. Don't just feed it to the birds - cook something with it! White, wheat, rye, whatever - you'll never look at old bread the same.

Fresh Hamburger Buns

I got a bread machine for my birthday a few months ago. I figured I'd pull it out once or twice a month and make some bread. Boy, was I wrong. I use this thing at least twice a week. White bread, wheat bread, half-and-half bread, breadsticks, rolls, buns, Italian loaves; I make it all. We actually stopped buying bread from the store over a month ago.

There is just something so amazing about taking some flour and water and yeast and turning it into bread. If you don't have one, I highly suggest you try to get your hands on one. And when you do, come right back here and make these hamburger buns.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

The first year I had my big garden, I planted a lot of zucchini. Apparently, you only need one plant per person in your family. No one told me. We had three people; I planted eight zucchini. Eight! We had SO much zucchini that year - I was giving it away daily and still had 10 on my counter at all times. I learned how to make a lot of zucchini recipes that summer. But I sure wish I knew this one back then.

Quick Cinnamon Rolls


When I made the breadsticks for the red lentil soup, I had some dough leftover that wouldn't fit on the pan. I didn't want to just throw it away, so I made some quick cinnamon rolls with it. These are not those fluffy cinnamon rolls you get from the mall, but they were a decent little dessert after our very savory french dinner.

Breadsticks - 3 Ways


I love, love, love my bread machine. I got a new one for my birthday in October and I can't live without it. I had one before that. Two, actually. The first one was older than me and when I finally decided to start using it, it turned out that it was half broken. It would bake, but it wouldn't mix or knead the dough. Then a friend of mine gave me one that someone gave to her and it ended up also being half broken. It would mix and knead, but not bake. So between the two of them, I had a great bread machine, but a total pain in the butt.

Banana Nut Bread Muffins (aka The 3 Banana Tragedy)




This recipe was born the same way most banana recipes are born in my kitchen - by three bananas that were ready to kick the bucket. I'm not sure why, but no matter how many (or few!) bananas I buy, there always ends up being three left on my counter.

Every. Single. Time.



Meatball Noodle Soup and Italian Bread




One of my New Year's Resolutions this year is to make soup and bread on Sundays. While I realize it is not technically the New Year yet, yesterday was Sunday and I was itching to do this one right away. I raided my cabinets, pantry, and freezer and this is what I came up with. It's cheap, filling, and it makes a ton - just the way I like it!

French Toast Casserole


French toast without spending an hour at the griddle? You had me at "french toast"! I love this because you throw it together before bed, then let it hang out in the fridge overnight to soak up all the yummy goodness. Roll out of bed in the morning, pop it in the oven, and you've got a happy family. It's like a wonderful bread pudding / french toast hybrid thing... just wow.