Using Up Leftover or Stale Bread

Maybe I am the only woman this happens to, but I kind of doubt it. No one in our family will eat the heals of bread! And occasionally it seems like the last 3ish slices of bread get kind of dry. Okay for toast, but not much else. I absolutely hate to throw things I can use away, so if I do not have enough to make a batch of Overnight French Toast with it, I always put these chunks of bread in the freezer for the following uses:

Breadcrumbs - thaw bread, run through blender or food processor, and spread out on a half sheet pan to dry out (to avoid mold). If the crumbs will not dry out in a couple hours, or if you have the oven on any ways, place the pan right where the oven vents (ours vents at the back and "blows" onto the back elements), or pop it in the bottom of the oven when you are doing something else to get them dry. Store extra in air tight container.

Croutons - the recipes for croûtons vary, but all include using older bread, cut into bite sized cubes, tossed with flavored oil and baked. Search your favorite recipe site until you find one you like.

You can make your own homemade stuffing mix - no more shelling out for Stove Top!

You can take a couple of dried out pieces of bread and just crumble them up into your ground meat mixtures in place of bread crumbs - much more tasty! (If they are really dry you can run them under a bit of water to make them more manageable.)

I save all the raisin bread to make dressing (stuffing) for our roast chicken! So much better than just plain bread!

Or you can also make one of my favorite casseroles from the More With Less Cookbook (link on sidebar)

Garden Supper Casserole page 138 in my book

2-4 cups cubed soft bread
1/2 c shredded sharp cheese (because I use the 4 cups of bread I also use more like a cup of cheese)
2 Tbsp margarine, melted

Spread half the mixture in a greased 1-2 quart casserole and top with:

1 cup cooked peas (I just use frozen) 2 sliced carrots

Saute until tender:
3 Tbsp margarine
2 tbsp chopped onion (we like a little more, so I usually use more like half a medium onion)

Blend in:
3 Tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Cook over low heat, stirring until mixture is bubbly.

Stir in:

1 1/2 cups milk

Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.

Stir in:
1 cup cooked beef, chicken or pork diced (I always use chicken)

Our this mixture over the peas and carrots. Arrange on top:

1 large tomato, sliced (optional)

Sprinkle with remaining bread mixture

Bake uncovered at 350F for 30-35 minutes.

(my changes to the recipe are in italics)