by Joyce Good Henderson

Created on: January 03, 2009

Penny-pinching in today's economy means finding a use for everything, even stale bread. With a few minutes, you can turn that stale bread into custom-made bread crumbs, melba toast, croutons, or a delicious dessert.

For Croutons: Cut the bread into small cubes and spread the pieces on a baking sheet. Flavoring can be added with a few squirts of spray salad dressing. Italian works the best, but be adventuresome in your choice. You can also sprinkle on herbs. Dried marjoram, onion or garlic salt work well. I prefer parsley, dried spinach and chives. Place the tray in an oven set on "warm" or 150 degrees for 4-6 hours. Or, sun dry the crumbs for 6-8 hours. In either case, give them an occasional stir. Store your home-made croutons in an air-tight container or zippered plastic bag. Hint: My favorite croutons are made stale bread with dried cranberries or raisins and nuts.

Bread crumbs: Begin by making croutons as above, with or without the herbs and flavoring. Place the croutons in a zippered plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin, or process them in a blender until they are as fine as you desire. These crumbs are great for coating meats, topping casseroles, making Thanksgiving dressing, or thickening gravies and soups.

Cubed stale bread, especially the variety with dried raisins or cranberries, can be used to make a simple, but elegant dessert: Bread Pudding. Beat together cup of sugar, 1 egg, and 1 tablespoon of flour until fluffy. Add 4 cups of milk, 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Place 2-3 cup of bread cubes in a baking dish and pour the mixture over them. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes until golden brown. Test doneness by inserting a knife in the center. When the knife comes out clean, the pudding is done. Serve plain or with whipped cream.

For a slight variation of the Bread Pudding recipe, you can add 2 squares of melted unsweetened chocolate, or 2/3 cup of cocoa to the milk. Or, with Rye Bread Pudding, top with plum or any other tart jam.

A richer version of Bread Pudding combines 3 tablespoons of butter with 1 cup of brown sugar and 2 tablespoons of molasses. Stir in 1 cup of bread crumbs and 1 cup buttermilk. Add cup flour, sprinkle of salt, cinnamon and cloves, and 1 teaspoon of baking soda. If you have raisins, add cup. Bake in a greased baking dish at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

If you need a last-minute dessert, try this Mock Cake. Dip several slices of stale bread in sweetened condensed milk and then, in flaked coconut. Put

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