Did you know it is super easy to make your own bread crumbs?  Yep… that’s right!  All that is needed is some stale bread and a food processor or blender, to save you money and another trip to the grocery store.

I used to BUY bread crumbs at the grocery store, but a few years ago I started making my own.  It’s so easy to used leftover stale french bread to easily make them at home! Why pay for it, if you can make the same amount with pieces of stale bread in the pantry? 

My husband LOVES french bread (my preferred bread type for making bread crumbs). He often picks up a fresh warm loaf at the grocery store. Since there are only 2 of us in our home, parts of the loaf we don’t eat tend to go stale after a couple days.  Normally people waste stale bread by just throwing it in the garbage, but now you can put it to good use!

To make that old stale bread “go the distance”, why not turn it into something you can use in other recipes?  I add these homemade crumbs to my Really Good Meatloaf, and they’re perfect to stretch out the filling in meatballs, too.  This ends up being a very frugal way to use up inedible stale bread, without wasting it or dumping any of it in the trash.

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

How To Make Bread Crumbs (Options)

OPTION 1: Slice any stale bread you have.  Even if it’s already stale, I leave it out, uncovered on the counter for a couple days, until it is CRISPY stale, very hard and dried out! Another way to do this is to leave the bread in the fridge on a plate or tray, exposed to the air for a day or two. This will remove any moisture left in the bread (and the bread will not grow mold).

The next thing to do is break or cut the bread up into smaller sized pieces. Place them, several pieces at a time, into a food processor with the blade attachment on. Continue to pulse and process bread chunks until they have broken down into fine crumbs.

OPTION 2: If you happen to be in a real hurry, and need those bread crumbs STAT use this option. Cut the bread into cubes, spread them onto a cookie sheet, and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.  You will need to check them and turn them to prevent burning, but this is a solution that might work for you.  Once you are done toasting them until crispy, process them as mentioned above.

How Do I Store Homemade Bread Crumbs?

Once the bread has been reduced to tiny crumbs, pour it into airtight, sealable jars (I like to use canning jars). If desired, use a funnel to fill the jar. You can use a long skinny skewer to clear any clogs in the funnel. Store the bread crumbs in an airtight container in the pantry.

See how many bread crumbs I got out of half a loaf of old, stale bread?  This is the perfect size bread crumbs to use if adding to meatballs or meatloaf, etc. A half loaf of French bread will typically yield about 2 cups of crumbs. See? You just learned how to make bread crumbs, very easily.

Sometimes I leave the bread crumbs a bit larger, as you can see in the jar on the left below. These can be used this to make homemade stuffing, etc.). It’s really up to you how finely you process the bread.  The finely processed crumbs in the jar on the right are typically the size you would find in a grocery store, and is my “normal” size.

What If I Need ITALIAN Bread Crumbs?

By the way, if you need Italian bread crumbs for a recipe, no problem! Once you’ve learned how to make bread crumbs, it’s easy to add a few spices to transform them.

To make Italian flavored crumbs, simply add salt, black pepper, dried parsley, oregano, basil, onion powder and garlic powder. Mix together until the spices are fully combined with the bread crumbs! Exact measurements can be found in the printable recipe below.

It’s so easy to make this staple pantry ingredient. There’s really no need to spend any extra money buying it!  You can also keep stale pieces of bread in a freezer bag in the freezer until you have time to make bread crumbs! 

Looking For More Simple TIPS?

You can find all my recipes and tips in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have quite a few you might find helpful, including:

• How To Freeze Bell Peppers
• How To Cook Spaghetti Squash
• How To Test Yeast For Viability
• How To Make Oat Milk

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1^st and 15^th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
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Have a wonderful day!

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How To Make Bread Crumbs

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

0 mins

Total Time

10 mins

 

It's super easy to make your own bread crumbs with some stale bread and a food processor or blender, to save you another trip to the grocery store.

Category: Condiments

Cuisine: American

Keyword: make bread crumbs

Servings: 2 cups (approx.)

Calories Per Serving: 289 kcal

Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Ingredients

• 1/2 loaf STALE french bread , sliced

For ITALIAN Bread Crumbs (optional), Add these ingredients (for every CUP of bread crumbs)

• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon parsley (dried)
• 1/4 teaspoon basil (dried)
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Slice up any stale bread you have.  Even if it's already a bit stale, simply leave it out, uncovered on the counter for a couple days, until it is CRISPY stale and very hard and dried out!

2. Break or cut the bread up into smaller sized pieces, and toss them, several pieces at a time, into a food processor (or heay duty blender) with the blade attachment on. Continue to pulse and process bread chunks until they have broken down into fine crumbs.

3. Once the bread has been reduced to tiny crumbs, transfer mixture into a jar (or container) with a lid, and store until ready to use.

4. NOTE: I you wish to make ITALIAN bread crumbs, add the spices to the processed bread crumbs and mix well to fully combine ingredients. Transfer mixture into a jar (or container) with a lid, and store until ready to use.

Nutrition Facts

How To Make Bread Crumbs

Amount Per Serving (1 cup)

Calories 289 Calories from Fat 18

% Daily Value*

Fat 2g3%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Sodium 513mg22%

Potassium 128mg4%

Carbohydrates 56g19%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 3g3%

Protein 12g24%

Calcium 44mg4%

Iron 3.6mg20%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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It’s easy to roast pumpkin seeds, once you’re done carving your Halloween pumpkins! With a few common ingredients, you can enjoy this simple crunchy snack!
I love this snack! How cool is it that not only can we carve and decorate pumpkins for the Fall season, but we can roast and eat the seeds, too! Today I’m happy to show you how easy it is to roast pumpkin seeds!

Do you roast pumpkin seeds?  When I was little, my mom would occasionally make this snack before Halloween. I love the slightly salty crunch of a pumpkin seed roasted just right! Pumpkins are beginning to make their annual appearance at grocery stores and Farmers Markets all over town!

This seems like the right time to post a quick “how to”, in case you’ve never made your own, and want to learn how! You can certainly add additional spices to the basic roasted pumpkin seeds to make them taste just how you like them. This is simply the basic “how to”.

Scroll Down For a Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

First you will need to carefully cut your pumpkin open. You can use any kind of traditional pumpkin you want. You will definitely want to put newspaper or some other paper (wax or parchment) under the pumpkin, cause it can get a bit messy! My favorite tip for getting seeds to roast AND pumpkin puree from the pumpkins is below.

You Can Also Make Pumpkin Puree From Your Pumpkin

Not only can you roast seeds, you can make pumpkin puree from fresh pumpkins! My recommendation is to use “pie” or “sugar” pumpkins (smaller variety of pumpkins) if you want to roast pumpkin seeds AND use the “meat” of the pumpkin to make puree to store in the freezer.

“Pie” or “Sugar” pumpkins have less water content in their flesh, so they make a far less watery pumpkin puree, which is desirable. By freezing the puree you can have it ready to use in various recipes throughout the year.

If you’re interested in how to make puree from your pumpkin, check out my post on How To Make Pumpkin Puree. Pumpkin puree is wonderful to use for pumpkin muffins, scones, bread, coffeecake, etc.

How To Roast Pumpkin Seeds

Now… back to the SEEDS:  After you cut your pumpkin open, and before you can roast pumpkin seeds, you need to remove the seeds and the “guts”.

Two Methods For Removing Pumpkin Seeds

There are two ways to separate the seeds from the stringy “guts”. One way is to put that “BLOB”  into a strainer and slowly pull the seeds away from the guts by hand, then give the seeds a good rinse. This is the method I typically use.

The other method is to put the seeds/guts into a large deep bowl, fill it with water, and remove seeds with your hands from the “guts”. The seeds should float to the top once they are separated from the “guts”, then you can just scoop or skim them up.

Give the seeds a good rinse, then place them in a single layer on 3-4 layers of paper towels or a couple dish towels to drain a bit.

Spread the pumpkin seeds out in a single layer on several layers of paper towels or a couple dish towels. Once spread out, let the pumpkin seeds dry for an hour. Make sure they get nice and dry.

Toss the dried seeds with oil. Sprinkle with salt (side note: try these sometime substituting seasoning salt for regular salt), and stir, to combine. Spread the seasoned seeds out into a single layer on a large (13×9 or larger) baking sheet.

Roast Pumpkin Seeds In Oven

Cook the pumpkin seeds for about 20-25 minutes at 325 degrees F.  When you hit the 15 minute mark, give the seeds a good stir, then spread back out again. At the 20 minute mark, give them another stir.

Keep a close eye on them so they don’t overcook and burn. The average coking time is 25 minutes… the roast pumpkin seeds are done when light golden brown and crunchy.

When done, remove pan from oven.  Let the cooked pumpkin seeds cool completely, then eat! Be sure to store the finished pumpkin seeds in an airtight  covered container or resealable plastic bag. That’s all you need to do… see how easy it is to roast pumpkin seeds?

We enjoy snacking on the seeds, and occasionally I will throw a few into a salad for added crunch.  I figure if you’re gonna go to the trouble and mess of carving a pumpkin (cause it’s FUN!!), why not get an added bonus of roasted pumpkin seeds to snack on, too?!!

No hard work is required for this simple snack. A printable recipe is further below, but here is the basic “process” to roast pumpkin seeds:

Hope you’ll give this recipe for how to roast pumpkin seeds a try when carving your Fall pumpkins this year! Enjoy! Have a great day, and don’t forget to check out ALL my recipes in the Recipe Index,located at the top of the page.

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1^st and 15^th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
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How To Roast Pumpkin Seeds

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Drying Time

1 hr

Total Time

35 mins

 

It's easy to roast pumpkin seeds, once you're done carving your Halloween pumpkins! With a few common ingredients, you can enjoy this simple crunchy snack!

Category: Snacks

Cuisine: American

Keyword: roast pumpkin seeds

Servings: 8 (total 2 cups)

Calories Per Serving: 119 kcal

Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!

Ingredients

• 2 cups pumpkin seeds
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil (or canola oil)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (or more), to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Remove seeds from pumpkin. Rinse seeds thoroughly; remove stringy pumpkin flesh from seeds. 

2. Place pumpkin seeds in single layer on several layers of paper towels or dish towels to absorb water. Let pumpkin seeds completely dry (approx. 1 hour).

3. Once completely dry, mix pumpkin seeds with oil and salt in large bowl. Stir well, to cover seeds with oil and salt (or any additional spices you may wish to add).

4. Spread pumpkin seeds out in a single layer on a 13x9 baking sheet. Bake in preheated 325°F oven for approximately 20-25 minutes. Halfway through the baking time, give the seeds a good stir, then spread out into single layer again, and place back in oven. When done, the seeds should be light golden brown and crispy. Remove from oven. Remove seeds from baking sheet once cooled.

5. Store roasted pumpkin seeds in an airtight covered container or resealable plastic bag to ensure seeds stay crunchy. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

How To Roast Pumpkin Seeds

Amount Per Serving (1 (1/4 cup per serving))

Calories 119 Calories from Fat 99

% Daily Value*

Fat 11g17%

Saturated Fat 4g25%

Sodium 73mg3%

Potassium 129mg4%

Carbohydrates 1g0%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin C 0.3mg0%

Calcium 7mg1%

Iron 1.4mg8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Ever find a great recipe, but end up needing just ONE ingredient? Sigh. It happens to all of us. I seem to constantly run out of lemons. Here’s the Tip Of The Day #6 – Freezing Lemon Juice In Small Portions, so it’s always there in your freezer when you need it.

I got a great deal on a couple bags of lemons recently ($2 for about 25 lemons). A little bruised on the outside, but perfectly “normal” on the inside, and full of juice! When you can find a great deal like that, you go for it! But what to do with all those lemons?

Freeze the juice, and then have it handy and ready to go when you need lemon juice for a recipe throughout the year! Here’s what you do…

Juice the lemons. I used a juicer we received as a wedding present 38 years ago. True story. (Boy, was that a great gift!).

Pour the juice and pulp through a strainer into a measuring cup.

Once juice has been strained, pour it into ice cube tray compartments. Each compartment in a standard sized ice cub tray holds about 1 Tablespoon of juice.

Freeze the lemon juice until completely frozen (overnight is good). Once completely frozen, remove trays from freezer.

Loosen the “ice cubes” from the trays without using any water. Dump the cubes out of the trays.

Immediately put the lemon juice cubes into a freezer bag, label it, and stick bag in the freezer. Now you have conveniently frozen cubes of lemon juice (in 1 Tablespoon sized portions)… and can defrost as much or as little as needed whenever you want to. Very convenient!

I can’t tell you how many times having a bag of lemon juice cubes has helped me NOT have to make a trip to the grocery store! Hope this tip helps you, too!

Have a great day, friends. Try and make it a GOOD one!

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1^st and 15^th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

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Pomegranates. For me it’s a love-hate relationship. I love to eat pomegranate seeds, but was so frustrated trying to pry those wonderfully healthy and tasty little seeds out of the pomegranate. Today’s Tip Of The Day #5: How To Easily Remove Pomegranate Seeds.Removing the seeds used to look like a blood bath when I got done. UNTIL… I learned how to easily remove pomegranate seeds quickly and easily, and lived to tell the tale. It’s sooooo easy.  Using pomegranate seeds in salads or other recipes can be quite messy and removing the seeds can be a real pain. However, there is an easier way to remove pomegranate seeds! Here’s how:

How To Remove Pomegranate Seeds

Grab a pomegranate. Any pomegranate. Carefully slice it in half horizontally with a very sharp knife on a cutting mat or board. Now grab a meat mallet or or heavy spatula. I go for the meat mallet. Place one half of the pomegranate in your hand seed side down. Spread your fingers out (a friend told me this part-so the cute little seeds can drop through them), and hold your hand directly over a large bowl.

Now… (here’s the crazy fun part!)! Smack the pomegranate good and hard all over. Not your hand, but the POMEGRANATE!  Aggression therapy at it’s very best.  The seeds will come flying out of the pomegranate as you smack it and will land quite impressively in the bowl. YEEHAW!!!!   Pomegranate seeds!

Keep whacking the pomegranate with some force. When it is begging for mercy, turn it over. Most of the seeds should now be outta there. Remove any stragglers. Discard skin and repeat with the other half of the pomegranate.

Quick Rinse And Dry

When done, pick out any little pieces of the white membrane that might have jumped for safety into the bowl. You don’t need or want that in with your seeds. Put the beautiful ruby pomegranate seeds in a colander and give them a rinse. Aren’t they pretty?

At this point you can put them in a container and store them in the refrigerator for a week or two OR if you want to freeze them for long term use, here’s what you need to do: Put the rinsed seeds onto several layers of paper towels. Roll them around in the paper towels until dry.

Remove Pomegranate Seeds And Freeze Them

Once the seeds are moderately dry, spread them out on a large cookie sheet. Place them (uncovered) in your freezer for about an hour. This method will “flash-freeze” the pomegranate seeds. 

Once frozen, scoop them out into a plastic freezer bag, label it, and place in the freezer until you need them. That’s it!!! Learned this little trick a few years back… who knew it could be this easy???   Given the price of pomegranate seeds ($4.99 for 1 cup at the store) where someone else does the work for you -YIKES!  This tip is a real cost-saver, for sure!

As you see pomegranates on sale this Fall, grab a few extra, and freeze the seeds. They will keep for a month or two if sealed very well in an airtight bag or container. It’s a great way to have these tasty little antioxidants available at a moment’s notice!!!

Hope you enjoyed this tip, and will give it a try! May God bless you this day, friend. Thank you for stopping by and I hope you will come back again soon. Have a wonderful day.

Looking For More Interesting TIPS?

You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have several kitchen tips you might be interested in, which include:

• How To Freeze Ginger
• Re-Use Those Old Creamer Bottles
• How To Make Ahead And Pre-Freeze Pie Filling

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1^st and 15^th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:
Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

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Drink coffee with creamer? Here’s a great tip on how to use those old creamer bottles! Re-use them as storage for beans, rice, bread crumbs, etc.!
My husband and I drink a LOT of coffee with creamer. We always have empty creamer bottles for our recycling bin.  BUT… for the past year or so, I have been “upcycling” the old bottles into storage for my pantry staples. It is a fabulous way to use those old creamer bottles!

I grew tired of plastic bags of rice or beans getting punctured accidentally, and having to clean up a bazillion kernels of rice or beans off the floor. Ugh. Then I heard about this handy dandy tip, and I LOVE IT!

Now, I upcycle something normally discarded, and use those old creamer bottles as a durable storage container (with a pourable spout) in my pantry! I even keep green onion slices in one of them, in our freezer.

Prepare The Old Creamer Bottles

Start with an empty creamer container. Or two. Or three. If you drink coffee like we do (and enjoy creamer in it), you will probably already have a couple bottles handy!

Remove the wrapper from the bottle (slit through the wrapper with a sharp knife, then peel wrapper off… it’s easy!). Wash bottles and lids thoroughly, then let dry.

Fill Them Up!

Fill the clean and dry bottle with whatever items you wish to store. As you can tell from the photo below, the old creamer bottles can be used to hold beans, rice, bread crumbs, quinoa, tapioca pearls, etc.

Make or use a funnel to get items into the bottle. If the beans are too big for the funnel spout, simply cup one hand tightly around neck of bottle and slowly pour the stuff in. Fasten the lid on, and you’re good to go!

HANDY TIP: Label the container. If it’s a product I don’t use a lot, I cut out the instructions from the original bag, and tape it securely to the back of the container. That way I always have the cooking instructions handy!

That’s it! What a great way to use those old creamer bottles! It’s also a practical way to keep these plastic containers out of a landfill.  Hope you’ll try this simple tip, and find it helpful. Have a great day!

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1^st and 15^th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:
Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

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