Make It Yourself

Money is tight for many people these days.  Even if you have a job and feel reasonably secure, it doesn't hurt to cut corners where you can.  There are so many things you can make for yourself, and sometimes it is much healthier to do so.

One thing that always struck me as odd is when people throw away bread crusts and then turn around and buy bread crumbs.  A basic container of bread crumbs costs $1.79 at my store.  Granted, that isn't a lot of money, but why spend it when you are already throwing away the ingredients to make it?

I keep a bowl on top of my toaster oven.  Everyone takes out the crusts and drops them in this bowl.  The heat from the toaster oven dries them out nicely.  Any slightly stale bread goes in there too. 

 

 

I break the crusts into smaller pieces and drop them into my food processor, using the basic metal blade. 

 



I pulse the blade a few times and then just let it run for a minute or so, until the crumbs are fairly fine.

 

 

If there are any large lumps, I will pulse it a few more times to break them up.  Sometimes I get a stubborn lump and I will just remove that and throw it away.

 



When I am happy with the consistency, I put them into a plastic container and put the bowl back on top of the toaster oven.

 

 



I keep a second container of Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs.  To make those I add a teaspoon each of salt, pepper, Italian Seasoning, and granulated garlic.  Then I rinse out the food processor and I'm all set.  The whole process takes about 5 minutes. 

Another thing I like to make for myself is Taco Seasoning.  I have all of the ingredients in my cupboard already, so I can't see buying it too.  Here is what I mix together:

1 Tablespoon Flour

1 teaspoon Chili powder
1 teaspoon Paprika
3/4 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Minced onion
1 teaspoon Cumin
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon Garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Ground oregano

Just brown the ground beef and add the seasoning.  Stir in 3/4 cup of water and allow to simmer until it thickens.  You can make up larger amounts and keep this in a container as well.  This mixture has far less salt than the packets you buy. 

If you spend some time poking around on the internet, you can find recipes for most of the packets and mixes you buy.  You probably have everything on hand already and you will save a bunch of money.