Thursday, March 30, 2017

New Italian Bread Crumbs

I love making fresh bread crumbs. I saw Julia Child years (and years and years) ago, talking about bread crumbs and how easy it is to make them and what a necessity they are... so when I have aging bread crusts, loaves, etc. I use my Cuisinart (with the death blade!!!) to turn them into crumbs and then I throw them into a gallon size freezer bag and into the freezer. That way I have fresh crumbs ready to use, any time! And I just add to the bag as I make crumbs...

It's a great waste not, want not strategy.

Now for this group of crumbs, I used a whole loaf of Italian bread...


Which was about 5 cups of crumbs.  Plus a little more, so I put 5-6 cups in the recipe...
And the spices/herbs were leaning away from Italy and toward Toronto, but it worked so well!




Italian Bread Crumbs

5-6 cups fresh bread crumbs
3 Tablespoons Montreal Chicken Seasoning
1 Tablespoon Parsley flakes
1 Tablespoon Granulated Garlic
1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
1 Tablespoon salt (can be adjusted for us salt lovers)
1 1/2 Tablespoons pepper (we use the slightly larger table grind)
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese

Mix together...

Then toss into a bag and freeze what you don't use.


I use this now for pan-fried chicken breasts. It's amazing, and the entire family loves it.

Bread crumbs seem like a simple thing, but great bread crumbs are the basis for a great recipe.

And I took pictures of all of this, and then in a flash of brilliance (when my camera noted it was getting full) I thought... Oh, I've uploaded all my pics, I'll just clear it.

So I did.

And of course I'd just taken 5 pics of bread crumbs, but I'm clever so I RE-ENACTED the recipe, LOL!

Yes.

Just for youse!

I was so excited at how well these turned out... and I hope you love them, too!  Here are some boneless chicken breasts (butterflied and pounded slightly) dredged in beaten egg and the crumbs...

And they were amazingly delicious!!!

We're hearing and seeing signs of spring. Birds, singing, coming back to forage for nesting materials... and peepers chorusing ALL NIGHT LONG!!! Some folks say this would drive them crazy, but I love the sound of the spring peepers and I can't imagine living in a spot where you wouldn't hear this welcoming chorus...

So between the peepers and the birds and one very unexpected rooster, the silent nights of winter have gone!

We are alive and awash in spring! No flowers yet, but buds are poking up through... so, soon. Soon we'll be smiling at daffodils and crocus and jonquils and iris and all of our happy little bright-topped buddies. And I cannot wait!

Dirt under my fingernails... moving wood chips.... digging holes. And this year setting fenceposts so we can move the chicken coops...

With spring comes work, but it's joyous work in the north, and I cannot wait to get started...

But first:

We've got "Back in the Saddle" on sale in mass market paperback across the country.
This pic was taken by Dana Lynn in Meadville, Pennsylvania. Thank you, Dana! And thank you Walmart and Waterbrook Press!

Walmart, Kroger, Tops, Wegmans, Piggly Wiggly (I think!) and anyplace they sell/stock Love Inspired books, you should find "Back in the Saddle"... so if you see it, take a picture and post it to facebook or Twitter... and TAG ME IN THE PIC SO I SEE IT!!!!... and I will enter you in the drawing for a signed copy of "Peace in the Valley" releasing in one month!



I AM SO EXCITED!!!!

That's it, easy peasy: Take a pic of a Ruthy cowboy book on a store shelf (It is OKAY to buy it, but not required!!!) and share it on social media...

Wishing you all the best as we continue the last few weeks of our Lenten journey here... a journey of contemplation and prayer and thanksgiving!

Award-winning inspirational author Ruthy Logan Herne is living her dream of writing beautiful, thought-provoking stories of faith, hope, love... and romance. Because she loves romance! Become her friend on Facebook, follow her on Twitter (@RuthLoganHerne) or stop by her website ruthloganherne.com

She'd love to see you, and loves to chat with readers!



12 comments:

  1. I've gotten out of the habit of making my own bread crumbs (shouldn't have quit - so easy and so frugal!), but I never - ever - thought of using Montreal Chicken Seasoning in the mix!!! That particular herb blend is going on my grocery list this week.

    Making this. Freezing a batch. Because you never know when you might get the urge to add some flavorful bread crumbs to a recipe. :)

    BTW - they're great for thickening soups and stews, too! Just don't use too many, or you'll have porridge. Delicious, but not what my family wants to eat for supper!

    And I can NOT WAIT for Peace in the Valley! I love this series, and I'm anxious to read Trey's story.

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    1. Oh my gosh, I forgot about thickening, you're right... Especially for a robust stew.... I'm hungry, thinking about it, Jan! :)

      And having them in the freezer (even though I know bread has been declared Public Enemy #1!!!) is so handy! And this blend is just kind of perfect. So even though it's not really Italian... that's how it tastes in the end, with the cheese and the spice blends. Only better!!!

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  2. Hmmm...maybe it's because I'm a vegetarian but I haven't used a recipe that calls for bread crumbs. Sometimes I make vegetarian dressing but I use bread pieces (like cubed) not crumbs.

    Oh --light bulb moment -- I recently got a book from the library that was just vegetarian burger recipes and a lot of them called for bread crumbs so I didn't use them 'cause my daughter has a wheat allergy but now I could make my own bread crumbs from the alternative breads we use and then I could try my hand at burger making. Cool!

    It's still pretty cold up here -- but sunny -- until tomorrow when we're getting more snow. Sigh. Always on the day I have to bus across town for physio appts. I heard a very weak-voiced robin chirruping yesterday. He sounded confused and I don't blame him. We still have a ton of snow on the ground and I don't know how he's going to make a nest and stay warm in the storm tomorrow. But then the weather man promises spring. Maybe even double digit temps...though he promised that before and didn't come through for us.

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    1. Kav, I love to dredge veggies in egg and bread crumbs and bake them.... I love them plain, too, but sometimes it's just fun to add that coating. Probably not diet-friendly, but once in a while I've got to step out and be WILD RUTHY!!!!! :)

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    2. And those alternative breads can work great. I've used the multi-grain gluten-free cracker crumbs and we love them. They're pricey to buy and Farmer Dave likes old time bread crumbs on some things, but they work great, Kav!

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    3. Kav, I so hope you get a little spring soon! We're practically having summer on some days. It's been in the 80's.

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  3. Oh my gosh! To have a book in a Piggly Wiggly... I might expire with happiness. When I saw my first Piggly Wiggly store in Mississippi when I was 18, I had someone take a picture of me with the sign. I have it framed by my desk. It's just the most Southern store name EVAH. Congratulations on making it to Piggly Wiggly!!

    Love the new cover!

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    1. Laughing because I'm not sure it's there, but if they've got Love Inspired there, they should have Back in the Saddle! Which makes me so happy!!! :)

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    2. Mary Virginia, that name has always cracked me up, too. Very southern. :)

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  4. Kav, I love that you can use alternative breads for breadcrumbs. Yay. Win!

    I've started using Panko breadcrumbs on fried fish and I love the extra crunch.

    Ruthy, I'm impressed that you have bread left over!

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    1. Everyone brought bread for the pasta dinner last Sunday. It was bread overload, even at our house!

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  5. Ruthy, thank you for post this! I buy plain bread crumbs usually, which can be very boring. I should just make my own. And I LOVE Montreal seasonings. They would add so much flavor!

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