7 Surprisingly Useful Things You Can Do With Stale Bread

The rule that can save you a fortune on flights, sweet and tangy slow cooker meatballs, and more. December 24, 2021 [View Online]( Good morning! There’s only one more sleep ‘til Christmas, which means it’s one of my favorite days of the year: Christmas Eve. Start your days by learning 7 useful, if slightly unexpected, ways to put a loaf of stale bread to good use. And in a special Christmas Eve edition of Remember When, I’m sharing some of my favorite memories from the Christmases of my youth in the 1970s. From stop-motion specials to the 50-cent gift certificates, it was a great time to be a kid, wasn’t it? Jillee DAYS UNTIL 🎄 Christmas: 1 🎊 New Year's Day: 8 TODAY'S GOOD THING 7 Surprisingly Useful Things You Can Do With Stale Bread [Photos of various uses for stale bread.]( It may not be ideal to eat, but a stale loaf of bread can be a lot more useful than you think. 1. Make Your Own Breadcrumbs. Use stale bread to make delicious homemade breadcrumbs. They’ll not only save you money by reducing food waste, but they taste even better than the store-bought kind. Just pulse a few slices of bread in a blender or food processor until the crumbs reach your desired size. 2. Make Your Own Croutons. Cut your bread into 1” cubes, place them on a baking sheet, and drizzle them with olive oil and dried herbs. Bake the croutons at 350°F for 10 minutes or so, flipping them over halfway through. Sprinkle your finished croutons on your favorite salads and soups for a delicious crunch. 3. Skim Fat Off Of Soups. If you notice a layer of oil or fat collecting on top of a homemade soup, a slice of stale bread can help. Just set the bread on the surface of the soup for a few seconds and to allow the bread to absorb the fat resting on the surface, then toss the bread out—easy! 4. Make French Toast. A lot of people prefer to make their French toast with stale bread because it tends to absorb moisture more readily than the fresh stuff. (That’s why it’s great for making bread pudding too.) Using stale bread means it will soak up the egg mixture fast and produce deliciously moist French toast. 5. Make Meatloaf, Meatballs, And More. Make some homemade breadcrumbs (see #1) and use them as a binder in your [favorite meatloaf recipe]( or while making meatballs or burgers. In addition to binding, breadcrumbs also absorb moisture from the meat during cooking, keeping the finished product moist and tender. [2 More Useful Things You Can Do With Stale Bread ➜]( Related • [This Is The Easiest Homemade Bread You'll Ever Make]( • [7 Things You Can Do With A Slice Of Bread Besides Make A Sandwich]( ⚡️QUICK TIPS⚡️ • Not a fan of these long, dark nights and frigid temperatures? Embracing the Danish concept of hygge can help. [Read more ➜]( • Headaches don’t always crop up out of nowhere—these 9 remedies for headache pain target them at their source. [Read more ➜]( • Save some time when cooking Christmas dinner by making instant mashed potatoes that taste like the real thing. [Read more ➜]( COOKING Sweet And Tangy Slow Cooker Meatballs [Photos of slow cooker meatballs.]( These quick and easy slow cooker meatballs make a crowd-pleasing snack for any occasion. Between cooking our Christmas Eve dinner, assembling breakfast casserole for tomorrow, and baking a few batches of cookies, it's shaping up to be a busy weekend in the kitchen. To keep the rest of our food as quick and easy as possible, I’ll be turning to one of the easiest snacks I know how to make: slow cooker meatballs. Just add 3 ingredients to your slow cooker, turn it on, and in a few hours these sweet and tangy meatballs are ready to serve as a snack or meal. This is also a great recipe to keep in mind for your upcoming New Year’s Eve parties or get-togethers—people love these meatballs, and you’ll love how effortlessly they come together! Here’s how to make them: Pour a 12-ounce jar of chili sauce (Heinz or similar), an 18-ounce jar of grape jelly, and 32 ounces of frozen meatballs into your slow cooker. Stir to combine, then set your slow cooker to Low and cook for 2-5 hours. Set out some toothpicks to serve the meatballs as an appetizer, or spoon the meatballs over rice to make it a meal. [See The Full Recipe ➜]( SAVE MONEY This Rule Can Help You Get The Best Price On A Flight [A photo of an airplane.]( When you’re searching for the best deal on a flight, it pays to know about the 24-hour reservation rule. In 2011, the US Department of Transportation introduced several new rules to the section of the Code of Federal Regulations that deals with airline regulations. One of the new rules they introduced was [14 CFR 259.5(b)(4)]( referred to as the “24-hour reservation rule.” According to the rule, airlines must allow customers to either: A) cancel a flight reservation for a full refund for at least 24 hours after making a reservation, or B) hold a reservation at the quoted price without payment for at least 24 hours. Airlines are free to choose which one they add to their customer service policies, but they have to adopt one policy or the other to comply with the rule. The 24-hour rule does two things for you as a traveler. First, it makes it easier for you to get the best deal, because you can cancel that flight you just booked if you see a better deal right away. Second, it allows you to lock in the price for a flight even if you’re not sure if the dates will work or need time to figure out the logistics. As with most rules, there are a couple of exceptions worth noting. The 24-hour rule only applies to flights booked a week or more before departure. It also only applies to domestic flights and those either arriving at or departing the US. Additionally, the 24-hour rule doesn’t apply to flights booked through online travel agencies (OTAs) like Expedia, though some of the larger OTAs offer their own 24-hour cancellation policy. Your best bet is to search for flights on [Google Flights]( then book directly with the airline so you can benefit from the 24-hour rule if necessary. JILLEE'S PICK My Favorite Christmas Movies: It’s A Wonderful Life [A still from the movie ]( [It's a Wonderful Life]( (1946) seems to have a mandatory spot on every Christmas movie list, but its heartwarming and timeless message make it one of my genuine favorites. It has been a holiday must-watch for generations, and its classic lines and indelible moments make it worthy of its status. The story is about a suicidal man named George who is visited by a guardian angel and shown what the world would be like if had he never been born. The film’s climax shows [George’s change of heart]( as he begs God to let him live again as it begins to snow. It gets me every time—I feel a little choked up just thinking about it! For me, watching It's a Wonderful Life is an unmissable Christmas tradition. It serves as a powerful reminder of what's truly valuable in this life. It’s not money, power, or social status that makes our lives worth living, but the relationships we have with our family, friends, and our higher power. REMEMBER WHEN 5 Things I Loved About Christmas In The 70s [A vintage ad for 50-cent McDonald's gift certificates.]( As kids, we see the world through innocent eyes that focus more on the good things in the world rather than the bad. For that reason, we all tend to view the time when we were children as having been the “best decade to grow up in.” But with that being said, the best decade to grow up in was clearly the 1970s. 😉 Here are 5 things I loved about Christmas back then: 1. The Anticipation. The countdown to Christmas used to start in December rather than October, so I was still full of anticipation and excitement by the time it arrived. The paper doors of our advent calendars only revealed little pictures rather than chocolates, toys, or jewelry, but opening them was still exciting! 2. The Shopping. In the 70s, we did all of our Christmas shopping over the last couple of weeks before the big day. Rather than logging onto Amazon or browsing Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales online, we did our shopping in person. The closest we got to browsing gifts from home was perusing the Sears Wish Book. 3. McDonald's Gift Certificates. For me, there was nothing quite like finding a book of 10 McDonald’s Gift Certificates in my stocking on Christmas morning. Those 50-cent certificates went a long way in those days—you could get a Big Mac, a small fry, and a shake for around $1.25. 4. The Tree Lots. One of my earliest childhood memories from Christmastime is running around the local tree lot with my siblings while our parents sought the perfect flocked tree. Even though it wasn’t particularly cold in Southern California, we sipped hot chocolate and went home smelling of evergreens. 5. The TV Specials. We only had 3 TV stations back then (4 if you got PBS), so everyone watched the same shows at the same time. The stop-motion Christmas specials were still new, if a little freaky—I was terrified of the Abominable Snowman in Rudolph! But those specials were all we had, so they were an integral part of the holiday experience. A FEW MORE THINGS... Where In The World Is Santa Claus? The NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center will be fully operational after 6 am EST this morning. Round up your little ones and call 1-877-HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) to speak with a NORAD staff member who can tell you Santa’s exact location as he journeys around the globe. Tis The Season... For Chinese Food: Today and tomorrow, Jewish families across the US will participate in a time-honored Christmas tradition: [eating Chinese food](. What began as an unlikely bond between the Jewish and Chinese immigrants of Manhattan in the early 1900s has turned into a cherished American Jewish custom, and is one reason why Christmas is one of the busiest days of the year for Chinese restaurants. What did you think of today's email? [Not good]( | [Just okay]( | [Loved it!]( 🏠[Visit the By Jillee Shop]( 🤗 [Join OGT Free]( Let's connect! [facebook]( [instagram]( [pinterest]( [youtube]( If you have thoughts, comments, questions or a tip or trick you'd like to share, I'd love to hear from you! 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