Last week when I went to Kroger, I saw that they had those long French baguettes for $1 each. “Hmmm…” I thought as I wondered what I could do with it. When things are on sale, of course a great thing to do is freeze it (if freezable) so that you don’t have to pay full price later on. But more thrifty than that… is my plan for these loaves of French bread…

1. I sliced one up into thick pieces and put the slices in a freezer bag. When we have Spaghetti or soup or whatever, I can just however many we want out and heat them up. If you want, you could go ahead and butter it and sprinkle on your parsley and garlic and then freeze! (Replaces frozen Texas Toast or Garlic Bread)
2. Another I sliced into strips. I am going to make some freeze ahead French Toast Sticks! (Obviously, this replaces frozen french toast sticks/waffles). My kids will love these! Here’s what I plan to do:
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 10 thick slices day-old (or slightly stale) French bread (I am doing strips instead of slices!)
• 1 tablespoon butter or stick margarine, melted

OK SORRY… I CHANGED THE WAY I DID THIS!

I went ahead and cooked the french toast sticks and then froze them. So all we have to do is take a few out and heat them up when we want them. Just dip each strip/slice in the mixture and cook until golden brown (about 2 minute per side) on a griddle or pan over medium heat. Cool on wire rack. Freeze!

The original plan is here: In a large bowl, beat eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla and nutmeg. Place bread in a well-greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Pour egg mixture over bread. Let soak for several minutes, turning once to coat. Freeze until firm. Package in airtight containers. To bake, place bread on a well-greased baking sheet. Dot with butter. Bake at 450 degrees F for 7 minutes; turn and bake 10-12 minutes longer or until golden brown. Recipe courtesy of All Recipes.

3. And third, I took a loaf and cut it up into thick cubes. With these, I will be making homemade croutons! My husband takes a salad to work everyday, so he will love these! (Replaces store bought croutons!)
   To make them, bake the cubes at 300° for 10-20 minutes just to dry them, or let them sit out until slightly stale. Sauté the cubes in olive oil, you can season with whatever you like…I’m going to do some with just salt and pepper and some with Italian seasonings. After you sauté, let them drain on a paper towel and harden. Then you can keep in a storage bag for you to use when you need them!

So here I have French Toast Sticks, Croutons, and Garlic Toast for $3 ($1 per loaf of bread and plus some for the staples that were used). Much cheaper than if I were to buy those items and I probably wouldn’t even get as much as this will make!