DIY Breadcrumbs

I decided to try making my own breadcrumbs today because...

well, it just seemed silly to run to the store for them

when I have plenty of bread available. 

At my daughter's request, I am preparing spaghetti and meatballs

for dinner tonight.  The meatball recipe is fabulous

and can be found here.

Back to the breadcrumbs... they're super easy to make.

Just add bread to a blender (1-2 pieces at a time)

and chop until they reach a fine consistency.

Then, spread over a baking sheet and bake at 200*,
stirring every 15 min. or so

until the crumbs are completely dry.
(Mine took about 40 min.)

Remove from oven and cool.
Store in an airtight container.

Since we're going Italian tonight, I took the recipe a step further

by stirring in the following ingredients for seasoning into 1 c. breadcrumbs:

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. dried parsley flakes

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried basil

So much better than the store bought breadcrumbs!