New Uses for Stale Food

Think that stale bag of chips or cookies is destined for the trash can? Maybe not. With a little creativity you can find new uses for these and many other stale food items. Read on for several ideas to get you started:

Cookies-Turn stale cookies into a tasty sundae topping by crumbling them in a food processor, and sprinkling them onto your favorite flavor of ice cream.

Bread- Stale bread may not be the makings for a tasty sandwich, but it is perfect for making croutons. Just cut the bread up into small squares, brush on a little olive oil, and sprinkle them with garlic salt. After they've been toasted in the oven, you'll have the perfect salad topper.

Candy- That stale gummy bear or gumdrop may not tempt your taste buds, but it's far from useless. Save all of your old candy, and use it to decorate next year's ginger bread house.

Crackers and chips- Give your salty snacks a second life by using them to add a little texture to your casseroles. Just mash up your stale crackers or chips with a rolling pin or food processor, and sprinkle them on top of your next casserole before placing it in the oven. Your friends and family will never guess that this tasty topping is your clever use for a stale leftover.

The next time you're about to throw out some stale food, stop and give the item a second look. With a little creativity you may just find that that item hasn't past it's point of usefulness after all-and that could result in big savings for you.

-Erin Huffstetler