​Ever go to make a breaded dish and find out you dont have bread crumbs or even worse​ no seasoned bread crumbs. ​I came across that dilemma the other day when I was in one of my creative moods. The particular recipe called for seasoned bread crumbs. Now being the creative cook that I try to be I looked around the kitchen for a good substitute. As I looked I got farther and farther frustrated because the only thing I could think to do was to toast some bread real well and then make crumbs from that. Well as the thought process went further into the depths of my cubboards I saw a single small package of ritz crackers and half package or saltine crackers. BOOM the idea hit me why don't I make my own seasoned crumbs from these and then I dont have to use bread (which is not my favorite to use unless it is french bread). I proceeded to take the two different packages of crackers and put them in a baggy and crushed them to a fine crumb. I then added some rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper and guess what. I had seasoned bread crumbs for the dish I was making. Now because I had not ever used these particular products as crumbs I was kinda leary of how the end product would turn out. To my finicky tastebuds the dish turned out very well. I patted myself on the back and proceeded to think hey this could be something new. That thought was dashed when my daughter called me and I asked her what she uses for bread crumbs, well you guessed it she said she takes saltines and crushes them. Well so much for my brilliance. Either way the dish came out very good which I will share at the end of this blog. I guess it just goes to show that sometimes we over think what we should use in place of one ingredient for another which I can say is one of my flaws at times. Anyways if you ever want to try a new seasoned bread crumb and dont want to run to the store and pay for a can of it, if you have ritz crackers and saltine crackers and some italian seasoning or garlic and salt and pepper you have your own seasoned bread crumbs. (Cheaper in cost to overall)
​Ok so much for my ranting at my inability to think on my feet sometimes here is the recipe I was making.
Tasty Baked Egg Plant
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Egg Plant
​Beaten Egg and Milk
​Italian Bread crumbs (remember you can make your own 
)
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper
​Instructions:
​Peel, slice and dip Egg Plant in the egg and milk mixture. Coat all sides with bread crumbs
Place slices on a baking pan coated with a layer of Olive oil.
​Bake at 425*F until bottom is golden, then sprinkle tops with Olive oil and turn over and bake until golden brown.
Add Salt and Pepper to taste.
​This recipe is so simple but such a great side dish with most any meal. I made a sauteed chicken and mushroom dish with a touch of marsala wine over rice as the main dish. I accentuated the dish with fresh sliced tomatos to top off the plate. It was easy, healthy and fairly quick to prepare. I will give you the recipe for the chicken and mushrooms at a later date as I have to remember what measurements I used.
​I hope you all try this dish and enjoy your cooking experiences, thanks again for reading my blog.
​Robert
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