The better way is to cut just sufficient bread for each meal so that there will be really no left-overs. If, however, a few slices are accidentally left, put them aside in a can or jar, never in the regular bread box with the bread; one or two slices will invariably be missed until sufficiently old to mold and contaminate the remaining quantity of bread in the box, and then, too, they are more apt to accumulate in this way than in a separate box. The neater pieces may be used for toast for breakfast or lunch or supper. The next best pieces use for bread and butter custard; the crusts dry, roll and put aside to be ready for breading articles to be fried, or for escalloped dishes. In this way every piece, no matter what its condition, will be utilized.

Bread and Butter Custard

Beat two eggs, without separating, until light, add four tablespoonfuls of sugar and a pint of milk, mix and add a grating of nutmeg; turn into an ordinary baking dish, cover the top with buttered bread, butter side up; bake in a moderate oven just as you would a cup custard, until you can put a spoon handle down in the center of the custard and it will come out free from milk.

Little Puddings À la Grand Belle

Roll slices of stale bread into fine crumbs. Brush small custard cups, or a border mold with melted butter, sprinkle over a few currants or raisins, or any fruit that you may have left over. Fill the cups with crumbs. Beat three eggs, without separating, until light; add three tablespoonfuls of sugar, a teaspoonful of vanilla and a pint of milk. Pour this carefully over the bread crumbs, let them stand for about five minutes until the mixture has been soaked up and the bread crumbs soft; then stand in a pan of boiling water, cover with oiled paper and cook in the oven a half hour. Turn out and serve hot with egg sauce.

Bread Croquettes

Rub sufficient stale bread to make one quart of crumbs; add four tablespoonfuls of sugar, a half cup of cleaned currants, or any fruit that you have left over, and a grating of nutmeg; sprinkle over a teaspoonful of vanilla, and add sufficient beaten eggs (about three) to moisten the crumbs. Form into small cylinder-shaped croquettes, dip in egg and roll in bread crumbs and fry in smoking hot fat. Serve hot with sugar sauce.

Bread Muffins

Cover a quart of bits of bread that have been broken apart, with one pint of milk; soak for fifteen minutes, then with a spoon beat until you have a smooth paste; add the yolks of three eggs, a tablespoonful of melted butter and one cup of flour that has been sifted with a heaping teaspoonful of baking powder. Fold in carefully the well-beaten whites of the eggs, and bake in muffin pans in a quick oven about twenty minutes.

Muffins left from breakfast may be pulled apart and toasted for lunch or supper. Pieces of stale sponge cake, in fact, any stale cake may be used for cabinet puddings, for cream puddings, or for croquettes.