Smucker's really knew what they were doing when they decided to market pb&j without crusts. My kids LOVE Uncrustabales! However, I can't get over paying $3 a box for 6 frozen sandwiches. Especially since my teenage son could probably eat a box by himself. So, being the resourceful gal I am, I make my own.
I'm not sure where the fit of domesticity came from yesterday, but I decided to pull out a loaf of bread (purchased for $1 on the day old rack) and make a batch of my Uncrustables. As much as I don't get excited about these little morsels, I know that they are great to throw into the cooler bag and take to the beach which we do most Thursdays in the summer. The beauty of making my own is that I can even make a few jelly only sandwiches which satisfy my youngest who detests peanut butter. That's a feature that the folks at Smucker's don't offer.
Now that my 12 individually wrapped sandwiches were bagged and in the freezer I was faced with what to do with the remaining crusts. Personally, I don't much care for crust and have never understood why there is so much emphasis put on eating it. As a child I fell for the "it will give you curly hair" line. I obediently ate my crusts and my hair is still stick straight! Nonetheless, I couldn't just throw them away. So, I purposed them for Thursday's breakfast.
In the past, I have used them for an egg strada dish with sausage, mushrooms & cheese. However, I was feeling creative and thought I'd try something new. I had just introduced my children to the amazing Monte Cristo sandwich this past Sunday. Something I'd never actually made before, but would choose above anything else on a breakfast menu if it's there. So I proceeded to put together my own Monte Cristo casserole. Using the same technique for my original strada recipe; I layered the pieces of bread crusts sprinkled with cinnamon, slices of deli ham, strawberry jam, Swiss cheese & more bread crusts. I mixed up eggs, milk, vanilla & more cinnamon and poured it over the entire casserole.
Prior to walking this morning, I pulled it out of the fridge and put it in the oven on timed bake. It was ready to be sprinkled with powder sugar and served just after I'd gotten done showering. I have to say that my experiment turned out quite well. Even my non-breakfast eating teenage daughter went back for seconds!
