I don’t know about you but sometimes weekends seem just as hectic as the work week. On Saturday I got up the courage to tackle cleaning the potting shed. I’ve been putting it off for weeks but knew it had to be done. Yesterday I spent the afternoon pulling weeds and reseeding the lawn. Faced with the prospect of being tired and not wanting to cook, yesterday morning I thought about something quick to eat for dinner. Leftovers and a few pantry items came to the rescue yet again. Bacon, egg and cheese bread pudding or if you want a fancy name ‘strata’. Besides cheap ingredients that I had on hand, I was able to put together this dish in the morning and cook it when I’d finished the gardening chores.

Here’s the recipe if you want to try it. I’m sure it makes a great bunch dish too-

Bacon, Egg and Cheese Bread Pudding

Serves 6

6 slices of bread
½-3/4 cup chopped cooked bacon
1 can of condensed cream of celery soup
1 cup of milk (I had about half a cup of evaporated milk leftover from another recipe so I used this and added half a cup of low fat milk)
4 beaten eggs
2 cups shredded cheese (I used Swiss)
Pinch of black pepper

Layer the bread in a large (2 quart) greased casserole dish. In a bowl mix soup, eggs, bacon, milk and cheese and pour over bread. Cover and chill for at least 6 hours so the mixture soaks into the bread. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until the middle is set.

Being budget smart is catching on because a horse named Super Saver won the Kentucky Derby and I just saw this article on line http://finance.yahoo.com/news/frugality-among-consumers-is-apf-3355135283.html?x=0

This week on Budget Smart Girl-It’s almost Mother’s Day, maybe money’s tight but you can always treat Mom to afternoon tea. Recipes and tips for throwing a tea party. And another money saving expert and author is going to be sharing her tips. She’s written a book that you’ll definitely want to read.

Have a good week.