Homemade Cinnamon Sticks in 5 Minutes

 
I bet this is what June Cleaver’s home smelled like.

When The Beav came home from school, didn’t he always look for his mom in the kitchen? Of course, because good ‘ol June was always whipping up something spectacular to welcome her boys home from school. With her red lipstick, white pearls and knee-length dress, June knew how to make men swoon…the smell of something baking in the oven.

It was June’s secret weapon: food. She wasn’t as innocent as she looked. I wasn’t buying the good girl schtick, she was up to something.

Now I know what it was: cinnamon sugar. Cinnamon sugar is a close cousin to Vanilla extract, your eyes roll back in your head as you take a whiff. It is. That good.

I’ve been practicing my Bento making skills in preparation for the kids going back to school next week. While I love making boiled eggs look like cute bunny faces which totally appeals to my fancy side, my frugal conscience is worried about wasting the scraps of food that don’t make the cut. Literally.

This is the problem, er, inspiration. I had just finished cutting off a bunch of crusts from bread and looked at these poor crusts being thrown to the side. I wanted to rescue them, I channeled my inner June. She wouldn’t throw bread away, she’d make it fabulous.

Sugar is always involved in fabulous. Measurements? No clue. Maybe 1 cup of sugar to 3 T cinnamon? To taste, people, to taste.

Butter is always involved in fabulous. Smother butter! Just pack it on those tiny little crusts and sprinkle, forget sprinkle, just pack on the cinnamon-sugar mix you just made.

Emphasis on the cinnamon and sugar.

No need to get fancy, just pop ‘em in the toaster oven, 375 for like 5 minutes, or until as crispy as you like. Grab a glass of milk and enjoy. My non-crust eating offspring devoured them!

I’d love to know what you do with the crusts?