Lidia Bastianich Saves Our Dough

As consumers cut back on spending, the famed chef and author of Lidia's Italy zeroes in on one way to stretch your food dollar:

"Americans waste a lot of food. For example, we all love bread, but we all have bread left over, and we ultimately throw it out. So let's recycle it, and make it into a great new meal.

"I come from a very basic family. I grew up in Italy, where my grandmother lived not too far from us. She had all the animals that were necessary to feed an extended family--chickens, geese, pigeons, rabbits, goats. Plus, she had a garden. Nothing got thrown away! Even if we peeled potatoes or cucumbers, the scraps went into a bucket to feed the pigs and the chickens. So it was a complete 360 degrees. For a chef or someone who loves food, there is no better feeling."

Watch Lidia prepare her simple panzanella recipe.

Save More Daily Bread: To get some of Lidia's recipes, go to time.com/bread

Watch Lidia prepare Chocolate Parfait.

Watch Lidia prepare her simple panzanella recipe.