Homemade Croutons

 I sometimes forget about the croutons, but they really do add a lot with just a little, don't you think?  We are trying to cut back on breads and such because we are so healthy now.  I wanted a little crunch in my salad that other night and remembered I could make some croutons.  It makes me feel like I am not missing out on anything when we just have a salad and some chicken for dinner if there are croutons on my salad.  Don't worry, I am not cutting anything out of my diet.  I am just trying to make smarter decisions when eating so I can better justify dessert. :)

You have probably made croutons before, if not, they are super easy.  No need to spend money on the bag at the store, you probably already have what you need to make them.  And if I am being honest, I sometimes find croutons from the store to taste slightly stale.  It might be because I think they use old bread to make them, but maybe it's just in my head.  I also like to make use of the ends of the bread that my children somehow think are infected with a virus.  And an extra bonus would be, if you make your own sandwich bread (like HERE), you can make croutons out of that and know exactly what's in it.  I am finding it hard to come up with a reason to buy croutons.  Okay fine, the time, but it really takes hardly any time to make them. 

These would be great on salad, or soup, or just as a snack (ask Calvin, I put the leftover in a bag to save for later and they were gone in no time).

Croutons
4-5 slices bread, diced
1 T olive oil
1 T butter
2 cloves minced garlic (or a couple dashed of garlic powder)
1/2 tsp salt
dash pepper

Preheat oven to 400.  In a pan, melt butter and olive oil over med heat.  Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes, add salt and pepper, add bread and mix to coat.  Dump onto jelly roll pan (cookie sheet with sides) and spread to a single layer.  Bake for 7-10 minutes or until bread is done how you like it.  (Maybe you don't like them quite so crispy)

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