croutons in soup

Make your own croutons

My first focus when it comes to food is definitely quality but my second is for frugality. I like nothing better than to save a buck. One way I do that is to be sure that nothing goes to waste. I have found that with bread, which of course has many uses, even after going stale. Whether you're purchasing your bread (yuck free) or baking it at home, both can cost you either in time or money. So make the most of it and use up that old bread. One way to do that is to make croutons with it. It's hard enough to find a 'yuck free' crouton in the store and when you do a very small bag can be almost $4! Yikes!


Yuck Free Croutons
Ingredients: 
Left over bread (works best with homemade or bakery bread)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Garlic Salt
Parsley
Onion Powder
Paprika
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Dill 


Instructions:
Preheat oven 300 degrees. Cut the crusts off your left over bread. Cube the bread and toss in a bowl. Drizzle olive oil over the top. Use just enough to lightly cover not soak the bread. Cover the bowl and gently shake until bread is lightly coated. Spread the cubes out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with garlic salt, parsley, dill, paprika, onion powder and parmesan cheese. If you prefer you can also toss the seasonings in the bowl before laying out on the baking sheet. Either way works. Bake at 300 degrees for 20-25 minutes turning them after half the time.
Eat as a snack or top your favorite salad or soup. Keep in airtight storage or pop in the freezer.