Fancy Italian Croutons, To Impress Other People

What goes with bread? Butter. What goes with stale bread? Soup.

Here in Colorado, loaves of bread don't go far since they dry out in what feels like a matter of hours post purchase, which is probably a huge blessing for me in the long run. Since it's impossible (totally possible, I do it) to eat an entire loaf in one sitting and being the wasteful girl that I am not, I now like to turn my stale bead into delicious homemade croutons. I make soup weekly, but have never made croutons until last Sunday when I found myself less than one hundred percent (hungover) and staring at a stale loaf of bread, wondering how I was going to make it edible. Water to soften it up? Sick, this was no hot dog eating contest. Oven to warm it? Still stale and crunchy. And then...I thought of croutons, perfect.

What's hilarious is croutons are the easiest and cheapest thing you could ever make, but you'll look so fancy when you have friends over and they see you made your own croutons, "Ugh, she does EVERYTHING", they'll whisper.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you...

Fancy Italian Croutons, To Impress Other People

• 1 Loaf Day Old Bread (Colorado, just buy fresh, you guys I'm kiddding)
• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper
• Italian Seasoning-Basil, Marjoram, Oregano, Rosemary, Thyme, Garlic

I don't advise measurements on seasoning as I'm a total over-seasoner...ask my poor aunt who had to share popcorn with me last Christmas. I decided to use my secret popcorn seasoning recipe and I started showing off and went absolutely crazy. I ruined the popcorn and the movie because she got sick.

• Cut the loaf into one inch cubes
• Toss with olive oil and seasoning in medium bowl, make sure the cubes are evenly coated 
• Put the bread cubes onto a baking sheet and place in the oven 
• Bake approximately 15 minutes, size determines bake time (bake on all sides)
• Sprinkle lavishly on soups, salads, macaroni and cheese, lasagna, pizza, ice cream, etc. 

The great thing about making croutons is you can use any seasoning you wish such as garlic powder, onion powder, rosemary, lemon salt, or just salt and pepper.

Enjoy being a cook.
Enjoy being fancy.
Enjoy being a NON waster of bread.

Bon Appetit!