Homemade Croutons

Anytime I make a side salad with the dinner, the hubs asks if I'm making homemade croutons to go with it.  Making homemade croutons is a skill every cook should have because it's simple, inexpensive, delicious, and never fails to impress.

You can use any kind of seasoning blend you like.  Since I'm a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to salads, I favor using blends that include flavors of garlic, shallot, onion and chives, but these are also quite good with plain garlic powder, Cajun seasoning, Italian seasoning, dried dill, even seasoned salt.  During the summer months I love to make these using a handful of chopped fresh herbs from the garden.  Try this once and I promise you'll never look at making salads the same way again.  Enjoy!

Homemade Croutons, Serves 4

3-4 thick slices crusty bread

1 tsp. seasoning of your choice

1 T. melted butter

Slice bread into 1" cubes.  Place cubes, seasoning, and butter into a plastic bag and shake well to coat.  Spread in a single layer on a greased baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes, or until crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.

Place all ingredients in plastic bag.

Shake thoroughly to coat well.