Did you try the bread recipe from last week? If you did, then you probably have a heel or two of bread kicking around the kitchen right about now. Are you looking for something to do with that bread? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. Make croutons, buttery, salty, garlicky, delicious croutons. I might be a bit in love with them.

I always keep the basic items in the kitchen needed to throw together a good salad. If you have lettuce, olives, some hard cheese, a tomato, some good olive oil and a little red wine vinegar in the kitchen you can put together a quick little dinner in no time and save yourself the expense of dining out. Now that you also possess the best bread recipe known to man you’ll have some extra bread heels around to make croutons for that salad. We like our croutons a bit salty and very crispy. If you like yours a little softer just shorten the baking time.

I am going to include my homemade salad dressing recipe too. We pour this dressing over a big family size bowl of salad and toss it all together to distribute the dressing evenly, this method seems to work well when using an oil-based dressing.

Eat some salad in the coming weeks, friends. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I know we will all abandon our diets and throw caution to the wind as soon as the turkey hits the table.

Croutons

2 to 3 slices of homemade white, sourdough, rye, or other dense bread sliced thick and then into cubes.

1/4 Cup melted butter or olive oil

1 to 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

1 garlic clove crushed

Dash of salt and pepper (to taste)

½ tsp. dried oregano

½ tsp. dried basil

Place bread in a large bowl. Combine butter, cheese, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, and basil and pour over bread cubes. Stir to coat bread cubes evenly.

Spread coated bread cubes out onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes until crunchy. Be sure to stir halfway thru.

Salad Dressing

¼ Cup Olive Oil

¼ Cup Red Wine Vinegar

2 Garlic Cloves Crushed

1 tsp. Sugar

¼ tsp. Salt

Dash of Black Pepper

1 tsp. Dried Oregano

1 tsp. Dijon Mustard

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir well. Pour over family sized bowl of salad and toss to coat.