Homemade Croutons

Ingredients:

1 loaf of bakery bread, stale
2 Tblsp. olive oil
1 Tblsp. vegetable oil
2 tsp. garlic salt
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Cut stale bread into cubes, about 3/4" big. Leave uncovered to dry out further overnight. Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl, place the bread cubes. Combine the two oils and drizzle over the bread. Mix thoroughly. Combine spices in small bowl. Add the spices to the bread in the bowl. Cover the bowl and shake well to mix and make sure the spices cover the bread cubes evenly. Spread the seasoned bread cubes in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, making sure not to overbake. Allow to cool and store in air-tight container for salads and soups.

I had a couple ciabatta rolls leftover from sandwiches and they got pretty stale. I hated to see them go to waste, so I searched for a crouton recipe online. After substituting my own spices for what their recipe called for, we loved the result. A couple of notes: you have to watch them when they are baking - you don't want to get them too brown; also, you can easily over-season them. Try your own spice combinations for different types of meals, just don't overdo the salt. They are great to snack on, they smell great when they are baking and they are fabulous warm out of the oven!