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!

Crockpot Chili

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
1 28oz. can peeled, diced, tomatoes
1 15oz. can tomato sauce
1 6oz. can tomato paste
2 15oz. cans kidney beans (I use one dark red and one light red)
1 packet chili seasoning mix
1 large onion, chopped

Brown ground beef and onion in skillet on stovetop. Put all ingredients including the prepared ground beef and onion into the crockpot and stir together. Cook on low 8-12 hours. Serve with saltines or oyster crackers, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, hot sauce, even hot dogs - whatever else you like with your chili.

Fall weather is upon us and I'm planning to make chili in the morning for Beggar's Night. It makes trick or treating so easy - dinner is ready when you walk in the door at the end of the workday, each person can eat as they're hungry and still get costumes and make-up on and everything ready for the all the little goblins that will be stopping by. Everyone has their favorite chili and this is my own take on it. It is very similar to what my mom used to make and my family loves it. It's even better reheated the next day.

Onion Soup

Ingredients:

1 large red onion
1 large vidalia onion
1 med-large yellow cooking onion
1 10.5oz. can onion soup, plus 2 cans of water
2 large cans beef broth
pepper

Rough chop all the onions. Combine all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for 8-12 hours. Serve in individual bowls with a slice of provolone melted on top. Make your own croutons or serve with crusty french bread.

There used to be a restaurant downtown that my husband and I would go to for lunch. This is my attempt to recreate their yummy onion soup. My creation is one of my husband's favorite meals! It's another easy meal that is ready for my busy family to eat whenever their schedules give them a minute to sit down and eat it.