CROUTONS

I'm probly the only dummy here who had never made homemade croutons before--and for sure the only one who feels she needs a recipe for same, but I had not and I do--and here's the one I used. It has changed my life. I have made them several times now, and I use thinly sliced batard or French bread and cut them into small cubes. Toasting the slices first and then cutting them makes a lot of crouton crumbles, and I throw them in the salad, too; so, almost every bite of the salad has some garlicky goodness in it. I make about 4x the butter compound for just the one of me, and then I have it on hand for garlic bread with pasta or for adding to a little bit of olive oil in which to pan broil a thin ribeye. Oh, my! (I use McCormick's Grill Mates for a rub and refrigerate overnight.) Haven't tried them as crumbles on a casserole or M&C, but I intend to.

One other note: They are not as good after storing, so I just keep the butter compound on hand and toast the bread just before using.

GARLIC CROUTONS
(adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients
• 4 tablespoons butter (or olive oil or both)
• 1 clove garlic, minced (or 1/2 rounded tsp bottled minced garlic) - or more garlic to taste
• 3-4 (3/4-inch thick) slices French bread or 6-8 slices (3/8-inch) batard bread (~2 C)
1/8 tsp garlic salt (or to taste)
1-2 dashes freshly ground pepper (important--do not omit)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place butter, olive oil, garlic and salt in a small saucepan and melt over very low heat. Let stand a while after melted if you have time (to better infuse the garlic in the butter/oil). Brush on the bread slices (both sides on thick bread, one side on thinner bread) and spread on a baking sheet (preferably on a cooling grid inside a baking sheet).
3. Bake 7-8 minutes and turn and then another ~6 minutes or until crisp and dry. Check frequently to prevent burning. Do not overcook. Cool. Cut into cubes. Store in an airtight container.

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NOTES:
Delicious as written, but additions could be Italian seasoning and/or grated parmesan.