Homemade Croutons

I hate throwing away food.  So much.  I remember as a kid, my dad always talking about not wasting food.  As a seven year-old, this point kinda went over my head, but as an adult, I totally understand why I shouldn't be wasting.

I have found a ridiculous number of ways to use up odds and ends, but this DIY is one of my favorites.

Adam was a crouton hater, prior to my making homemade croutons, and now he will eat them straight out of the pan.  And I can't blame him.  They are SOOOO good.

Below, I have photos of two different batches, but I wanted to show you that you can make croutons out of almost any savory bread.  Challah, French, Baguettes, Whole wheat, Multigrain, Rye.  You name it, you can probably make croutons out of it.  Just don't use sweet or quick breads. They won't taste good on a salad. 

Homemade Croutons: 

4 or 5 slices of bread, diced into 1" cubes

2-3 Tbs olive oil

1/4 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper, to taste

Turn your oven on to a low broil.  On a large cookie sheet, spread out your croutons, and sprinkle with olive oil, garlic powder and salt and pepper.  With clean hands, mix the croutons until they are all coated in olive oil and spices.  

Put in the broiler for 2-3 minutes, or until they are getting toasty around the edges.  Remove from the oven, and flip them over with tongs or a fork, and then toast the other side for 1-2 more minutes.  Remove when crisp on the outside.  

Serve immediately on soups or salads.  

Enjoy!  

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Easy DIY Beeswax Wrap + Video Tutorial

You probably know by now that I am a pretty big advocate of eco-friendly living, so the fact that I have now made 5 beeswax cloths and use them regularly should not surprise you.  

And I honestly love using them.  They are not quite as convenient as plastic wrap, nor do they have quite as many uses, but they really are very good at what they do.  In fact, I have found that my food  stays much fresher when I use the beeswax wrap, instead of plastic wrap.  I almost exclusively use mine to store homemade bread, biscuits, rolls and almost any other bread item.  

I make bread all the time, so it makes sense for me to use them a lot, but you can also use them to cover left overs in the fridge, wrap cheese, fruits or vegetables and probalby lots of other things, that I haven't tried yet.   

They also would make a great and inexpensive gift for the friend who is seeking a minimal or eco-friendly lifestyle.  

And, if you aren't interested in making one, you can always buy something very similar on Amazon.  

               

Materials:

2 1-oz blocks of beeswax (or you can get these beeswax pellets.  I haven't used them, so I don't know how big they are, but it could save you time and effort shredding)

16"x16" square of cotton fabric (make sure it is 100% cotton, so it doesn't melt in the oven)

scissors

cheese grater

a square of cardboard (that will fit in your oven)

1 paper towel

Directions: 

Preheat your oven to 170°F.

Lay out the cotton fabric on the square of cardboard.  Using a cheese grater, grate the beeswax over the fabric, until it evenly covers the fabric, all the way to the edges.  Separate any big clumps that form, and try to get a thin, even layer of shreds across the entire fabric.

Put the cardboard in the oven, and let it 'cook' for about 5 minutes, until the beeswax begins to melt.  Once the beeswax has melted about halfway (you should still see some shreds), open your oven and with a paper towel, smear the beeswax around. Push some of the soft beeswax to the edges of the fabric, and all around making sure that the entire fabric is coated in beeswax.  Let it 'cook' another 3 or so minutes, the beeswax has completely melted.

Remove the cardboard from the oven, and let it sit on your cold stove for about 10 minutes, to let the beeswax set.  Remove the fabric from the cardboard, discard the cardboard, and fold your beeswax to store.  And voilá!  You are done!

Use for wrapping and storing cheese, and bread items.  Beeswax cloth will help keep your bread soft for 2-3 days.  I haven't ever stored cheese in mine, but I know you and, I have heard it works great.

To clean, wash in the sink with cold water and dish soap, and let air dry.

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How to Dry Fresh Dill (without a dehydrator)

We have loved having a CSA share.  I was sad to say goodbye to ours, at least for a few months.  The farm that we did it through (Johnson's Backyard Garden) was fantastic, and they had a well-organized system that guaranteed a diverse share.  They usually give a few bunches of greens (especially in the winter months), some root vegetables, miscellaneous other vegetables, and one bunch of herbs.  

These herbs could be extremely easy to use, and sometime not so easy to use.  We have gotten big bunches of basil in the summer that were turned into pesto, bunches of cilantro that went into salad dressing, but the head-scratcher that I got a few times was dill weed.  Like a gigantic bunch of dill weed.  More than you could ever possibly use in a week, before the bunch goes bad.

I actually really like dill, but having that much fresh dill was a little overwhelming, and I often ended up throwing some of it away (which I really don't like doing!).  Then I discovered that you can dry your dill weed!  And you don't need a dehydrator!  Hooray!  Here's how you do it: 

1.  Carefully wash and dry your dill weed.   

2.  Clip the thick stems off, and evenly scatter the small bunches over a rimmed cookie sheet lined with a silicone mat.  

3.  Preheat your oven to the lowest temperature setting (mine went to 270°F). Do not choose the 'keep warm' setting.   

4.  Put your cookie sheet in the oven for 40 minutes.  Once you get to 40 minutes, check on the dill every 5 minutes or so until the dill is dry and crispy. 

5.  Remove it from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes.  

6.  Remove from the pan and crumble the dill into a jar. 

7.  Make this ranch dressing. YUM!

Pin it for later!  

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