Easy Homemade Croutons

We've always loved croutons with salad, soup, or even as a snack. In Prague we've been able to find exactly 2 types of croutons: plain jane (no spices) and Mexican. While I'd never hesitate to admit I'm a Mexican food junkie, I'm not so sure about Mexican flavored croutons on my Caesar salad. I did some looking and found some really good recipes for making your own croutons. Paula Deen, surprise, surprise, had my favorite. The recipe, however, instructs you to fry the croutons in oil and then sprinkle with seasoning, which is really yummy but not so healthy. I changed it up a bit by simply drizzling the croutons in oil, sprinkling with Paula's House seasoning, and baking in the oven. These turned out equally as yummy. Best of all, there's no special ingredients involved, just simple spices every kitchen in any part of the world would have.

1 loaf French bread, cubed (or whatever bread you have on hand)
Olive oil
Dash Paula's House Seasoning, recipe follows

Paula's House Seasoning (I scaled it back a bit because I didn't need quite so much):
1/2 cup salt
1/8 cup black pepper
1/8 cup garlic powder



I know you're thinking, "Whoa, that's a lot for a batch of croutons." And you're right, it is a lot. So you can use what you need now, put it in a zippy (for up to 6 months) and save it for next time you want fresh homemade croutons.

Allow bread cubes to sit overnight to become stale. If this isn't an option, simply spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in your oven on the lowest setting for about 15-20 minutes.

Drizzle olive oil over each cube. Sprinkle with Paula's House Seasoning. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, or until desired crispiness.