Homemade Croutons

Homemade Croutons are so easy to make and a great way to use up that day old bread. The best part is you can have fun with the flavors and tailor them to what your tastebuds desire that day.

Here's how to make Homemade Croutons:

You'll need some bread, oil/melted butter and seasonings of your choice.

1. Cube some bread (I used some french bread we had leftover from last night's dinner.)

2. Place your bread cubes in a container

3. Drizzle some oil or melted butter to your bread that is in a container along with some spices and herbs.

Some great combos are:
Butter, garlic & parsley
Garlic, oregano & basil
Or you can do what I did and add a few shakes of Herb seasoning mix.

4. Add the lid to your container pour and give it a good shaking. Pour your seasoned bread cubes on a baking sheet in a single layer.

5. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes until golden brown and crunchy. Watch it carefully some ovens heat faster up quicker than others.

That's it, they are now ready to be added to a delicous summer salad.

For more great recipes check out the recipe swap on Friday over at Grocery Cart Challenge.

Happy Crouton Making!

Erica

If You Love Indian food, you'll love This

This was awesome! I love how Indian food fills your house with such amazing aromas. I was dying to try this as I was preparing it because with every spice I added the air changed making me hungry and curious. It was great, a tad on the spicy side for me and I even cut back the chili powder. Unfortunately I didn't read the directions for naan very carefully the night before because it was still rising while we were eating dinner. Bummer, this would have been awesome with naan, but we made do with french bread that was leftover from the night before.

Curried Chicken with Cashews $3.30
Serves 6

From The 99 Cent Store Cookbook
1 large onion, chopped .093 T. butter .13
3 t. minced garlic .15
1 t. ginger powder .02
3 T. curry powder .101 t. chili powder .023 t. salt .01
1 c. canned whole tomatoes or 2 whole tomatoes skinned and then chopped .50
1 c. cooked chicken cubed or shredded 1.682 t. coriander powder .02
2 t. pepper .01
1/2 t. cumin seeds (or 1/8 t. ground cumin) .02
Dash of ground cloves (or 2 whole cloves), nutmeg & cinnamon .021/2 c. plain yogurt .10 (homemade)
1/2 c. cashew pieces finely chopped or ground .60 (I left them whole)

Heat butter in a large saucepan and gently fry onions, garlic and ginger until golden.

Add curry and chili powder and stir 1 minute.

Add salt and tomatoes and cook to a rich pulp stirring with a wooden spoon. Add chicken stirring well to coat. cover and simmer 5 minutes.

Stir in the rest of the spices and yogurt and simmer uncovered for a few minutes, stirring to ensure that the spices do not stick. stir in the cashews, heat through and serve with naan.

Naan $0.71
Makes 8 loaves

3/4 c. lukewarm water
1 pkg. yeast .203 t. Sugar .011/4 c. plain yogurt .051 egg, beaten .091/4 c. butter melted, plus more for greasing .202 t. Salt .01
3 1/2 c. Flour .152 T. cumin seeds (I omitted)

Fill a small warm bowl with 1/4 c. lukewarm water and sprinkle yeast on top. Leave for a few minutes to soften, then stir to dissolve.

Add 1 t. sugar, stir and leave in a warm place for 10 minutes, or until it starts to proof (it will become frothy). Make sure this happens or you'll need to start over.

Stir yogurt until smooth in separate bowl and mix with remaining sugar, and remaining lukewarm water, egg, 1/4 c. melted butter and salt stir in the yeast mixture.

In another bowl put 2 c. flour and make a well in the center. Pour the liquid in the well and beat until a smooth batter is formed.

Add remaining flour a bit at a time until stiff enough that must start using your hands to knead. Knead for 12 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Add as little extra flour as possible. Form into a ball and let rest.

Warm a large heat proof bowl with boiling water for 3 minutes. Dry it well and then grease it.

Put dough in bowl and then turn over so top is greased. Cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place until it has doubled in size and a finger leaves an impression, about 1 hour.

Punch down and divide into 8 balls. Let balls rest for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 450 and place two ungreased baking sheets in the oven to heat.

Pat dough into circles about 1/4 inch thick.

Pull one end out until the loaf resembles a teardrop the size of your hand with the edges slightly thicker than the center. Repeat with the remaining loaves.

brush both sides of each loaf with melted butter and sprinkle with cumin seeds.

Place loaves on baking trays and cook until golden and puffy, about 10 minutes. You may brown under a broiler to achieve the desired color. Serve warm!

For more great recipes check out the Recipe Swap over at Grocery Cart Challenge on Friday.

Some Good Eats for the Week

I am posting my recipes for Chili Kolaches, our family's favorite rolls and Chicken Piccata with Rice. All are healthy easy options that are kind on your wallet. Chicken Piccata makes a great meal for company. It tastes impressive but is budget friendly and a very fast meal to make.

Chicken Piccata with Rice $4.42

Adapted from Prevention Magazine's The Healthy Cook

4 servings 449 calories, 9.8 g. fat, 4.9 g. fiber

2 t. olive oil .054 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.) 1.67 1 ½ c. brown rice (soaked for 15 minutes prior to adding) .30
2 3/4 c. defatted chicken broth .10 from bouillon cubes or FREE if you boil your own chicken
1/2 t. salt .01½ t. dried oregano .02¼ c. minced fresh parsley or 1 T. dried parsley .02
¼ c. lemon juice .05
2 T. capers, rinsed and chopped 1.00
2 T. chopped roasted pine nuts or almonds .75
First soak your brown rice in water, allow to soak while you are preparing the other ingredients, at least 15 minutes. Coat large non-stick skillet with spray. Add the oil and warm over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned on both sides. Add the rice, broth, oregano, parsley, lemon juice and capers. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat for the following:

Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Cook until rice is soft and chicken is cooked through. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes before lifting lid. Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts or almonds and serve.

To toast nuts place them in a dry non-stick skillet over a medium heat. Shake the skillet often for 3-5 minutes or until fragrant and golden.

Chili Kolaches $1.89

16 frozen yeast dinner rolls or homemade rolls (see recipe below) .64

10 oz. canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained or 1 1/2 c. cooked .20 if using beans you've cooked yourself
1 c. chunky salsa .75
1 t. chili seasoning mix .05
½ c. Shredded Cheddar Cheese .25

Preheat oven to 400, spray cookie sheet evenly. If using frozen yeast rolls place rolls on sheet. Cover with cloth and let thaw and rise about 4 hours.

If using homemade rolls use a dough ball about the size of a lime. Make 16 balls and place on greased cookie sheet.

Mix together beans, salsa & chili seasoning.

Make an indention in the center of each roll and spoon some of your bean mixture into the dip.

Add a bit of cheese to the top and bake 12-15 minutes. Remove and if desired brush a bit of butter to the outside of the bread. (I omit this step and they always turn out great.)

I use my favorite roll recipe instead of buying prepared rolls.

Family Favorite Rolls $1.28

1 T. yeast .20
1 T. sugar .01
½ c. Warm water free

Dissolve then add to mix:
½ c. oil .20
2 c. buttermilk (if you don’t have buttermilk use regular milk and add a tablespoon or two of vinegar. Let it sit for about 5 minutes and then it’s ready to be mixed together.) .20½ c. sugar .10½ t. baking soda .015 t. baking powder .051 t. salt .01
5 c. flour (approx. 2 ½ c. whole wheat flour 2 ½ c. all purpose flour ) .50


Knead well about 7 minutes. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Pull off what you need and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Make sure you go on over to Grocery Cart Challenge on Friday to find other great recipes.