Product of the Week…or actually every few weeks
June 27, 2008
Anyone who knows me well knows that I go through food trends. I become semi-addicted to certain foods and eat them frequently for a period of time. This may even mean eating this item multiple times a day for a period of a month (or multiple months), before the item is replaced with something else. These items may even be cycled back in. Some trends of the past hummus and feta cheese, Sonic Diet Cherry Lime-Aide (so tasty!!!), Milk-Thing (I will share soon!), Fat-Free Reddi Whip, and canned green beans with mustard (do not judge). You can always tell when a new food trend is in place when you look in my pantry or refrigerator and see multiples of a product. Currently, if you look in my pantry you will find 4 boxes of croutons. I know this is excessive, but I cannot get enough of them (there are also many types…. I need variety). I used to take them off my salad…..this was so foolish. In order to make up for this waste I now eat them on there own. Who knew stale bread could be so tasty, so crunchy, so delicious!
History: I actually cannot find when, where and how the crouton came into being. If you can provide this information to me…I will give you a box of croutons of your choosing. (I think they are Sicilian…but I could not verify this information.)
Making croutons is simple: Take any stale bread (you can use a french baguette to Texas toast…be adventurous) and lightly spread with butter, Olive Oil. (If you want them to be fat free you can use an olive oil or butter spray like Pam.) Dice into cubes. Sprinkle with seasoned salt, garlic or onion salt, parsley, basil, oregano or any combination of herbs/spices you prefer. (You can also use Parmesan cheese, or a Romano blend.) Put in at 225°F and toast till brown or tan and crispy dry. Stir occasionally so that all sides are browned.
Well…I am going to grab a handful!!! (Plus you are really tired about hearing about croutons.)
(This is a way to use up the ends of loaves of bread) You can also fry them in a pan if you prefer…this is def. the least healthy alternative, but I am sure it is yummy!
life without a : 
Croutons were developed (invented?) by Capt. Darrel J. Crouton during the war of 1812. The troops were hungry and all he had to feed them was vegetables out of the gardens of local villagers. So the troops were not happy. They wanted meat. Well, Capt. Crouton couldn’t exactly kill the local pigs and cows. So he asked housewives for bread. All they gave him were the stale left overs from their own meals. Being the creative person that earned him the rank of Capt. in the first place, he took the bread and doused it in vinegar. Then he put it on the vegetables. Thus you have the creation of not only croutons but also … salad dressing.
Any more questions? (I am your full service brother-in-law.)
P.S. You have my address, right? I am awaiting a shipment of croutons any day now from the City of St. Louis.