Homemade Parmesan Croutons

    Alright, it is a given that this recipe might sound difficult, but when you realize exactly how pleasingly easy they are to make, and how delicious they taste, I doubt you will be buying store made croutons ever again. While cleaning up my kitchen the other day (which I hate to do by the way), I noticed we had an overstock of bread, all sorts of bread (hot dog buns, rolls, a loaf of Italian bread) that had not been used and I knew was going stale. Ordinarily if your bread goes stale you would throw it out, or maybe the "green" of you would feed it to the birds. I do neither. Sorry birds!
    
    I hate the idea of waste and I even try to come up with creative ways to turn leftovers from last night's dinner into a new recipe the next evening. So the idea of making croutons from leftover going stale bread, was right up my alley. I even employ my seven year old little girl to help, and she loves having an excuse to stick her hands in some olive oil and toss the "cootons" as my four year old boy calls them. Most of the ingredients to this recipe you probably already have in your spice rack and if you don't then you SHOULD! So next time you are tempted to throw out that old stale loaf or hot dog buns, think twice! Make croutons. They freeze perfectly too.

                                                            

What you will need:

Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper, Bread, Basil, Oregano, Garlic Powder, Grated Parmesan Cheese

Homemade Parmesan Croutons

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 cups of bread (hot dog buns, hamburger buns, french loaf, etc..) cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

 In a large bowl, combine olive oil and spices. Add bread cubes and toss to coat. Spread cubes on a cookie sheet pan; bake at 350º for 8 minutes. Sprinkle croutons with Parmesan cheese and bake 7 minutes longer or until golden. Remove from oven and let cool. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks, or freeze.