Garlic Croutons

We had a loaf of stale focaccia in our freezer that I just could not bear to part with… voila CROUTONS!

INGREDIENTS:

2 T EVOO
2 garlic cloves (minced)
¼ tsp salt
4 cups (1/2 inch) bread cubes, or a full loaf cut into cubes

Adjust an oven rack to the center position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the EVOO and salt together in a LARGE bowl. Add the breadcrumbs and toss until thoroughly coated. Spread the bread onto a baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. All the croutons to cool before serving or placing in a storage container in the freezer. Then you can simply pull out a handful each time you make salads or for French Onion Soup!

Cajun Spiced Popcorn

This weekend we decided that since the area in which we reside is very flat… and it has been snowing for the last 3 months, it might be a good time to test out our cross-country skiing skills. Unfortunately, I quickly realized that XC skiing looks a lot easier than it is in reality. I fell down quite a few times and have the bruises to show for my attempts. However, we are not giving up and are planning to try it out once again this weekend. XC skiing is a wonderful full body workout and once I got the hang of it (somewhat) it was enjoyable to just be in my surroundings.

I decided to make a snack for the two of us to enjoy on our hour-long drive home from the state park, which is where this recipe comes into play. Mr. E. and I received an air popcorn maker as a wedding gift and it has been put to very good use. We have tried many different flavors but this has been one of my recent favorites.

1. Pour ½ cup of unpopped kernels into the popcorn maker.
2. While the popcorn is popping melt 2 T butter in the microwave.
3. In a separate bowl, combine:
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp fresh or ½ tsp dried Thyme
1 tsp Tabasco
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp smoked paprika (or regular paprika)
¼ tsp onion powder
4. Mix the spices into the melted butter (be sure it is still completely melted otherwise it will not spread throughout the popcorn)
5. Slowly add the spicy butter to the warm popped popcorn and mix around after each spoonful of spice distribution. Enjoy this healthy treat! Beware of the spiciness!