About three months ago I ran out of croutons. It was fairly near the beginning of our shopping cycle (we grocery shop only twice a month), so I resigned myself to living without my beloved croutons for the next couple of weeks.
What I discovered instead, was that I quite enjoy my salad without croutons, too! And since I eat far more salads than anyone else in this family, I just didn't bother to buy more. The rest of the family has adjusted to the lack of croutons and for the most part, no one complains.
But every now and again, I feel the desire for a nice pile of croutons on my salad. What's a frugal Mom to do but find a way to make her own?
Here's what I do whenever I want croutons, but I don't want to buy them.
I grab a couple of hot dog or hamburger buns, dinner rolls or slices of bread - pretty much any bread product will work as long as the flavor of the bread is something you want to taste in your salad or soup.
I melt about a tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. And while the butter is melting, cut the bread into whatever size you want your croutons to be. I tend to like a nice, big crouton, so I cut my bread accordingly.
Then I throw the bread chunks into the skillet and stir them around to start sopping up the buttery goodness. Toss in another tablespoon of butter and whatever seasonings sound good. Today I threw in a spoonful of garlic bread seasoning, since we were having salads alongside pizza. I like to play around with the seasonings and have rarely done the same blend twice.
Keep stirring the croutons around occasionally as the second pat of butter melts so they all get coated in the butter and seasonings. If the pan seems too hot, turn it down a bit and keep stirring. Once the butter is completely melted, give the pan a shake and let the croutons cook for about 10 minutes, shaking the pan every couple minutes so that they brown on all sides.
When they're done, the croutons look like the outside of a grilled cheese sandwich - golden, slightly crispy and perfect!
These don't keep very well, so I only make as many as we'll eat right away. We have never had leftovers, even when I've made a few too many! The kids love these so much they often fight over who gets the last couple of them!
Oh, and the title of this post comes from my childhood. Apparently I had a hard time saying "crouton"and instead called them "tingtongs." I still do, occasionally, just for fun!
