Tomato Salad with Zesty Garlic Croutons

Tomato: fruit or veggie? Since I love both fruits and vegetables, it seems that for me the answer to that question is irrelevant. I'm an equal opportunity eater, which means I definitely don't discriminate. Today I wanted something really fresh and light to eat, so I took a step outside. Now, normally a step outside would only offer concrete and grass; however, I currently have access to a garden! In my wanderings through said garden I picked up one of my very favorite vegetables. Fruit. Whichever. Ripe and juicy, the tomatoes begged me to pick them and eat them [almost] completely unadulterated. So I brought them in, thew some croutons on them and ate them up. Simple. Delicious.

1 lb Tomatoes, sliced
2 tsp Olive Oil
2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
1/8 tsp Salt
Pinch of Sugar
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 Handful Fresh Croutons

Wash and slice the tomatoes and place on plate. In a small bowl mix oil, vinegar, salt, sugar, and pepper. Pour over sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle with croutons and enjoy!

Mahlzeit!
-Coriaunty

Zesty Garlic Croutons

Croutons are a "take it or leave it" type thing for me, so pretty much the only reason I made them was because I had a huge loaf of french bread I didn't want to throw away. Waste not, want not. I didn't want them drenched in butter (hence the lemon juice) but still wanted some sort of flavor; not just dry bread with herb sprinkles. They didn't turn out too badly, and I ended up snacking on them when they were fresh out of the oven. Be careful, though, because they burn easily. Half my batch got a wee bit toasty.

1 Large Loaf Very Very Dry French Bread
1/4 C Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 T  Italian Seasoning
2 tsp Parsley
2 tsp Granulated Garlic
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Salt
10 T Butter
3/4 C Lemon Juice

1. Slice loaf of bread into 1/2 inch thick slices. Cut each of those slices into small cubes and place in a large (4 L) bowl.

2. In a small bowl combine parmesan cheese, italian seasoning, parsley, garlic, pepper, and salt.

3. Microwave butter and lemon juice until butter is melted.

4. Slowly pour butter/lemon juice mix over bread cubes, mixing to make sure all cubes are coated. Then pour seasoning over saturated crumbs, again mixing until everything is coated.

5. Pour bread cubes onto two jellyroll pans. Sprinkle with extra garlic and salt, if needed. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Watch them carefully so they do not burn. If the croutons are still moist, lower the temperature to 200 and bake until they're dry.

Mahlzeit!
-Coriaunty