Fast and Easy Croutons

I found this wonderful recipe on another blog. It's so simple to do and they taste delicious!

Madame Monet’s Crouton Recipe:

Makes 1 1/2 cups, to serve 2-4 people, depending on portion size

Step 1: Remove crusts from bread (preferably whole-wheat, but any type of bread will do), and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (1-cm cubes.

Step 2: In a LARGE metal or glass bowl, prepare a mixture of: 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper to taste, and 1 tablespoon mixed dried green herbs of your choice. Set aside.

Step 3: In a stainless steel pan (or Dutch Oven with a large flat bottom, especially for larger quantities) melt an equal amount of butter to whatever amount of olive oil you use (the mixture should be 50-50). For one-and-one-half cups of bread cubes, use two tablespoons EACH of olive oil and butter. When melted together, dump in the bread crumbs, stir quickly, over medium heat (if you don’t use enough oil, they will burn quickly). Leave them to brown on all sides, stirring constantly for about four or five minutes (larger quantities in a Dutch Oven will take about fifteen minutes, and should be stirred every minute or two).

When browned, dump into the bowl with the herb mixture, and fold together delicately with a spoon. To retain crispiness, do not cover before they are completely cool and dry. They will keep up to several days, unrefrigerated. It’s also easy to make a smaller quantity just for one meal.

NOTE: I used day old french bread and didn't remove the crusts. I also stirred them constantly over medium-high heat. I didn't have a stainless steel pan, so I used the only flat bottom frying pan I have. It worked perfectly!

Posted by Debi

Tomato - Feta Pasta

This is a fairly simple recipe that Chris and I whipped up one night when we weren't sure what we wanted for dinner. It's best with fresh ingredients, although I'm sure you could use frozen or canned veggies if that's all you have on hand. Our family gives this recipe five stars!

1 box whole wheat fettucini, prepared per manufacturer's instructions

Extra virgin olive oil

2-3 cloves fresh garlic, chopped

1/2 large purple onion, diced

3 cups fresh spinach leaves

1 red bell pepper chopped

1/4 - 1/2 cup Marsala cooking wine or Balsamic Vinegar  

2-3 roma tomatoes, chopped

1/2 to 1 container tomato basil feta cheese

1/2 cup grated romano or parmesan cheese

mediterranean sea/kosher Salt and pepper

Prepare pasta, place in large serving bowl, set aside. In medium pan, heat olive oil to medium heat, saute chopped garlic and diced onion until golden brown and tender. Add spinach leaves, saute until wilted. Add red pepper, heat to desired tenderness (we like ours a little crunchy). Remove from heat and add cooking wine or vinegar to taste. Pour garlic, onion, spinach, pepper mixture over pasta - be sure to get all excess oil/wine/vinegar into bowl.  Add feta cheese and toss well. Sprinkle romano/parmesan cheese, salt and pepper over top, serve warm with fresh french bread. Enjoy!

A few additions you could try are: chopped prosciutto, crumbled bacon, fresh mozzarella cheese, cubed, grilled chopped chicken breast, etc. My husband loves meat and he said he didn't even miss it in this flavorful dish! 

Roasted Asparagus from Debi Walter's Kitchen

Difficulty: Easy

Rating: 5 stars - I have never cared for asparagus until I made it this way - delicious! The roasted flavor makes it!

1 1/2 lbs. fresh asparagus, trimmed
3 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
2 T. unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Spread asparagus on a baking sheet in a single layer and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and roast the asparagus in the upper third of the oven until the spears are tender when pricked with a tip of the knife; about 10 to 12 minutes depending on their thickness. Remove baking sheet from oven.

Immediately place the butter on a corner of the hot baking sheet to melt with tongs, transfer the asparagus to a serving platter. Pour melted butter over the asparagus and serve. Serves 6.

Tip: If you bend the asparagus spear on the bottom half, it will break where the stalk starts getting tough.