Homemade Parmesan Garlic Croutons

Have you ever opened up a bread drawer and purposely ignored those sad single pieces of bread no one seems to want to eat but just sit there waiting for their inevitable fate to be either thrown out or grow blue patches of funky mold? 

Even though you know the bread is good, it seems to only serve as a reminder to buy more bread.  What a shame and what a waste.  This is particularly true with leftover hamburgers and hotdog buns. The resourceful part of me would like to make a simple suggestion to you: save the bread!  Not for a sandwich or French toast, but for something even more simple.  Repurpose those leftover pieces into tasty savory croutons. Making homemade croutons is ridiculously easy, and once you make them you'll wonder why you ever bought them.  And by the way, homemade croutons taste way better than the store-bought ones. You can't even compare the two. I discovered several years ago that if I topped my children's salad with croutons, not only were they 95% more likely to eat the salad, but they were also more likely not to fight me on the issue.  

In the world of parent-child food battles, most parents are looking for ways to avoid them. Am I right or am I right? All you have to do is cut those leftover pieces of bread into small cubes tossing them with a little bit of butter, garlic powder, Parmesan cheese, and parsley.  Bake them in your oven and top your favorite salad with them. Hope you watch our latest PBS Parents Kitchen Explorers webisode on how to make these croutons.  Let it be the inspiration you need tonight to stop throwing away those lonely pieces of bread and transform them into something delicious instead. Enjoy!