Waste Not, Want Not- Homemade Croutons

I had a loaf of homemade challah bread on the counter and noticed this morning that is was just starting to mold on the cut side.

I did not throw the whole thing away. Instead I cut about and inch thick piece of bread off where the mold was, checked the rest over and found no other signs of mold, and turned the rest into croutons.

Cut the bread into even sized cubes, mine are about 1/2 inch.

In a cast iron in medium heat, add the oil of your choice- I used mostly EVOO this time around. Add about 2-3 cloves of smashed garlic to the oil.

When the garlic is browned and crispy, remove it from the pan. (Save this garlic to use later in sauce or salad dressing.) Add your cubes of old bread to the oil and toss to coat with a wooden spoon.

Toast on medium low for about 5-10 minutes until they are the brownness and crispiness that you prefer. Let cool completely and then store in an air right container. In the refrigerator these should keep for a couple weeks (if they last that long). For longer storage, you could freeze them for several months.

TIP: Always Contact the Company

When you have a problem with a product, always contact the manufacturer or company. We recently got our heated blanket repaired for free (just paid about $15 to ship it to Sunbeam), because we had only had it for a year. It was only heating on one side- it came back with entirely updated *new* heating coils and works better than ever.

Also the scrubbing bubbles shower cleaner we had (was left in the house) for free…stopped working even with new batteries. I called S C Johnson, and they sent a full value coupon for a new starter kit as well as a free refill ($25+) value. I just had to pay about $2.50 in tax (since taxes are ridiculous here!)

My only complaint is that the actual refills are scented which kind of irritate me. I’ll be going back to my scent free, homemade, cheap refills once these two are used up!

Moral of the story: don’t repurchase a product that has stopped working before contacting the company. Most companies aim to keep you as a happy customer 🙂

Local Life: Being Married to a Farmer

Hubby with a tumbleweed on the farm 🙂

So I moved to Arizona, in case you didn’t know, from North Carolina.  Why? So that my recently graduated hubby could be a farmer. I know 2000 miles west on I-40 to be a farmer when there are so many farms in “the south”.  The thing is, they are mostly family farms, so here we are in AZ so he can be a professional wine grape grower/farmer/disease consultant.  I’m still working part time, but what I have learned so far about being a farmer’s wife are the following:

1. A working laundry machine is essential.  You would not believe the amount of layers it takes to work outside all day in Arizona.  It’s freezing until the sun comes out and then its warm, so you’ve gotta dress for both! I swear its like a weeks worth of clothes per day some days.
   

   Notice the Boots, not living outside as they should….

    

2. Farmer’s need a lot of work supplies: wide brim straw hats, not-from-walmart pruning shears, a massive stanley thermos, flannel lined blye jeans, bandanas by the droves, piles of wool socks…  Oh, and new clutch pieces on the truck (no big deal). That is just so far.  Well the pruning shears are still on the list to be saved for, but one thing at a time…
   

   Swiffer pads on the shelf on the right. “Wine cellar” on the bottom.

3. Work boots should definitely always live outside.  If not, they make the wood floors very dirty and you are so thankful that you found a way to make reusable swiffer pads.  But they should still live outside; swiffers cause more laundry.
4. Speaking of dirt. Farmers come home very dirty. I am eternally grateful for the invention of a nail brush. Crucial to him not having constant dirt under his nails.
5. People that grow wine also like to drink it. A lot. Like every day. Luckily, from what I have had so far, Arizona is making some pretty tasty wines.

Dave the truck with newly working again clutch.

So there you have it.  I’m sure I will think of more things about being married to a farmer that are semi- interesting, but until then I shall continue my quest for local products in my new locale.