Quickly-Disappearing Croutons

My household is crazy for croutons. And they are so easy to make. I keep a large plastic bag in my freezer for cubed, discarded bread crusts. You see, I make a lot of crustless sandwiches for my gals. They have simple (aka: picky) tastes, so peanut butter and jelly and/or grilled cheese sandwiches are near daily occurrences in my nest. And true to kid-form, they like them without the crusts. So, before I make their sandwiches, I cut off and cube the crusts and add them to the plastic bag. Once it's full (and it doesn't take long) we make croutons.

I make a huge batch, because they get eaten very quickly, often right out of the skillet. The girls love to help. Here's what we do: drizzle olive oil around the skillet a few turns, dump in bread cubes, drizzle with a bit more oil and stir. Then sprinkle the croutons generously with salt, pepper and Italian herbs. Sometimes we add minced or sliced fresh garlic to the pan. Sometimes a shake or two of garlic powder instead. Cook, stirring often, over medium low heat until crispy and brown.  

Eat as many as you can while cooking these, as they won't last long. Trust me.