Make Your Own Croutons

Ahhh...I have a new love. In preparation for making Thanksgiving stuffing, I stopped at the bakery outlet for the first time in years. What deals! There's nothing like getting two loaves of french bread for $1.29 and four loaves of whole wheat, no HCFS bread for $3.50. And they hadn't even reached their pull date!

I might have gone a little crazy. What does a girl do with six loaves of french bread? Well, after you cube and toast all the bread you need for stuffing, you make salad croutons. I made several batches (the trials I endure for you, dear reader!) and these turned out the best.

A nice, dense bread is best for croutons, like sourdough or a baguette. Sandwich bread just isn't up to the job. Cut the bread into cubes smaller than an inch. Since your bread isn't square (at least I hope it isn't), the pieces won't be identical--but similar sized pieces will cook uniformly. This is about two cups of cubed bread.

Preheat the oven to 375. Place the cubes into your mixing bowl and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Gently toss to coat.

Now it's time to have fun. Add as many seasonings as you'd like! Dried herbs work best here--I used home-dried parsley, thyme, and oregano from the garden. Again, toss gently to coat.

Spread them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet. I used my Silpatfor easy cleanup.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, stirring once or twice. I like them super-crunchy, so these went the full 15 minutes. Allow to cool completely before eating them all storing them in a recycled container in the fridge.

I'd like to be able to show you a picture of the finished product, but something happened to them between the last picture and the writing of this post. They're delicious--take my word for it!

Oh Yes I Did: Homemade Deodorant

This was one of those projects that I wanted to try but didn't have the nerve to test it while working. It became Reason #459 Why I Love Maternity Leave! If it was going to turn me into a stinker, no one would know.

I got the recipe from Making It: Radical Home Ec for a Post-Consumer World. Their previous book was so good that I didn't even wait for the library to get a copy of Making It--I bought it as soon as it came out. It has tons of projects that I want to try, and I'll share them with you as I go.

Are you surprised to see that there are only four ingredients? I used beeswax, almond oil (olive oil is good too), lavender and tea tree essential oils. Oh, and an old Tom's of Maine container to put it in.

Since this recipe is copyrighted as part of their book, I don't feel comfortable sharing the exact proportions--but I am OK with showing you how easy it is to make!

Pour the oil and beeswax into a heatproof measuring cup.

Heat gently in a double boiler (cheater's version shown below) until the beeswax melts.

Remove from heat and add essential oils. Tea tree and lavender are antiseptic, and I used a bit more lavender because I like the smell better.

Pour the warm mixture into the deodorant container and leave it set for several hours. I left mine on the counter to set up overnight.

Voila! It holds its shape, and the turny-wheel-thingy at the bottom cranks it up and down. (I figured the liquid would melt down into the mechanism and render it unusable.) The consistency is a little different than conventional deodorants, since it's made with oil.

Oh, and the stink factor? The brutally honest six-year-old promises that Mama doesn't smell. Hooray!

Black Friday eBook Sale!

Have you been thinking about buying one of the eBooks I've mentioned over the last year, but didn't want to try them at full price? This sale is for you!

Use the codes in bold below at checkout to get huge discounts on these books--up to 70%! Click on the book's title to go to the page for that book. The codes are good today only, so don't delay!



BFBEANS for 55% off The Everything Beans Book (edited by Yours Truly!)

SWEETSNACKS for 25% off Smart Sweets OR Healthy Snacks to Go (or both).  Did you try the apple crisp recipe from Smart Sweets we got a sneak preview of? And Healthy Snacks to Go has those delicious granola bars and lots of other tasty recipes.

BFCAMP for 70% off The Family Camping Handbook

THANKFUL40 for 40% off Herbal Nurturing or A Natural Noel (or both)

Happy shopping!

Thankfulness

“As the years pass, I am coming more and more to understand that it is the common, everyday blessings of our common everyday lives for which we should be particularly grateful. They are the things that fill our lives with comfort and our hearts with gladness—just the pure air to breathe and the strength to breathe it; just warmth and shelter and home folks; just plain food that gives us strength; the bright sunshine on a cold day and a cool breeze when the day is warm.”

--Laura Ingalls Wilder

The Blessings of the Year, November 1922

Why Didn't I Think of That? Wednesday

Each Wednesday I'll share a tip to make your week go more smoothly or just make you say "aha!"

The Christmas shopping frenzy insanity is just hours away. Whether you're shopping for kids or adults, consider "wrapping" presents in small storage boxes. To hide the gifts from prying eyes, wrap the contents or line the box with cloth or tissue. The recipient can use the storage box around the house, and you aren't (gasp) spending money on a box or gift bag that will be tossed after the holidays.

Why Didn't I Think of That? Wednesday

Each Wednesday I'll share a tip to make your week go more smoothly or just make you say "aha!"

Are you planning for lots of holiday parties? Nothing will send a party down the drain faster than a clogged toilet. Avoid this disaster by having all the "company" toilets professionally snaked before the party. Better to spend a little money ahead of time than be embarassed and have to call the emergency plumber!

Front Yard Garden Update

It's the beginning of November, and the front yard garden is still going strong.

We haven't had any truly cold days, and everything is continuing to grow. I cut the dried blossom stalks from the artichokes in September. You're supposed to cut the whole plant down to 12 inches and mulch them over, but the leaves are just too pretty to cover up.

The Purple Ruffles basil has gone to flower, which the bees and bugs just love.

I'm starting some "Bright Lights" and "Neon Glow" chard from Renee's Seeds that will go in this blank spot between the basil and the lavender.

Look how beautiful these will be when they're grown!

The parsley is creeping over the front walk--it will be time to harvest and dry it soon for use during the winter. 

 

Jackjack's strawberries are sending out runners. I need to research whether I should remove them--all the strawberry farms around here pull the plants in the winter and re-plant in the spring.

As I learned in The Edible Front Yard, plant some perennials so your yard isn't naked come winter. I have a serious weakness for fuschias, and started small by only planting three. There will be several more on the side of the house next spring.

The backyard has two new garden boxes, and my carrots, spinach, and bok choi are starting to sprout. Stay tuned for updates on that next week.

What's growing in your garden? Do you have your garlic and winter crops started? Let us know in the comments!

Free Download: Sneak Preview of "Smart Sweets"

Remember a while back when I told you about Katie's healthy, homemade granola bars? If you've tried them, you know how delicious and easy they are to make.

Just in time for Christmas parties, she's written a new ebook called Smart Sweets. She says, "Let’s start getting excited about 30 real food desserts, made smarter so you can indulge with less guilt knowing you’re eating healthy-ish, healthiER, and sometimes genuinely healthy treats."

I helped her test her apple crisp recipe, and she's offering it as a free download for BrownThumbMama readers! This is delicious, easy, and full of real food ingredients. And apples are so cheap right now, you've just got to try it!

And while you're there, check out her other great ebooks: Healthy Snacks to Go, The Everything Beans Book (it's so good, Mama the bean-hater recommends it) and The Family Camping Handbook.

See you at the farmer's market!