Experiments in Cooking: Salad Croutons

So we all know what happens when we get under some pressure. Instead of doing what we are supposed to be, we channel it into something completely unproductive to feel like we have some control. Apartments and bedrooms are cleaner than ever, naps are longer and more restful, bathroom toilets are cleaned, and closets are organized. Today, I channeled my energy into cooking because I wanted a salad for dinner, and I was out of croutons. I immediately went to Pinterest to see what the homemakers of the internet came up with. and I found this recipe from Living on a Dime. It goes like this:

Homemade Croutons Recipe

3 cups bread cubes (any thick pieces of leftover bread will work) 

1 1/2 tsp. garlic, minced 

1/4 tsp. salt and pepper (to taste) 

1/4 cup olive oil or vegetable oil 

2 tsp. Parmesan cheese 

1/2 tsp. onion powder (or less to taste) 

1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl mix garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil. Put bread cubes into a bowl and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, onion powder and Italian seasoning, if desired. Pour oil mixture over bread crumbs and toss. Spread out on a baking sheet. Bake, tossing once, until golden brown about (15-20 minutes). Store the homemade croutons in an airtight container.

Now the number one rule of copying someone else's work is "make it your own." You have to personalize it so it doesn't look like plagiarism. In an English research paper, we may paraphrase a dissertation, but go in a different direction with the information. In music, a director may ask the orchestra to play differently from what is dictated in the music because he or she wants to send a different message. You ALWAYS have to give the original writer credit for their information, but then you get to do whatever you want after that. With that in mind, I took what I had in the pantry and I improvised:

Katie's Homemade Croutons

4 slices of fresh honey wheat sandwich bread, cubed

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Garlic and Onion Powder

Oregano

Cilantro

Rosemary

Sage

As I was not using the amount of bread the original recipe called for, I eyeballed my ingredients. Everything was to taste. I followed the rules where everything else was concerned. 

End Product

I kind of wished I had used less salt, but they taste amazing in a caesar salad.The oven was actually at 365 degrees for most of the cook time because the temperature gauge is broken, but the only thing that did was brown them some more. These croutons are crunchy on the outside, but softer on the inside, so when I went to stab them with my fork, they didn't fall apart like the store-bought kind do. That to me is the winning quality. I like being able to have my salad and croutons in one bite. My fiancé likes them, so we may never buy croutons again!

CW Poetry Class: Week 2 Assignment

I am taking a creative writing class this semester and so far have worked on two poems. This is the project I have been working on this week. It is an exercise created by Jim Simmerman that has really challenged the way I think about the subject I chose for this poem. Hopefully you'll find it interesting too.

Twenty Little Poetry Projects

1.  Begin the poem with a metaphor.
2.  Say something specific but utterly preposterous.
3.  Use at least one image for each of the five senses.
4.  Use one example of synaesthesia (mixing the senses)
5.  Use the proper name of a person and the proper name of a place.
6.  Contradict something you said earlier in the poem.
7.  Change direction or digress from the last thing you said.
8.  Use a word (slang?) you’ve never seen in a poem.
9.  Use an example of false cause/effect logic.
10. Use a piece of “talk” you’ve actually heard (preferably in dialect         and/or which you don’t understand).
11. Create a metaphor using the following construction; “The (adjective) (concrete noun) of (abstract noun)…”
12. Use an image in such a way as to reverse its usual associative qualities.
13. Make the persona or character in the poem do something he/she could not do in real life.
14. Refer to yourself by nickname and in the third person.
15. Write in the future tense so that part of the poem seems to be a prediction.
16. Modify a noun with an unlikely adjective.
17. Make a declarative assertion that sounds convincing but that finally makes no sense.
18. Use a phrase from a language other than English.
19. Make a non-human object say or do something human (personification).

20. Close the poem with a vivid image that makes no statement, but that “echoes’ an image from earlier in the poem.