Recipes

Sorry it has taken so long. Here are the much-requested recipes (and I seriously hope I am not violating copyright laws).

These croutons are wonderful in creamy, savory/sweet soups - like a squash soup. They are also addictive little munchies.

CROUTONS
From Capriel's Soup and Sandwiches
Makes 4 cups
(directions, not ingredients, modified slightly)

1/4 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 baguette or loaf of sourdough, cut into 1/4" cubes

Preheat oven to 375*
In small bowl, stir together brown sugar and spices. Melt butter in microwave and pour over bowl of bread cubes. Stir until well coated. Then pour sugar/spice mixture over buttered bread and stir until well coated. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper and spread out croutons evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool completely before storing. (*If your croutons need a little crisping up the next day put them in a 300* oven for 20 minutes, or so. Then let cool. They should crunch up quite nicely.)

LEMON-BLUEBERRY SAUCE
From an episode of Giada at Home
Makes enough for about three slices of cheesecake, double or triple as needed
(again, slightly modified by me)

Juice from one lemon
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
(You can actually use one cup of any fruit you choose - I find the lemon-blueberry combination is amazing! (which I discovered quite accidentally while making lemon bars last summer during blueberry season - what does one do with all those fresh berries??))

Boil lemon juice (seeds removed) and sugar in a small saucepan over med-high heat. Boil for four or five minutes. Keep an eye on it so it does not boil over, stirring frequently. Stir in blueberries and bring back to boil, then turn off heat and cover for ten minutes. (You could probably keep the heat up and stir the berries a lot and it would be done sooner, but it will compromise the texture of the whole berries.) Ready to serve! I like it warm over cold cheesecake. YUM!

Bon appetit!