today, i'm finally starting to crawl out of my post christmas coma. i've been eat, sleep, yoga, repeat for two full days now and i'm starting to feel like a semi normal person again. 

for years now i've been dreaming of my first holiday season feeding people for a living. and while it was so rewarding, good lord was it a grind. totally worth it, but it explains my relentless need to netflix and chill. 

so i'm going to continue to keep it mellow this week. but mellow doesn't mean it can't be delicious. sometimes the simplest things are the tastiest. one of my all time favorite foods is a simple salad with tasty homemade croutons. they are the perfect use for day old bread you couldn't finish and you can keep them on hand for a few days stored in an airtight container. 

seasoned croutons
serves: 4 cups croutons
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 20 minutes
total time: 30 minutes
ingredients: 4 cups day old bread, sliced into 1 inch cubes. 4 tablespoons butter. 3 garlic cloves, minced. 1 tsp dried oregano. 1 tsp dried parsley. 1 tsp dried thyme. .25 cup olive oil. .5 tsp salt. .25 tsp fresh ground pepper.
start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees f. 

while your oven is preheating, place the butter in a large oven safe pan over medium heat. melt the butter and toss in the rest of the ingredients. stir everything together well so all the bread is lightly coated with herbs, butter and olive oil. 

toast the bread in the pan for about 10 minutes, stirring every few until all the bread is lightly toasted. 

transfer the pan to the oven and bake till crispy. about 7-10 minutes. stir every couple of minutes so everything is evenly crisped. 

allow to cool and use as desired. i won't judge you if you eat them all by themselves. 

xo, a

seasoned croutons
serves: 4 cups croutons
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 20 minutes
total time: 30 minutes
ingredients: 4 cups day old bread, sliced into 1 inch cubes. 4 tablespoons butter. 3 garlic cloves, minced. 1 tsp dried oregano. 1 tsp dried parsley. 1 tsp dried thyme. .25 cup olive oil. .5 tsp salt. .25 tsp fresh ground pepper.
start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees f.
while your oven is preheating, place the butter in a large oven safe pan over medium heat. melt the butter and toss in the rest of the ingredients. stir everything together well so all the bread is lightly coated with herbs, butter and olive oil. toast the bread in the pan for about 10 minutes, stirring every few until all the bread is lightly toasted.
transfer the pan to the oven and bake till crispy. about 7-10 minutes. stir every couple of minutes so everything is evenly crisped.
allow to cool and use as desired. i won't judge you if you eat them all by themselves. 

let's get real. you and your holiday guests are about to consume a ton of cocktails. and the last thing you need at this moment is a bunch more work to do. 

but let me ease your fears. simple syrup is really as easy as the name would lead you to believe. if you have sugar on hand and ten minutes to spare, you can easily throw this syrup together. it is a life savor when the moment is a little sour and you need to add a bit of sweet to the situation. once made, you can keep the syrup in the fridge for a month and i find myself using it as a light sweetener on fruit, in my tea as well as in my holiday beverages. you are really only limited by your imagination. 

if your imagination is fried, that is ok too. here are a few cocktails you could use the simple syrup for. 

pomegranate + candied rosemary gin & tonic
casco bay sweet limeade
blackberry + sage gin fizz

simple syrup
serves: 1 cup
prep time: 1 minute
active time: 10 minutes
total time: 15 minutes
ingredients: 1 cup water. 1 cups sugar. medium saucepan. 

in a medium saucepan combine the water and sugar. 

bring the mixture to a boil. let the liquid boil until the sugar has dissolved. 

once the sugar has dissolved, remove the liquid from the heat and allow it to sit for a few minutes before you bottle up the simple syrup.

store it in a jar or bottle in the fridge for up to one month. 

xo, a

simple syrup
serves: 1 cup
prep time: 1 minute
active time: 10 minutes
total time: 15 minutes
ingredients: 1 cup water. 1 cups sugar. medium saucepan. 
in a medium saucepan combine the water and sugar.
bring the mixture to a boil. let the liquid boil until the sugar has dissolved.
once the sugar has dissolved, remove the liquid from the heat and allow it to sit for a few minutes before you bottle up the simple syrup.
store it in a jar or bottle in the fridge for up to one month.