Caesar-Inspired Salad with Homemade Sour Dough Croutons

Not sure if anyone has notice but I have been MIA lately...well to say the least I have been a busy busy lady. For starters I graduated college! AH! The day always seemed so far away but it snuck up on me. I graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and a Bachelor of Arts degree in strategic communication. It feels so weird to have graduated and to now be considered Ohio State Alum! I am still going to another school to get licensed in sign language interpretation but the hard part is over, and I will ALWAYS be a buckeye :)

In the midst of all that I moved into a one-bedroom apartment. I have been dying to live alone, just be and Kirby (my dog). I'm very particular and like things my way and am such a homebody that I just needed my own space. I finally moved off of campus away from the noise, beer can littered streets and vandalism into my dream neighborhood. Well, I guess I'm not exactly IN the neighborhood, I'm more on the border but I can walk around in it and that makes me smile. I moved around German Village. It's a quiant, cute, rustic little village just south of downtown Columbus. The streets are made of brick and lined with cozy cottages, cute shops and hole-in-the wall restaraunts that have food so amazing you can't find it anywhere else.

I am so in love with this neighborhood, I never want to leave. It would be my dream to someday own one of the victorian houses and cottages and live here forever but it's expensive...perhaps if I devise a perfect plan to rob a bank...I think part of why I like this neighborhood so much is how much history and character it has. Everything is old...which I love because old things have flaws...and I appreciate flaws. Growing up I was abnormally obsessed with having an old cozy home...I used to beg my mom if we could move into one of the victorian houses in the historic district in Troy. I don't know what it is, but I have always dreamed of living in a house and neighborhood like German Village. German village is a neighborhood of simplicity and enjoying the basics. There are so many things to do an see here, I've only barely experienced it, but when I get a significant amount of exposure I will devote a post to it. I want to include some pictures because I am just smitten...(I didn't take these...lets face it my camera and photography skills are lacking)

Anyway, on to the salad! This is one of my favorite salads I ever made. Sour dough is my favorite bread so I was very intrigued by this. When the croutons are baking you're whole kitchen instantly smells AMAZING. The croutons definitely made this salad...

Caesar-Inspired Salad with Homemade Sour Dough Croutons
Adapted from foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:
Croutons:
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it
1 tablespoon butter
3 cups cubed sourdough bread
1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 1/2 teaspoons dried herbs de provence

Salad and Dressing:
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it
2 large hearts Romaine lettuce, chopped, 7 to 8 cups
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
Salt and coarse black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Heat garlic and oil over low heat and melt butter into the oil. Place the bread in a large bowl and toss with garlic oil and butter. Season with pepper, Parmesan and herbs de provence. Spread croutons evenly on a baking sheet and bake until crisp and golden, 15 minutes.

In the bowl you made the croutons in, combine garlic, lemon juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce and mustard. Whisk in extra-virgin olive oil while mixing the dressing.

Remove croutons and let cool. When you are ready to serve, add lettuce to the dressing in the bowl and toss to coat evenly. Add cheese, salt and pepper, croutons. Toss again. Adjust seasonings and serve