The other evening I was perusing my recent recipes and holding an intelligent conversation with myself regarding chocolate, bacon and side dishes.

And I decided that I was going to throw some cheese into my cornbread recipe, because everything needs cheese. Everything. Even cheese needs cheese.
And then I decided that I was going to try and make croutons from said cornbread, because I was bored and felt like setting the oven on fire. Which did happen, by the way.

The above pan is Mother Lovett’s. One of her old, ancient ones. I love using it. It makes me feel… warm and fuzzy. And old. Let’s not mention that it was in near-perfect condition before I got my hands on it. For the 30-40+ years it was in her possession, she kept it clean and spotless.
Once it made it into my house, it was destroyed in days, like all of my skillets and sheet pans. Mr. How Sweet does a number on my kitchen tools. You don’t even want to know. If it’s a non-stick pan, he sprays just enough non-stick spray on to ruin it. He leaves syrupy, thick general tso’s sauce on my pans. He scrapes and scratches my skillets with metal utensils. This simply means that I get new items often. And then the cycle continues.

I have gone out of my way to keep this tiny rectangular pan out of his hands. I love the size and it’s perfect for foods like croutons and toasted sandwiches.
Have you ever have cornbread croutons? I had not. They are brilliant. Maybe even more so since they are laced with sharp cheddar cheese. They are dense and salty and crunchy and mouth-watering delicious. I had originally intended them for use on a salad, but started to convulse when I thought about greens. So into a bowl of soup they went for me to devour them.


Cheddar Cornbread Croutons

1 batch cornbread + 1 cup cheddar cheese

Bake cornbread with cheddar cheese addition, let cool completely, and cut into chunks. Heat oven to 400 degrees and lay cornbread cubes on a baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, flipping once, or until golden brown and crispy.

Serve with salad or soup.

And what came of the bacon + chocolate conversation? You will have to wait and see.