When we moved to Asia 7 years ago I remember being at a loss for how to cook in my new surroundings. I had never really made anything before that didn't call for some sort of instant something. Whether it was an instant spice mix like taco seasoning, or biscuits you can cook out of a can. It took me about 2 years to fully embrace my new life in the kitchen. I made a lot of mistakes along the way, but now there are things I would never consider NOT making on my own. Things like homemade bread, tortillas, pitas, and biscuits to buttermilk and sour cream and many things in between.
Another benefit of living near 2 markets is that there is never a shortage of fresh fruits and vegetables in our house. We always have some sort of fruit cut and in a container for snacks as well as an assortment of veggies ready to go. Because we eat so many veggies we also eat a LOT of salads. Since cheese is so expensive we do not put it on a salad, but something I love putting on my salads are croutons. Of course you can't get a box of these either, but once a month I make a bactch from my left over bread collected throughout the month. I keep a ziplock bag in the freezer and when the bread is about to get old, or we come to the last piece I stick it in the freezer bag. When the bag gets full I take it out and cut all the bread into squares.
I throw all the bread cubs in my frying pan, and drizzle extra virgin olive oil in the pan making sure that all the croutons get a drizzle. Then I sprinkle salt and the best ingredient is the Italian seasoning (which I can now buy at my grocery store). I then keep stirring the bread cubes until they are all lightly browned on both sides.
I transfer all the croutons into another freezer bag and pull them out to top a salad. It adds great flavor and Preston even likes to eat them for a snack. So there you go. No excuse to throw away old bread or buy prepackaged croutons.
Another benefit of living near 2 markets is that there is never a shortage of fresh fruits and vegetables in our house. We always have some sort of fruit cut and in a container for snacks as well as an assortment of veggies ready to go. Because we eat so many veggies we also eat a LOT of salads. Since cheese is so expensive we do not put it on a salad, but something I love putting on my salads are croutons. Of course you can't get a box of these either, but once a month I make a bactch from my left over bread collected throughout the month. I keep a ziplock bag in the freezer and when the bread is about to get old, or we come to the last piece I stick it in the freezer bag. When the bag gets full I take it out and cut all the bread into squares.
I throw all the bread cubs in my frying pan, and drizzle extra virgin olive oil in the pan making sure that all the croutons get a drizzle. Then I sprinkle salt and the best ingredient is the Italian seasoning (which I can now buy at my grocery store). I then keep stirring the bread cubes until they are all lightly browned on both sides. 
I transfer all the croutons into another freezer bag and pull them out to top a salad. It adds great flavor and Preston even likes to eat them for a snack. So there you go. No excuse to throw away old bread or buy prepackaged croutons. 
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