Dining on a Dime: Roasted Garlic Parmesan Broccoli

This recipe is far and away one of my favorites, and its very much a crowd pleaser. Maybe people just don't want to hurt my feelings, but I've never gotten less than rave reviews on this broccoli. We probably have this side two times a week or more and its extremely easy to vary the veggies you use as well.

I cannot impress how easy this is. You will need:

• Broccoli florets, fresh or frozen
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Garlic powder
• Grated Parmesan cheese

This is another recipe that is super easy. Toss your broccoli into a bowl (if it's frozen thaw it at least partially) and drizzle with olive oil. Be careful not to use too much or your veggies will be a little soggy. You just want to coat the broccoli lightly and give the other ingredients something to stick too. Next, add your other ingredients. This is definitely another one of those dishes where there is no exact amount I can tell you to use. Use as much or as little as you would like. You can also use fresh garlic, which will get a little sweet when it's roasted. If I use fresh garlic, I also tend to still use just a little garlic powder. We're big garlic fans in our house. And its good for you, so no complaints there.

Once everything is added, simply stir until the broccoli is coated. Next, spread the broccoli onto a pan that has been lightly greased. I typically use a jelly roll pan. I like something with sides.

Now, pop your broccoli into a preheated 425°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the broccoli starts to get brown and crispy.

It's as easy as that. We have not had steamed broccoli in our house since I discovered roasting it. It's so much better and super simple. As a side note, I've also done this same recipe with Brussels sprouts, one of my very favorites, and it is amazing. It would also be yummy with cauliflower.

Now, THAT is a meal!

Dining on a Dime: Oven "Fried" Zucchini

Guys, it really doesn't get much easier than this appetizer. And it is so good! Like addictive. With zucchini being in season, right now is the perfect time to try out this yummy recipe. I also got my zucchini in trade for some craft work, so that made this an extremely affordable dish.

What you will need:

• Zucchini, sliced thin
• Milk
• Breadcrumbs

You'll notice, again, I didn't specify any amounts. This one is just too easy to adjust to suit your crowd. Half of a large zucchini made a single panful and was just about right for just Deven and I.

With the breadcrumbs, I happened to have some whole wheat, Italian seasoned breadcrumbs already in the panty. If you don't have seasoned breadcrumbs, I would recommend mixing in a little Italian herbs and a little garlic or onion powder.

First, you'll want to preheat your oven to 425°F. Lightly spray a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan with cooking spray. If you want your zucchini extra crispy, you can spray an oven safe cooling rack with cooking spray and place it on top of your pan. My cooling racks can't go in the oven, or I would have done it this way.

Next, dip your zucchini slices into the milk and then dredge in breadcrumbs and place on your pan.

Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes.

One little guy got just a little toasty. Mmmm.

 That's it. Easy, right?

I served our with ranch and it was delicious. They would also be tasty with marinara, but obviously use whatever you like!

Do any of you have any delicious zucchini recipes? I still have more to use and will be getting my hands on more if I can!

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Here is something really cool for all of you who have a blog, no matter how big or small!



After Nine to Five is hosting a new program to help experienced bloggers connect with newbies (like me!) to help grow their blog! I signed up this morning and am really looking forward to being involved in the Big Bloggers, Little Bloggers program. Interested yourself? Head over and sign up!

Free Fun: My Macabre Pastime

I love a great many things, but two of my favorites are history and the macabre. Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday. These loves are how I initially got into cemeteries.

On the prowl! I am very, very young here.

I know. It sounds a little odd, even a little morbid, but bear with me here. This is something you can do that isn't necessarily cost you anything but the gas to get there and you can learn a great deal.

I initially got into visiting cemeteries shortly after I graduated high school. For years I had been driving past one of the cemeteries in my hometown. On the corner, right by the road there were two headstones that were very old and unreadable from the road. Eventually, my curiosity got the better of me, so I went in to take a look and got completely hooked.

Once upon a time, people were much more comfortable in cemeteries... with death in general, really. It wasn't uncommon for them to picnic in cemeteries. This article on the West Norwood Cemetery page does a good job explaining it.

Initially, I was drawn in by the history. There is plenty of that, particularly in older cemeteries. Here is a photo my friend Alaina took of the headstone of Jesse James' aunt, a distant relative of hers:

The photo below was taken in Jewell Cemetery in Columbia, Missouri. The small stone markers indicate the graves of slaves.

It can be really fascinating, and I'm when I out in cemeteries I'm constantly finding things that set me off on research of my own to learn more. It would be a great history lesson if you have kids, not to mention the walking is good exercise.

The second thing that really captured me is the artwork. You wouldn't necessarily think of a cemetery when you think about art work, but there can be some really lovely carvings, particularly on the older stones.

Many of these gorgeous images have deeper meanings. There are a great deal of symbols and iconography used in funerary art. Stories in Stone is a great field guide that can help you decipher some of the images you find. I bought it in college and it's fantastic.

All of these images below have deeper meanings than just pretty pictures:

And yes, obviously sometimes it can be sad. Here is a headstone that is clearly homemade. It's touching to see the effort this persons family put into making sure their relative was remembered:

Here is the headstone of a child who was born and died the same day, all the more sad because the stone has fallen over in the many years since he passed away.

And sometimes you can even stumble upon the burial place of family members. The stone on the left is that of my great-grandparents, Gene, who passed away when I was only four and Sarah, who passed away when I was in high school. When I went in I did not realized this was where they were buried, so it was something of a poignant moment for me.

Cemeteries are not scary. They are very peaceful and quiet.

If you decide to take up this hobby, one thing you should always keep in mind is to be respectful. Sometimes you will come upon people who are there to visit someone they have lost. I usually give those people a wide berth. Anything else is really common sense. Don't do anything that might cause damage. Don't sit or lean on the monuments. Sometime people leave things on the graves: leave those things alone. Like I said, just be respectful. Take photos (which is what I do) or do rubbings. I've never done the rubbings, but someday I would like to. Some of my photos have turned out to be really amazing.

Interested in learning more? A great place to start is Find a Grave. On this site you can find famous graves or search millions of cemetery records. You can search a cemetery you have been to and add records yourself or add a photo of the headstone. It's addictive. They haven't paid me to say that or anything (wish they had!), I just really like the site.

Give it a try! I promise it's a worthwhile experience!

What I'm Loving Right Now: Financial Friday Link Up @ The Grant Life

One of my favorite blogs, The Grant Life, has a link party and giveaway going on right now! Please head over and check her out!

You find lots of great links here, so please check out a few!

Handy Dandy Tips: Miracle Shower Cleaner Test

Here I am again with another test of a supposed Pinterest "miracle". Fortunately, this one was a success... for the most part.

For the life of me, I can't find my original pin, but here is a different site.

You will need:

• Vinegar
• Dawn
• Spray bottle

The original recipe that I worked from said to use a ratio of three parts vinegar, heated in the microwave for a minute or so to one part Dawn. All the other recipes I have found use a one to one ratio. I just sort of eyeballed it, because, that's just how I roll.

Here is where I started (sorry, gross, I know, but I color my hair more frequently than I probably should.):

Now, the post I saw said that she sprayed the mixture on and waited about a minute and everything wiped off easily. I tested that and it wasn't quite that easy. All said and done I let it sit about 5 to 10 minutes and there was some scrubbing involved, but not as much as I usually do. It didn't come out perfect, but as you can see, it was a big difference. Next time I will definitely use a scrubby sponge instead of just a rag.

My biggest complaint, when I was spraying this one, the vinegar fumes nearly killed me. Yikes.

Handy Dandy Tips: Grocery Shopping

Anyone can save money on their groceries, you don't have to be one of the extreme couponers to do so. I'm not, and in fact, I'm not a big fan of the extreme couponers and I'm always able to keep our grocery bills lower than I ever used to be able to by just following a few simple tips.

Keep in mind, I'm barely scratching the surface here. Everyone had their own tips for saving money, these are just the ones that I tend to follow. If you have any others, as always, please feel free to leave comments below!

1. Make a list.

You don't necessarily have to stick to it exclusively, but it helps. Do some planning before you ever leave the house. Plan some meals. You'll spend less if you are shopping for something specific, not just wandering about. This will also save on the number of trips you take to the store. For example, lets say you get to the store and decide you want to make spaghetti this week. It easy to forget to pick up one key ingredient and then have to go back for it the day you decide to make your spaghetti. Just a little planning ahead can save you the drive (and the gas money).

2. Do some research.

Read the store ads every week. I usually try to take special note of the items that I try to keep on hand so that I can stock up. It's also a good idea to actually do the math. Figure out the price per unit for items that you buy frequently at several different stores. This will give you a better idea of who has the better deals.

3. Shop more than one store.

You are not going to find a store that has the best prices on every product on their shelves, it's just not going to happen. We typically do three stores: Aldi, Sam's Club and Hyvee. I feel like this way we are getting the best variety at the best prices. For example, we can nearly always expect to get the best prices on milk at Sam's.

4. Go online for coupons.

Of course you can still find them the old fashioned way, cutting them from your paper, but technology is a beautiful thing. One good thing you can do is to find the products you use frequently and "like" them on Facebook. Many times the manufacturers will give you coupons through their Facebook pages. You can also sign up to receive their emails. This is another way to get the coupons directly from the manufacturers. Sometimes you also get coupons when you receive samples. My experience has been that these are typically the coupons with the highest value.

There are also many places online you can go to print off coupons. My favorite is The Krazy Coupon Lady. This site compiles tons of coupons in one easy location. It's also a good idea to follow a few blogs like this on Facebook, particularly if, like me, you are better about following Facebook than a lot of other things.

5. Don't be married to the name brands.

Sometimes, coupon or not, the store brand is going to be cheaper. Now, food is not like medicine. The generic medicines have to be just as good, just as effective as the name brands, but it doesn't work like that with food. This something that is just kind of trial and error. Try the store brand, sometimes it will be the same or better. Other times, it won't. Just give it a shot. When we first started shopping there, I was skeptical about Aldi, but it turn out it was an awesome decision. So far, I've been impressed with most of the things we have purchased. Not all, but most. Be flexible.

6. Buy in bulk when you can.

We don't have a deep freeze, nor do we have space to put one, so this one can be a little tricky sometimes. I try to buy dry and canned we use quite a bit in bulk when they are on sale, but there are certain things we can freeze that I like to have on hand, like ground turkey or whatever is on sale in the meat department. Our Hyvee does 10 or $10 sales now and again, so I try to to take advantage of this. With only two of us to feed 10 pork chops can last us quite awhile. Broccoli is another one of those frozen items I like to always have around. Just judge carefully. You don't want to buy more than you have freezer space.

These are just a few ideas to help you keep your food budget manageable. Please, let me know if you have anything to add!