New Recipe: Christine's Bacon-Cheddar Risotto

I was browsing through a magazine and a Bacon Risotto recipe caught my eye. I didn’t look at the recipe and now I can’t remember where I saw it. Since I make a mean Asparagus/Chicken Risotto, I figured I’d take a stab at a Bacon version.
(Note: I never measure anything when I cook so adding a little bit more or a little bit less of an ingredient will not destroy this recipe)


The Good Stuff:
1 medium Vidalia onion (chopped) – you can use a standard yellow onion
1 package of Bacon (12-16 oz package)
2 Tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 cup Arborio Rice
1 box (32oz) of Chicken Broth (reduced sodium, 98% FatFree is what I use)
¼ cup sharp cheddar cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Make it Happen:

Step 1) Chop the onion

Step 2) Chop the Bacon into small pieces (I discarded the fatty ends which looked like they had no meat on them)

Step 3) In a small 2 quart saucepan bring the whole container of Chicken broth to a boil, then lower the heat to low and leave on low for the duration of the recipe.

Step 4) Heat up a heavy bottomed pot. This can either enameled cast iron or whatever you use to make a big pot of soup. (stay away from stockpots).

Step 5) Toss in the bacon (IT WILL SPLATTER –wear a sleeved shirt or stay away)
Bacon will take about 5-7 minute to get nice and crispy.
Remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate for the bacon grease to be absorbed .

Step 6) Carefully pour the bacon grease into a safe container (I use cleaned paper milk cartons- since you can cut them down to have a big opening for pouring). You are going to discard the grease once it’s cool – Don’t put it down the drain.. ugh

Step 7) It’s a GOOD thing if there little bits of heaven and a light oil slick on the bottom of your pot, add the 2 tbsp of oil to the pot and heat to medium heat, add the chopped onions.

Step 8) Saute the onions until they turn translucent (about 5 minutes).

Step 9) Add the cup of Arborio Rice and sauté into the onions for 1.5 minutes

Step 10) Add a ladle (about ¾ cup) of chicken broth to the rice/onion mixture and stir.

Step 11) Once the liquid is absorbed add another ladle (¾ cup) of chicken broth – Continue this process until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed (you will probably have about 1 ladle leftover of broth in the pot that you can toss away) **It’s very important to do taste tests, Risotto should be firm, but not too hard and certainly not mushy**

Step 12) Remove the pot from the heat and add the Cheddar Cheese and the bacon and mix well. This is your final taste test, depending on the cheese/chicken stock and bacon it could be salty enough. Since I used low sodium bacon and chicken stock I typically can add about 1 tsp of salt to the pot and stir.

Enjoy!

Favorite Product Alert!

Tired of looking Tired??
Over the years I have tried an overabundance of eye creams. Here are a few of the most recent ones I've tested and ruled out:

"Clinique Rich" made my eyelids superdry (almost scaley) and burned the crap out of my eyes when I was carelessly applying it.

"Garnier Nutrisitionise Ultralift" was a nice eye moisturizer, and even though it was inexpensive, it didn't do much.. actually it didn't do anything.

"Origins Mushroom EyeSerum" made the overal area looking better, but again it didn't do a heck of a lot plus at $45 for 15mL it was a bit too pricey...

And then came a newbie to the cosmetic counter.... and it claimsed to deliver exactly what I had been seeking: diminished dark circles and reduced puffiness...

Origins GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream

I'm in my late 20's and thus I'm not looking for an eye-lift in a jar, but something to help with the "ut-oh I was doing wedding research until 2 AM" look.

After a bit more than month of using the miraculous potion I have DEFINITELY seen results: sayonara dark circles... and it reduced the swollen bags after a night of a few too many bottles, oops I mean glasses, of wine.

Why purchase Origins GinZing?
1) it works! - this most important right?
2) it wont break the bank - it's less than $30 for 15mL
3) a little goes a long way-I've barely put a dent in my jar and I use it religiously morning and night (on my eyelids and under eyes)

Where to get it?
Stop by an Origins store of the Origins counter in Macy's and ask for a sample.
Also if you place ANY order at http://www.origins.com/ and enter EXPERT at checkout (by May 16, 2010) they'll give you a 2 week supply for free.

Resuscitating NJ-Coupon Girl

There is no better way to revive the NJ Coupon Girl blog than to rave about my CVS shopping experience today.
I absolutely love the CVS Extra Bucks program. My previous blog explains how it works. But last weekend CVS has a sick amount of Extra Buck (EBs) Deals that I took advantage of and used a slew of coupons.

For example I purchase Nivea’s new body wash which was on Sale for $4.88 and I had a $4.00 coupon- only .88 cents out of pocket! I was ultra thrilled with the deals I found and the $12.50 in Extra Bucks (EBs) that I earned.



Here is what I purchased:

• Sheik Quattro 3 Ct Women Razors (2 packs) Reg $8.99 each. On sale for 25% off - $6.36 each.


• Sheik Hydro Razor (NEW for men) Reg $9.99. On Sale for $8.99


• 3D Crest Whitestrips Reg: $39.99 On Sale for $29.99


• Kotex U-tampons 18 Count Reg: $5.29 On sale for $4.99
  

The sale prices were based solely on using my CVS Extra Care Card.

Total Should have been: $73.25
With Extra Care Savings New Total: $56.69

BUT WAIT… I didn’t include my Manufacturers’ Coupons

Note: I didn’t buy a single item that didn’t have a Manufacturer Coupon.

• Sheik woman Razors- $2.00 off of each package


• Sheik Hydro Razor - $5.00 off


• 3D Crest White Strips - $10.00 off


• Kotex U-tampons - $1.00 off

Total coupon saving: $20.00….. $56.69 - $20.00 = $36.69

BUT WAIT… I didn’t apply my EBs from last week:

$36.69 – $12.50 (EBs)
Grand Total Spent today: $24.19

BONUS: I earned $8.99 in Extra Bucks which expire June 9 and a $10 off of $50 Purchase Coupon.