Katy A! Congrats!! I will be getting with you via email later today to discuss details. Thank you to everyone for participating, and welcome to all of my new followers!
Bacon and Egg Risotto
My husband and I are big fans of Hell’s Kitchen. On the show, one meal Gordon Ramsey always has the chefs make risotto. It looks so yummy that I just had to try to make some. Well, after one meal we fell in love with it. Now I make my own little additions and changes to recipes, and this is one rendition that we LOVE. Bacon risotto with a poached egg on top. YUMMY!!!!!
Here’s the recipe!
Serves 4
- 1/2 pound bacon
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 onion, diced (optional, the hubby isn’t a fan of onions so I don’t include them in mine)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
- 1/2 cup white cooking wine
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 eggs
- 2 tomatoes
- salt and black pepper to taste
Directions
- Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon and reserve.
- Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a saucepan over high heat; reduce heat to low to keep the chicken stock hot.
- Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic; cook and stir until the onion begins to turn golden brown at the edges, about 2 minutes.
- Pour in the rice and stir until the rice is coated in butter and has started to toast, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; stir in white wine and stir until rice has absorbed it. Continue by stirring in one-third of the hot chicken stock and stir constantly until the rice has absorbed the liquid and turned creamy. Repeat this process twice more, stirring constantly. Stirring in the broth should take 15 to 20 minutes in all. When finished, the rice should be tender, yet slightly firm. **Stirring is VERY important, it’s what gives risotto that creamy consistency
- Remove the risotto from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, the Parmesan cheese.
- Meanwhile, poach your eggs. If you don’t know how to poach eggs, you can check it out HERE
- Serve topped with 2 slices of bacon and poached egg. (Jason prefers the bacon crumbled and mixed into the risotto, you can do that too!) Slice your tomatoes and serve alongside the risotto. The perfect bite consists of a little risotto, a crumble of bacon, and a bit of tomato. Mmmm. Enjoy!!
**For extra bacon-y tasting risotto, you can substitute the 2 tablespoons of butter in step 3 for some bacon grease. I’ve done it this way before, and while it ends up a little greasy, it is REALLY tasty!
Giveaway Time! Fleece Throw: ENDED
All right everybody, it’s giveaway time!! The winner will receive one 54″x54″ fleece throw, customized to their liking– you tell me what colors/design you’d like, and we’ll go from there to make you exactly what you want! A $40 value!
Entry details– To enter in the giveaway all you have to do is follow my blog, and leave a comment saying that you’ve done so. Easy! (That’s a free entry if you’re already following me, but don’t forget to comment below so that I know you want to be involved!!)
To earn extra entries in the giveaway you can,
1) Follow my page on Facebook, then leave a comment below saying that you’ve done so
2) Mention SuperStayAtHomeMommy in a post on Facebook, then leave a comment below saying that you’ve done so
3) For every 3 friends you refer to SuperStayAtHomeMommy, you will receive another entry in the giveaway. Simply have them follow my blog, and then comment below who sent them here!
How easy is that? You’re on your to winning a beautiful fleece throw! Perfect for curling up on the couch with, or an blanket for a kid’s bedroom!
Giveaway ends Tuesday, April 10, 2012. Winner will be chosen via Random.org at/around 12pm MST. Giveaway is only for US citizens.
Giveaway Coming Soon!!
Everyone loves free stuff, right? Well SuperStayAtHomeMommy is planning a giveaway to start in the next few days. What are we giving away?? A beautiful, homemade, fleece throw. Not just any old fleece throw though, one that will be made specifically for you! These throws are perfect for a child’s bedroom, or to curl up with on the couch. So stay tuned, spread the word, and look for your chance to take part in the giveaway!
Sewing Table For Small Spaces
I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t have a whole lot of extra room in my house for my sewing hobby. I would LOVE to have a whole room to dedicate to sewing and crafts, but that’s just not possible right now. So, I saw this great table on Pinterest (I’m hooked!!), and talked my dear husband into making it for me. Click on the link and take a look, it walks you through step-by-step exactly how to make your own! And talk about a space saver! The sides of the table fold down for easy storage, and when set up the table offers TONS of workspace. Not to mention, the shelves offer a perfect spot for sewing machine storage.
With the sides folded down. My husband used some spring hinges on the side, so it doesn't quite lay flat, but yours will if you use regular hinges.
And here it is all set up and ready to go! Look at all that great workspace! I'm so excited to get sewing!!
Easter Fun!!
I have been trying to just post once or twice a week, but with Easter quickly approaching, I wanted to squeeze in one more post this week. I don’t know about you, but the I don’t like the idea of stuffing my kid full of Easter candy. Instead, I have created a list of fun ideas to fill Easter baskets with. I also compiled a list of crafts and activities that you can enjoy with your kiddos!
Easter Basket Goodies!
-Coloring Books
-Crayons
-Books
-Sidewalk Chalk (Learn how to make your own HERE)
– Finger Paint (Learn how to make your own HERE)
-New Swimsuit For The Coming Summer Season
-Easter Outfit
-Bubbles
-Kite
-Playdough (Learn how to make your own HERE)
-Flubber (Learn how to make it HERE)
-Stuffed Animals
-Bath Time Toys
-Outside toys
-Fill Plastic Eggs With Tastey Snacks (goldfish, Cheerios, etc)
-Sippy Cup, or Character Cup For an Older Kid
– Movies
– Hair Clips/Bows (This is where I get mine- F&F Creations– She does great work, and will do custom orders!)
– Stickers
-Plastic Eggs Filled with Little Toys
–These Worksheets
-New Toothbrush
-Toothpaste
The possibilities are endless! Let’s try not to stuff our kids full of sweets this year!
And here are some great crafts and activities I’ve come across– Lots of Easter fun!!–Felt Easter Birdy
– Paper-Napkin Decoupage Eggs
–Easter Egg Coloring Tips
–25 DIY Easter Projects
–101 Easter Craft Ideas
–Temporary Tattoos on Eggs
–Easter Egg Hunt Activities
–Bubble Wrap Easter Eggs
–Plastic Egg Animals
HAVE FUN!!!
Guest Post: Cost Per Trip
My lovely Mother-in-Law created a nifty budgeting tool that we wanted to share with you! She wrote up a great post about it, and I’m excited for you all to read about it and try it out! If you want your own copy of this great little spreadsheet she made (it makes everything so easy to figure out- you don’t have to do any math!) all I ask is that you follow my blog, and then post in the comments that you would like the link to the worksheet. I will send it to you via email!
Click to see a sample of the worksheet!
Gas prices are rising…AGAIN! They could reach $5-6/gallon within the year. OUCH! Those kind of prices can hurt even a well-thought out budget.
Gas is expensive, probably one of the most expensive items in a budget. Where do those gas dollars go?
It’s time to stop thinking about PPG (price per gallon) and start thinking about CPT (Cost Per TRIP). If we concentrate on how much it costs to get from one place to another, it’s easier to make educated decisions about where (and if) we go. If you determine it costs $8 to go to the utilities company to pay a bill, you might consider mailing in your payment, or even better, paying online, for an instant savings of $8. If it costs $4 to go to the neighborhood grocery store, you might want to only go once a week (or less), resulting in more money in your pocket. Thinking about how much a trip costs always helps you make informed decisions about whether the PPT is worth that trip.
I wrote this Excel worksheet to make the process easy. Just input the correct information, and you will have a list of how much each trip you make costs according to the current price per gallon of gas. This worksheet is free, but please be courteous and don’t share with anyone. We would love to have them come visit us at http://www.superstayathomemommy.com and get their copy there.
-Cheryl Boynton
My Favorite Online Tutorials!
Before I start, I’d like to quickly check and make sure that all of my followers are receiving emails when I make a new post. I have recently discovered that my blog has been having issues getting reminders out. So, if you could please let me know whether or not you are getting them, that would be great! I’m working on getting this problem solved 🙂
And now, as promised, my Top 10 Favorite Online Sewing Tutorials!! These are tutorials that I just keep going back too, and I feel like more people should enjoy. Take a look, and if you make something I’d love to see it!!
Invisible Zipper Tutorial via Sew Serendipity- If you are struggling with zippers (they can be tricky little suckers), take a look at this! This is how I do all my zippers now. It’s so easy, and they turn out beautiful every time!
Zippered Pouch Tutorial via Gussy Sews- These make great little cosmetics pouches, or holders for your kids crayons, snacks, etc. These can be difficult, but her tutorial makes it easy!
Baby booties, bibs, blankets, and more! via New Conceptions- Ok, cheating a bit here, this isn’t actually a tutorial. It’s a website with free patterns. Great ideas for a baby shower gift!
Spare Toilet Paper Holder via A Rosie Sweet Home- I made one of these in about 10 minutes the other day. It’s so handy to have in the bathroom.
Cafe Curtains via Woman’s Day- SO quick and simple! And what a nice touch to add to your kitchen!
Toddler Ruffle Top via Sewing in No Mans Land- Requires a bit more patience because of all the ruffles. But it is SO cute!!
Double-Sided Fabric Headband Tutorial via Happy Together- These are fun and quick! I’d love to modify her pattern to fit a toddler.
Super Simple Leggings via Make it and Love it- I have made several of these for Linnaea, and have a stack waiting to be sewn. Perfect pair to a cute dress!
The Circle Skirt via Made- She has TONS of great tutorials, but this one has got to be my all time favorite. I can throw together a skirt in just 10 minutes. I have made several for Linnaea and they are adorable.
Twirly Skirt via House on Hill Road- Another great skirt. Requires a little more work than the circle skirt, but equally cute!
There you have it, my favorite tutorials. I tried to include a little bit of everything, although I mostly sew clothes. Let me know what your favorites are- I always love trying out new tutorials.
Work in progress…..
I’m working on Linnaea’s Easter dress and it is not going well… Sigh, I’ll get some pictures posted once I finish it up. Just wanted to check in and say that I have not forgotten this blog. I’ll be posting again soon with some links to my favorite online tutorials, so stay tuned!!
Ultimate Burgers!
Your life will never be the same after a bite of these delicious burgers! You will never want a plain old burger ever again!
Jason, my awesome husband, is a big fan of watching food network, and then convincing me to cook whatever he thinks looks tastey. This recipe was a combination of burgers that were made by Guy Fieri and Michael Symon. Bacon is mixed into the hamburger meat, it’s topped with cheese and pastrami (or salami works too), and finished with a poached egg. DELICIOUS! And, I’m going to share with you exactly how to make on of your very own 🙂
Ingredients: 1/2 lb hamburger meat per burger (I use 80/20 lean meat. I know it sounds like a lot, and it is, but you only need to eat one burger and you’ll be plenty full!) 2-3 slices of bacon per burger Salt Pepper Italian seasoning bread crumbs 1 egg per burger, plus one to mix into your meat cheese- 2 slices per burger (we use American, but you can use whatever you prefer) Pastrami or Salami- 2 slices per burger Hamburger buns Start by frying up your bacon, you’ll want it nice and crispy. Crumble. Place hamburger meat in bowl, mix in crumbled bacon, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning to taste (about 1/4-1/2 tsp per burger), one egg (Yep, I use the whole egg, not just the yolk), and a sprinkle of breadcrumbs. Be careful not to overdo it on the bread crumbs, you’ll dry out your burgers. Form hamburger patties, and grill to desired done-ness. Before you take them off the grill, don’t forget to put your cheese and Pastrami on top! Meanwhile, poach you eggs. If you don’t know how to poach eggs, here’s a link to help, Easy Poached Eggs. And don’t be overwhelmed, it’s not that hard! Plop your burger on a bun, and top with poached egg. Cut burger in half and watch the yolk spill, mmmm….. you don’t even need ketchup for this burger, the egg tops it off perfectly! Enjoy!!
Nothing goes better with an awesome burger than a beer! We learned the hard way that 2 burgers was WAY too much. One burger per person is plenty 🙂 Grill some up, and let me know what you think!
Super Stay At Home Mommy! 