One of my favorite things - Alfredo Sauce

I consider myself and my family to be pretty healthy, the majority of what we eat is vegetarian, rarely do we eat meat and we have little carb and fat in our diet. I do believe that it's ok to indulge here and there...so occasionally we'll have meat (if someone's slaved over a special dish we are happy to partake) and it's difficult for me to turn sweets away since I have the biggest sweet tooth. If I do eat sweets I will avoid anything with hydrogentated oils or items with a kagillion ingredients and try to eat smaller portions. However if it's chocolate that's impossible for me to do. The other thing I love and crave sometimes is any pasta with Alfredo sauce. It's hard for me to admit how much I love alfredo...it's loaded with cholestoral and fat but boy does it taste good when it's made right. So on occasion we will splurge and I will make it and indulge with a big smile.

Most of my life, I've been a super picky eater...meaning since I was little I would pick at my food, avoid meat that had fat in it and drove my father crazy with my stubborness when it came to food. So one day, my dad bought me a "Miss Manners book" and tried to encourage me to learn to cook on my own, hoping that I'd stop picking at my food. (Later, I'll post about the 5 inch thick Miss Manners book and the things I learned) Well one of the first recipes I tried to learn to cook was Fettucini Alfredo. I remember cooking on my dads stove, trying recipe after recipe until I got one that was ok. Over the years and years I've continued to try different versions to find the creamiest one and I finally found and know the key to making the perfect Alfredo sauce...so I'm thrilled to share it.

Warning, if you try this recipe, do not skimp on the cream, that is one of the "secrets" to making real Alfredo...and since there's no way to create a good healthy version, eat this sparingly :-)

"Yes, there's really no butter" Alfredo Sauce:

(I don't have measurements so be brave and try to follow my lead):

• Select a pasta - my favorites with Alfredo are (Fettucini, Linguine or some type of Tortelloni or Ravioli) - cook the pasta according to it's direction
• Heavy Cream (again, don't try half-n-half or anything else because it won't turn out right, believe me I've tried!
• Fresh Parmessian grated or shaved, no bottled grated parm please (if you can use fresh Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano Reggiano it will make the sauce so much better...otherwise I would opt for a Romano as it has a bolder taste)
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Lemon (optional)

Once the pasta is done, drain and set aside. In the same big pot, pour in the cream (I usually buy a pint of cream and may use all or 3/4 of it - but basically just eye ball the amount of cream to match the amount of pasta...if you want extra sauce then you may want to add more). Bring to a low simmer over medium heat...watch it simmer for a few minutes. Then add in as much parm as you want...sometimes I'll put in a few small handfuls once the cream is nice and hot. Stir until the cheese has melted and the sauce begins to thicken up. Next I'll pour in the pasta into the pot with the sauce, mix well...then season with a bunch of salt and pepper...then I'll finish it off with a few squeezes of lemon juice. Serve hot and if your like me, feel free to add a few more sprinkles of cheese! Oh, and a nice glass of white wine and crusty bread should top it off.

Variations:

• (Seafood) - do the above and add in small cooked shrimp and scallops (if you are trying to watch your cholestoral you might want to eat this sparingly between plently healthy/veggie meals
• (Straw/Hay) - do the above and add in sauteed mushrooms and peas or even a few bits of bacon
• Do the above except opt for a different type of noodle like a spinach, quinoa (these are my favorite), wheat, etc

Enjoy!!