How can something so rich be so easy to make?  Alright!  Quiet!  I know Alfredo is a million calories and  practically a heart stopper!  I only lovingly make Alfredo TWICE a year.  I also make it as a side dish and pair it with something light, like chicken breast, salmon, or a butterfly pork chop. A simple vinaigrette salad, and, as Dean Martin croons – “That’s Amore!”  When I make Alfredo, my boys think I am a Venus of the kitchen. Their love pours out and I drink it in like a fine chianti.

Decadent Alfredo Sauce

• One stick of butter
• 8 oz. brick of softened cream cheese
• One quart of Half and Half
• 8 oz. of good parmesan cheese
• garlic
• salt and pepper to taste

The trick to this recipe is a nice, large saucepan with a heavy bottom and a whisk.

On medium heat, melt butter with the garlic.  The garlic can be fresh, in the tube or jar, or even powder.  I would use a tablespoon of crushed garlic or a teaspoon of powder.  Add the cream cheese and keep whisking until the butter and cream cheese mix and start to gently bubble.  Add the half and half a quarter at a time while whisking the whole time.  This will become a nice sauce that should also start to gently bubble.  Add the parmesan cheese and whisk until it is melted and smooth.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Fold in your cooked al dente pasta of choice right into the saucepan.  My favorite pasta is  Barilla Protein Pasta in farfalle or angel hair.  Garnish with a sprinkle of parmesan and/or fresh chopped parsley.

I hope you find the right opportunity to try this recipe.  Maybe Valentine’s Day!  When used as a side dish with a delicate meat or seafood and a simple salad, the richness is moderated.  But really, who cares!  It is a special-occasion dish and I know the love for you will flow if you make this!

Salute!