fettuccine alfredo

warning: this recipe is not low fat. if you are on a diet, just quit reading now. close your laptop and walk away.

paul loves alfredo sauce, but he also was blessed with this freaky metabolism...i can't eat this very often, so it's a special treat at our house. it's pretty easy to make and totally yummy. add grilled chicken or shrimp if you want to serve with meat.

fettuccine alfredo

*1 12-oz. package fettuccine noodles, cooked and drained (do not rinse!!)

now for the sauce:

1 stick butter (um, do i need to point out NO MARGARINE!?)
1 pint heavy whipping cream (can use half and half)
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 3-oz. package cream cheese, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup parmesan cheese (i prefer the shredded over the kind in the can)
salt and pepper to taste

in a medium saucepan, melt butter and cream cheese together. add the garlic and combine well. stir in cream and simmer for 15-20 mins. do not boil. add the parmesan cheese, mix well and simmer for another 10-15 mins. keep the heat fairly low; otherwise the cheese may burn on the bottom of the pan. stir occasionally. sesaon with salt and pepper. the longer this cooks, the better it is, but you can adjust the cook time based on your schedule. this is also totally awesome (did i really just say totally awesome??) with breadsticks.

toss with cooked fettuccine noodles. remember me saying not to rinse them? rinsing noodles is a common mistake many people make. NOT rinsing them allows the sauce to stick to the pasta. usually you rinse pasta for cold pasta salads. however, you shouldn't rinse spaghetti that is going to be coated in sauce - or it will make the sauce watery.

serve. your family will love you.

p.s. you are supposed to use white pepper, but who has that in their cupboard? black pepper is fine.