Dinner Experiment - Day 3

I don't normally cook on Friday nights, so this was the last night of new dinner experiments for our family.  I decided on Fettuccine Alfredo.  Hubby neither likes fat pasta nor Alfredo sauce...so he thinks.  In a restaurant, he always orders angel hair.  When I make pasta, I always use thin spaghetti.  So, I already had one strike against me.

Hubby has only had Alfredo sauce once and didn't like it.  At all.  I made it from a friend's recipe, which had a cream cheese base.  It was way too thick and I didn't care for it either.  I actually thought I didn't like Alfredo sauce for quite some time.  When I went to a family style rehearsal dinner, I tried a bit of everything.  Turns out, the fettuccine was amazing!  Since then, I've had it here and there and have always liked it.  We just had one bad experience.  The difference is, I'm willing to try it again while Hubby holds a grudge.

I knew it was a thinner sauce I liked, not the thick, cream cheese sauce.  So I decided upon a standard Parmesan, Romano, butter sauce.  It also called for a cup of heavy cream.  I thought I could use whole milk instead, since I had it.  Hmmm....probably a bad decision.  The sauce didn't thicken.  I ended up making a roux on the side with flour and butter and adding it to the sauce.  That actually made it perfect.  Also, instead of buying a block of Romano and a block of Parmesan, I bought a bag of Kraft shredded Italian blend.  It had Parmesan, Romano, asiago, mozzarella, and provolone, I think.  I was worried about using all those extra cheeses, but I actually liked it.  I used a bit less than a cup.

My verdict:  Delicious and very easy!  Hubby's verdict:  OK.  The Kids:  Thumbs Down.  Then again, most meals are thumbs down for them.  I'll make it once in a while, but it's too fattening to make regularly...especially if I use cream like the recipe states!

Fettuccine Alfredo
1 lb. fettuccine
2/3 C butter
1 C heavy cream
dash garlic salt
1/2 C grated Romano
1/3 C grated Parmesan
salt & pepper, to taste

Cook pasta; drain.
In a large saucepan, melt butter into cream over low heat.  Add salt, pepper, and garlic.  Stir in cheese over medium heat until melted.
Add pasta to sauce.  Serve immediately.

Next time, I might try it with chicken.  The kids would really hate that!

Also, I noticed in the comments of the recipe, most people said there was too much pasta and not enough sauce.  So I ended up using about 3/4 of the box of pasta and it was just about right.  I even had some leftover for lunch the next day.  I served it with garlic bread.