A Cheesy Delight

I believe that food is a necessary topic to write about. This is due to the fact that everyone eats, no matter how fat, skinny, tall or short; everyone eats. Since we all must eat, people grow to enjoy different types of food that appease their own taste buds. That is why I will be blogging about different foods and restaurants. 

On Wednesday evening, I walked into the kitchen, getting a wonderful whiff of a cheesy and creamy sensation. As I bent over my mother’s shoulder to see what she was brewing up, I also noticed a pot bubbling over with hot water. I realized she was beginning to cook fettuccine, a type of Italian pasta in long, slender, flat strips. When I saw this, I realized the cheesy smell was coming from the Fettuccine Alfredo sauce she was cooking up, since the customary dish to make with fettuccine pasta is Fettuccine Alfredo. I became overjoyed since Alfredo sauce and pasta is one of my favorite dishes that I absolutely recommend for the dairy-lover. This is because the heavy sauce has a rich, salty, creamy flavor that isn’t too thick but isn’t too watery either. Also, the slender fettuccine is fun to eat since it’s easy to slurp up.

However, if you are specifically watching your diet, then this meal may not be the right choice since there is 26 grams of fat in the sauce (Betty Crocker Fettucine Alfredo Sauce) and the pasta carries 26 grams of carbohydrates. Though there is a way to make the meal lighter and not as fattening which is listed below.  

Nevertheless, some people are horrible cookers, and then there are some who just down right hate it. That is why there are such things as restaurants. Out of all the Italian restaurants that serve numerous amounts of different pasta meals, Olive Garden has the best Fettuccine Alfredo around. The way they pour their creamy parmesan sauce over the perfectly soft cooked fettuccine is to die for. This easy-make meal is a good source of protein (9 grams from Betty Crocker recipe) that will completely satisfy your hunger.

Here is the recipe of the Fettuccine Alfredo my mom makes from the Betty Crocker Cooking Basics Book. Enjoy!

Makes 6 Servings-Cook: 15 Minutes

Ingredients

Essential Equipment: Dutch oven (about 4-quart size); medium saucepan (about 2-quart size)

8 ounces uncooked fettucine, 1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine or butter, 1/2 cup whipping (heavy) cream, 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, dash of pepper, and chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Fill the Dutch oven about half full of water. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt if desired. Cover and heat over high heat until the water is boiling rapidly. Add the fettucine. Heat to boiling again. Boil uncovered 11 to 13 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. To test fettucine for doneness, cut a strand of fettucine on the side of the Dutch pan. while fettucine is cooking, continue with the recipe to make the Alfredo sauce.

2. Heat the margarine and whipping cream in the saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until margarine is melted. Stir in the cheese, salt and pepper until the mixture is smooth.

3. Drain the fettucine in a strainer or colander, and place in a large serving bowll or back in the Dutch oven. Pour the sauce over the hot fettucine, and stir until fettucine is well coated. Sprinkle with parsley.

1 Serving: Calories 370 (Calories from fat 235); Fat 26g (Saturated 9g); Cholesterol 65mg; Sodium 570mg; Carbohydrate 26g (Dietary Fiber 1g); Protein 9g

Lighter

Fettucine Alfredo: For 16 grams of fat and 290 calories per serving, decrease margarine to 1/3 cup, and substitute evaporated milk for the whipping cream.

Alfredo sauce can also have meat added to it. One of the most common sauces which I have tried and enjoyed is the Chicken Alfredo. If the chicken is successfully cooked, it is especially moist. This allows it to be eaten with pleasure since it isn’t too tough and doesn’t keep you chewing forever. The fried chicken has a crispy coating while the inside is softer and steaming with tender chicken breast. Also, due to the chicken breast being coated with the Alfredo sauce, the flavor is nothing near plain. This addition of chicken adds a good source of protein to a mainly carbohydrate meal. Though this adds more time for cooking dinner, the outcome is worth it because of the greater variety in the meal.

Here is a recipe for the Chicken Alfredo sauce. Enjoy!

CHICKEN ALFREDO

2 lbs boneless chicken breasts, 4 tablespoons oil, 1/4 cup butter, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated, 3/4 cup heavy cream, salt and pepper to taste, 1 lb fettucine

Heat oil in a 10 inch skillet. Cut chicken breast into strips. Add salt and pepper. Fry on medium heat until cooked through. To make the sauce, melt butter in saucepan, then add cream and cheese. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly. Do not boil. Cook fettucine in 3 quarts boiling water. Mix chicken and Alfredo sauce together. Drain noodles. Put sauce and chicken over noodles. Makes 6 servings.

Recipe by: Ruth Quick

Word Count: 856