After a while I find the stuff in cardboard boxes, starts to taste about as bland and appealing as the packaging. Yuck! I recently started looking for simple things, recipes I can make at home that taste good.
I have a recipe for making your own pasta and will be posting it soon. I think adding that extra element of home made, would make this even better than it already is. But for now, here goes.
The sauce is simple and actually a recipe I got out of the booklet that came with my pasta machine.
8 oz or one box of cream cheese
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup of milk or cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste
This is for 8 oz of pasta. Might be good for a single person or a couple, but not a family unless it is a side dish.
Most of the boxes of pasta I find are 16 oz or 1 lb. So here comes the substitutions and alternatives...
2 boxes of cream cheese
1 stick of butter (2 sticks is too much)
1- 1 1/2 cups of milk (I tend to "eyeball it" sometimes) Half and half works too.
salt & pepper to taste.
1/2 cup Swiss cheese (It was all I had at the time) About 1/4 of a 1 lb block, grated. Half a block (8 oz) is too much.
Let the cream cheese and butter sit out and soften, or you can put them in a pan on low heat to speed up the process and help it along... as it begins to melt and blend together add in the milk, grated cheese, salt & pepper. How easy was that for Alfredo sauce?
Cube and cook a package of chicken.
Boneless, Skinless chicken tenderloins is a cheap cut that will go far this way. I found it for just under $4 at the grocery store.
When the chicken is nearly done, boil the pasta, draining when done.
Combine the chicken, pasta and sauce in a 9 x 13 baking dish. If it is still hot, serve it up.
Otherwise you can cover and freeze this for later.
When ready to heat and serve- cook it in the oven set on 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, pull the pan out and stir to ensure even cooking. Put back in for another 15-20 minutes or until it is nice and bubbly. Enjoy!
Next time I make this- I will be adding some chopped fresh spinach. It will bring some color and add a vegetable. Broccoli would also work for this.
Cream cheese is a staple at our house. An 8 oz box is $1 or $1.25 for the store brand at the local grocery. I buy a bunch of it whenever we go if my reserves are getting low...
Butter- I used to buy the big tub of country crap. Not any more! Now it is unsalted butter, 4 sticks, generic brand $2-$3 a box. You can freeze butter with no issue. Same thing I stock up when I can catch it on sale.
Cheese- Store brands, on sale- best bet.
3 comments:
I learned to make Alfredo sauce by using only butter, parmesan, heavy cream and nutmeg.
Melt butter, (how ever much you want) add and equal amount heavy cream. Heat until it starts bubbling lightly. Then add an equal amount of parmesan. Stir and heat till it coats the back of a spoon.
Sprinkle with nutmeg.
We would serve it with a tossed green salad. (I kept a bowl full of tossed greens in the fridge when I had a house full of kids. Just slice a tomato and a cucumber add French's Fried onions.) and roasted green beans.
I found that my kids would eat most veggies if I roasted them.
Kaede- That's exactly what I'm looking for. Simple recipes, a few ingredients and there you have it.
Isn't it amazing how much better the food tastes too?
sounds yummy ! gonna have to give it a go
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