Easy Fettuccine Alfredo with Real Cream and Fresh Parmesan

This recipe is definitely not diet friendly (!) but it is the only homemade alfredo I’ve made that actually tastes like restaurant style alfredo. And it is easy! So many recipes I’ve seen call for cream cheese, or mozzarella or jack cheese… while those make a yummy white sauce, the hard Italian cheeses are a must for real alfredo!! Also, for some reason it just tastes better on fettuccine than another cut of pasta. So grab these ingredients and a box of fettuccine too!

• 1 box fettuccine pasta, cooked al dente
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/2 c. fresh grated or shredded parmesan cheese (not the powdered kind) plus extra for garnish
• 1 tablespoon flour
• Salt/pepper to taste

While pasta is cooking, a saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Once butter is melted add 2 c. of cream and whisk constantly until cream is warm. Keep stirring so it doesn’t curdle and add in parmesan cheese. Continue whisking until cheese is melted into sauce (it takes a while for it to melt… I definitely had to tell myself to be patient because it was looking so creamy and gooey and good).
Once cheese is melted, add 1 tablespoon of flour to remaining cup of cream and whisk vigorously to remove all clumps. Turn heat under saucepan up to medium high and whisk in flour/cream mixture. Continue whisking over stovetop until fully incorporated and thickened. Then add salt and pepper to taste. Oh the cream is so good. It is so rich and that fresh parmesan gives is that true alfredo goodness.
Drain pasta but don’t rinse. Return to pot and cover with sauce. Serve immediately and top with more cheese and cracked pepper. And try to keep yourself from scarfing down this creamy rich goodness!

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Parmesan Meatball Subs

My husband is not a big fan of sandwiches for dinner… unless they are hot. When you’re eating cold sandwiches for lunch at least 3 days a week the last thing you want to have for dinner is a cold sandwich! (Well him anyway, I could eat a cold veggie or turkey sandwich probably for every meal ;)
Meatball subs are such an easy and yummy meal. I was already buying ground beef for another meal when I was doing my weekly shopping, and then I saw day old bakery hoagie rolls on sale so I quickly swapped out another meal for the week and replaced it with this. Bonus was I already had italian bread crumbs and fresh mozzarella at home too! I love planning meals out that work with the same ingredients so I don’t have to buy as much.
There are a couple ways you can make meatballs—some people pan sear them, then bake them or just bake them—I like to bake them and then throw them in the crock pot with tomato sauce to let them simmer. Then I can get dinner ready in the afternoon and it’s still hot by dinnertime. Also helps the flavors meld together. Here’s what you’ll need:
Ingredients:

• 1 package soft hoagie rolls or nice bread
• Fresh parmesan cheese (mozzarella works great too if you don’t have parm)
• Tomato sauce (I used jarred sauce this time but you can make your own too if you have some old over ripe tomatoes! Here is the link for homemade tomato sauce.)
• 1/2 lb. – 1 lb. ground beef
• 1-2 c. Italian bread crumbs (or you can use plain bread crumbs and season them with italian seasoning)
• 1 egg
• Garlic powder
• Salt/Pepper
• Cooking spray

First get out a baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium sized bowl turn out meat, crack egg, and dump in bread crumbs. Depending on how much meat you have you may have to add more bread crumbs. The more bread crumbs the easier the meatballs are to roll, but they are juicier with fewer bread crumbs.
Take off your rings and mash together with your hands.Then add 1 tsp of garlic powder and a couple shakes of salt and pepper. Mash together until the meat mixture doesn’t stick to your hands. Roll out into 1 inch size balls and cook at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. Break open a meatball to see if they’re done. The number of meatballs will depend on how big you make them, but this made me about 15.
Dump a jar of tomato sauce into the crock pot and set it to low. Spoon cooked meatballs into the crock pot and let simmer until dinnertime (if you need them ready faster just put them on the stovetop in a saucepan with red sauce). Spoon over soft hoagie rolls and top with grated cheese. Serve immediately! My husband likes to eat 2 or 3 sandwiches because they are that good… so make enough! This is also a great meal for parties or get togethers because you can keep the meatballs warm in the crock pot.

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Balsamic Glazed Pizza

To the top of your favorite homemade cheese pizza (Ina Garten’s dough is my favorite), add this balsamic glaze. Such a great flavor combo.

Balsamic glaze: one part sugar to one part balsamic vinegar. Heat on stove until slightly boiling. Remove from heat and let cool.

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