Homemade Alfredo Sauce

1/2 cup butter
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese
1 cup half and half
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon garlic powder (optional)
pepper, to taste

This by far is the easiest and best Alfredo sauce recipe I have found yet! I love pasta and Alfredo and searched forever to make it homemade. I think that too many recipes have too many ingredients and that others are too watery. My girlfriend loves it and makes me cook it at least once a week.. plus you can add it to so many different things! This is a great, simple recipe to make for someone coming over for a dinner date ;)

1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter.

2. Once butter is almost melted, add the package of cream cheese. It's easiest to cut it into 4 pieces so that it melts quicker.

3. Once butter and cream cheese are mixed well together, add the cup of half and half, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and then shake pepper on top. Stir all together until well mixed.

4. Once it's mixed well and saucelike, take it off the burner and set aside so it can thicken up. Stir every few moments.

5. DONE! Pour over your favorite pasta, I love it with tortellini!

Don't forget some breadsticks to dip in the extra sauce! :)

Oven-Baked Meatballs and Sauce

2 lbs. lean ground chuck
1 c. seasoned bread crumbs
1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
1 lg. diced onion
2 garlic pods, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
1 sm. can tomato sauce

Mix all ingredients and form into rather large meatballs.

SAUCE:

6 sm. cans tomato paste
18 cans water
Garlic powder to taste
Salt and pepper

Goulash

1 lb. hamburger
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
Onions (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Season salt
1 sm. pkg. shell macaroni
Mushrooms (optional)

Brown hamburger with onions. Drain. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce. Simmer. Boil water and cook shell macaroni until tender. Drain and add to hamburger mixture. Serve warm.

Vegetable Lasagna

1 tbsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. sugar, or sweetener to taste
2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
8 oz. lasagna noodles, cooked
6 chopped green onions
2 c. sour cream, low-cal
8 oz. soft cream cheese, lite
2 (16 oz.) pkg. frozen Italian vegetables, drained and thawed
1 c. cheddar cheese
1 c. Mozzarella cheese
1 c. sliced olives

Mix first five ingredients, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

Mix sour cream and cream cheese. Set aside. Cook lasagna noodle according to package directions.

Layer noodles, cheese mixture and vegetable mixture twice.

Sprinkle on top, 1 cup cheddar cheese, 1 cup Mozzarella and 1 cup sliced olives. Bake at 350 degrees, covered with foil, 20-30 minutes. Remove from oven let set 10 minutes.

Shrimp Scampi

24 lg. uncooked shrimp (peeled, deveined, leaving tails on)
4 lg. garlic cloves, finely minced
1/2 stick butter
1/2 c. olive oil
1 c. white wine
1 tbsp. chopped parsley
Lemon wedges
bread crumbs

In a skillet, sauté a few spoons of bread crumbs, parsley and garlic in olive oil and butter until lightly browned. (Add garlic after a few moments so that it doesn't get brown.)

Add shrimp, marinade and juice from a couple of lemon wedges and cook until shrimp are pink (a few minutes) and juices in pan are bubbling hot.

Serve shrimp with scampi sauce for dipping, and garnish with lemon wedges.

Chicken Tetrazzini

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound white mushrooms, trimmed and sliced inch thick
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups milk
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 3 cups grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1 pound linguine, broken in half
• 1 rotisserie chicken, skin removed, meat shredded (about 4 cups)
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas, thawed and drained

1. Preheat oven to 400. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (for pasta). In a large saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over high heat. Add mushrooms, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing frequently, until tender and browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, and set aside.
2. Make sauce: In same saucepan, melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add flour; cook, whisking, about 1 minute. Whisking constantly, gradually add milk, broth, and wine. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and add 2 cups Parmesan and thyme. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Cook pasta 2 minutes less than package instructions for al dente; drain and return to pot. Add sauce, chicken, peas, and mushrooms. Toss well to combine. Divide between two shallow 2-quart baking dishes; sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Freeze (see below) or bake until browned, about 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
4. To freeze: After placing pasta mixture in baking dishes and sprinkling with Parmesan (step 3), cool to room temperature. Cover tightly with aluminum foil, and freeze up to 3 months.
   To bake from frozen: Bake, covered with foil, at 400 degrees, until center is warm, about 2 hours. Uncover, and bake until top is browned, about 20 minutes more. Serve.
   To bake from thawed: Thaw overnight in refrigerator. Bake, covered with foil, at 400 degrees, until center is warm, about 30 minutes. Uncover, and bake until top is browned, about 20 minutes.