Comfort foods: Fettuccine Alfredo

One of my favorite recipes, by far, is the deliciously gooey fettuccine Alfredo. Throughout my childhood, I constantly searched for the “perfect” recipes and the best ways to cook my favorite foods. I finally found the original recipe for this when I was 14, but its outcome still wasn’t cheesy enough for my tastes. It was then that my mom and I worked together to make the sauce just a little bit thicker and a tiny bit more flavorful. Of course, there have also been countless times when I’ve been told that I make this a little too cheesy, but hey, you can never have too much cheese.

For this recipe, I added and took out ingredients based on my taste buds. In the original recipe, a dash of garlic salt is required, but my mom’s congenital heart disease makes it more difficult for her to digest salt. I grew up omitting it from my meals and recipes and I learned to find other ways of adding flavor, such as spices, like nutmeg, and vegetables.

The best way to cook this is in two large pots: one for the pasta and one for the sauce. The one that you make the sauce in must be large enough to hold both the sauce and the noodles.

I don’t have a pan that was made specifically for pasta. I simply use the largest pans that I have or I pour the pasta into a mixing bowl after draining.

• 24 ounces dry fettuccine noodles
• 1 cup butter
• 1 pint heavy cream
• 2 packages cream cheese
• 1 jar of pre-made alfredo sauce
• pepper to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3/4 cup grated Romano cheese
• 1-1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook until al dente; about seven to ten minutes. Cool by running noodles under water and drain partway, leaving a bit of cool water in the pot to keep pasta from sticking.
2. In a large saucepan, melt butter into cream over low heat. Add pepper. Stir in cheese, cream cheese and pre-made sauce over medium heat until melted; this will thicken the sauce.
3. Drain the remaining water from the pasta and then add to sauce while continuing to heat. Use enough of the pasta so that all of the sauce is used and the pasta is thoroughly coated. Serve immediately.