Fettuccine Alfredo

I'm so excited to be a part of this recipe blog!  Cooking is one of my favorite hobbies (especially baking, so you might see a lot of desserts from me!).  So to start it out, here is one of my favorite recipes!  It's easy and the best part is that it is better for you than most other alfredo recipes!  This is courtesy of Cooking Light magazine.  I have been subscribing for 3 years now and I love it so much!  I have only made a couple of recipes from them that I didn't like.  You should check it out!  They are always health conscious and delicious.  This is from the Jan/Feb 2007 issue.  I will give the ingredients that they give to make it low-fat, but feel free to substitute if you like.

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1  1/3 cups 1% low-fat milk
• 1  1/4 cups (5 oz) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano (Parmesan) cheese, divided
• 2 tablespoons 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups hot cooked fettuccine (8 oz uncooked pasta)
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• Cracked black pepper

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently.  Stir in flour.  Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk.  Cook 6 minutes or until mixture thickens, stirring constantly.  Add 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, cream cheese, and salt, stirring with a whisk until cheeses melt.  Toss the sauce with hot pasta.  Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and chopped parsley.  Garnish with black pepper, if desired.  Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup)