My 11-year-old has taken a keen interest in cooking and one day announced he wanted to make fettuccine Alfredo (these pronouncements have come often of late…always something new.) So we did. What we didn’t expect was how incredibly delicious it would be. It is, by far, the best I have ever had and this coming from someone who in younger years actively sought out a better and better source of fettuccine Alfredo…some search for ribs, for me it’s flat pasta in cheesy cream sauce.

It’s finally here. At last, we can get that silence that comes with the mainstream media looking around and asking themselves, “what now?” And as you watch the returns of the election or if you are reading this after things have been written in stone, I have something for you.  It is a symphony for your tongue, a celebration of flavor, a soothing salve for the soul.  If your man won, this will add that much more, or if your man didn’t quite pull it out, this will make you feel better.

Because food is a powerful thing. To deny ourselves the pleasure of eating is to deny one of the very things that make us human. Some eat for health, some eat to dull the pain, and the rest are somewhere in between. Since the dawn of time, coming together and sharing food has always been at the heart of family and a constant in human lives.

I have heard it said that if it’s good to you, it ain’t good for you and with this, we’re in a whole lotta trouble. So if you’re looking for something for dinner tonight, give this one a try. But if you’re looking for something healthy, maybe try scrambled eggs whites with Gimme Lean mixed in because you won’t find that here.

Here’s our (actually, my son’s) little contribution to any gathering you might have, whether a party of one or a group of many. (We doctored a recipe we found online.  Never leave a recipe untouched. Take nothing at face value. Question everything. Void the warranty.)

INGREDIENTS:
6 Tbls sweet unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups heavy cream (see? good to ya, not so good for ya)
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded five Italian cheese blend
1 or 2 boxes of whole-grain pasta (any kind, it doesn’t have to be fettuccine and at least there is this to cancel out some of the that above…but only a little)

Put some water on to boil for the pasta.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium to low heat.

Add garlic, cream, white pepper to the butter, and bring it all to a simmer. Not a boil, a simmer. Stir often.

Add the Parmesan cheese and simmer sauce for 8-10 minutes or until sauce has thickened. *don’t let it get too hot* it will get too thick and clumpy and that’s no good. Think smooth. Think silk. Think aaaaaah.

Add the mozzarella cheese and stir this until also smooth, stir frequently and, I can’t stress this enough, don’t let it get too hot.

While the sauce cooks a little longer on medium to low (you’re erring on the side of low, right?) boil the pasta for 3-5 minutes.

Now, dish it up, park yourself on the couch, and feel good no matter what happens. Want something healthy, toss some spices and Parmesan cheese with broccoli. Or just go with the garlic bread (you can never have enough garlic). And then tomorrow hit the gym and be happy with the world or that the world didn’t end.

Buon Appetito

Castle Rock, 2008

Photo by Eaters Collective