ALFREDO-DRESSED BOW TIES

I don’t want you to freak out when you see that today’s recipe includes cream and butter so if you will indulge me, here is a little sermonette. It’s very important for me to provide you with recipes that use pure ingredients, are both classic and original and that are well tested and loved!  It’s up to you to adapt them to your family’s health and nutritional needs.  Recently, Paula Dean was blasted by the media for announcing that she has type- two diabetes----while still providing recipes containing sugar, butter, etc.   I can’t speak for Paula Dean, but I can’t imagine that she started out years ago saying that she wanted to develop diabetes or that she wanted to cause others to have it.  I don’t wish any illness or condition on anyone either.  However I think that all of us (myself included) should exercise self control to protect our health.   Sometimes I’m successful in this endeavour and sometimes I’m not, but that’s not going to change the way I present recipes to you. I will continue to give you the recipes from my childhood and my 30 years of married life.  You can depend on them to taste good and to work and to use pure ingredients.  However, I also want to encourage you to change them and to add to and take away from them as you wish to make them a well-loved and healthy addition to your family. It’s equally  very important to me to show you techniques and cooking methods that are all but lost in today’s fast food society. Our children need to know how to cook and to show effort and pride in what they create.   And yes, sometimes that means mixing a little butter and flour and cream and sugar together in a variety of ways… I love what Dolly Parton says when asked how she maintains her slender physique.  She says that she eats anything she wants, and everything she likes, just not as much as she wants (paraphrased).  In other words----portion control.  I believe that my dear recipe blog readers are intelligent, brilliant even!  I know you can take each recipe that I give you and adapt it for your family.  Please write to me and let me know of your adaptations and the joys you experience as you prepare food for your family.  Enough said and Amen!

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy cream (or half & half, or milk)

1 stick butter  (use less if you wish)

1 and ½  cups Parmesan cheese (or 8 oz. Cream cheese and ½ cup parmesan;  or  1 cup parmesan and ½ cup mozzarella; or gruyere)

**Parmesan cheese doesn’t melt well, so a mixture or substitution may be preferable

Black pepper to taste

Instructions:

*Heat cream and butter but do not let it boil.

*Remove from heat and whisk in cheese and pepper.

Bow Ties:

*Cook according to directions on package.

*Drain (but do not rinse) and toss with alfredo sauce.

*Add pasta water to loosen up mixture if needed.

*Top with finely chopped parsley or herb of your choice and more grated cheese if desired.