Who's afraid of carbs?? Not me.

I need to bust out this post while Mark is at a meeting. Since he's been home this week, it's hard to get time on here because he, Madelyn and I are all computer hogs. (We have a laptop, but I don't like to use it for blogging because none of my pictures are there.)

Anyhoo, last year I shared a fabulous recipe for Quick and Easy Alfredo Sauce that I found on allrecipes.com, and I use it all the time. It's SOOO GOOOD. Last month, I needed to make a meal for a friend with a new baby and decided to make some fettuccine alfredo and toss in some chicken and broccoli. It's not rocket science--it's been done before, but man, was it tasty! So I thought I might as well share.

Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken and Broccoli

by Dawn Carter and Melissa Yoder

Sauce:

1/2 cup salted butter (1 stick)

1 (8 oz.) package of cream cheese, softened

2 tsp. garlic powder

2 cups milk

6 oz. grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

Melt butter in a medium, non-stick saucepan over medium heat. Add cream cheese and garlic powder, stirring with wire whisk until smooth. Add milk, a little at a time, whisking to smooth out lumps. Stir in Parmesan cheese and pepper. Remove from heat when sauce reaches desired consistency. Sauce will thicken rapidly, thin with milk if cooked too long.

 Pasta:

1 head broccoli

1 to 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite sized pieces

1 lb. fettuccine noodles

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Season chicken (about 2-3 breasts or 6 tenderloins) with salt and pepper--cook on med-high heat in non-stick skillet with 1 Tbl. oil or butter until 165º internal temperature. Cool slightly and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Cut broccoli into florets--place in large bowl with about 1/3 cup water. Cover with plastic wrap, leaving a hole for venting steam. Microwave for about 4 minutes, or until broccoli is just tender. Drain. 

Boil pasta according to package directions--drain and toss with pasta sauce (there will be extra sauce). Stir in chicken, broccoli and mozzarella cheese until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

* Using a good quality (aka not Kraft) Parmesan cheese makes a big difference in this recipe. I like to buy a tub of Stella brand Parmesan, in the refrigerated deli section at Walmart, Lin's or Smith's. It's only 5 oz. but it works well. It's a lot cheaper that the imported stuff.

**When I made this, it was a few hours before dinnertime (I had a lot to do that day), and by the time we ate it, the pasta had absorbed most of the moisture out of the sauce and everything was dry. You should have extra sauce (which I usually freeze for another meal) to toss in, but it really is better tasting served right away.