Basic Alfredo Sauce

Here's a little disclaimer... I didn't come up with this recipe on my own.  But, for the life of me I cannot remember which website I found it on because I've been using it for years now.  I have been known to tweak it (on many occasions) by adding sun dried tomatoes, roasted bel peppers, spinach. Some times I leave my veggie additions whole and sometimes I use my emersion blender to puree them to a smooth sauce.  Whatever I end up doing, I always start with this basic recipe, so I thought I would share that with you today!

Ingredients:
1 stick of butter (yes the entire stick!)
1 8oz. block of cream cheese (the entire thing!)
1 cup of grated parmesan cheese
2 tbs of garlic powder
2 cups of milk
pinch of nutmeg (optional)

Directions:
In a sauce pan over medium-low heat melt butter, add the cream cheese and whisk together.  The cream cheese does not melt very well, which is fine! (Don't worry it will come together when you add the milk.) Add the garlic powder and then slowly whisk in the milk.  Continue to whisk until the sauce is smooth and begins to thicken.  Add the cheese and continue to whisk until cheese is melted and sauce reaches desired thickness.  If it is too thick you can add a little more milk or a little reserved pasta water.  Serve with your favorite pasta, as a dipping sauce for breadsticks... Here are a few pictures of how I love to use this Alfredo Sauce!

Enjoy!