Once upon a time, long, long ago, I was a waitress at an overpriced steakhouse where I had to wear a tie with my button-down oxford shirt.

For a naive girl straight out of the sheltered environment of a Baptist University, it was quite the eye-opening learning experience.

I learned , for instance, that businessmen staying at the hotel next door, when they ask about “what there is to do in this town,” aren’t really interested in the zoo or the rose garden.

I learned not to ask another waiter to keep an eye on my tip money. It’s like asking a dog to keep an eye on your food.

I learned that waiters can, and will, spit in your food. For realz. Be nice to your waiter.

And perhaps most important of all the life’s lessons learned during my days as a waitress, I learned how to make Homemade Alfredo Sauce.

So a few days ago, as we were wondering what we should cook for dinner, it came to me: we had all the makings for Pasta Shrimp with Alfredo Sauce. Yum.

Alfredo Sauce only has three basic ingredients: Butter, Cream, and Parmesan Cheese. Pretend with me that the Half and Half pictured is really cream, ’cause I was working with what I had, ok?

And if you’re a cheese snob you can use REAL Parmesan Cheese, and grate it yourself, if you insist, but ….. the stuff in the green can is what I had.

SO. Here are the super-complicated directions: melt 1/2 cup butter in a small saucepan; stir in 1/2 cup heavy cream; whisk in 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese. See? Complex. You can always add some minced garlic and freshly ground pepper if you feel up to taking it to the next level.

AND, you can double or triple the recipe depending on the size of your crowd, but its always equal parts butter, cream, and parmesan. I was just jokin’ about this being complex…

So while you’ve got that going on in your saucepan, force your five-year-old to peel and devein the shrimp. It builds character, and besides, I don’t really want MY hands to smell like that. Yeah, I’m all about selfless parenting.

After your shrimp is peeled, toss them into your bubbling butter/cream/parmesan mixture (otherwise known as Alfredo Sauce) and keep it cooking until the shrimp are no longer raw. Unless you like your shrimp rare, but I don’t recommend that.

 

Cooking ALWAYS earns the Annie Face because cooking is WAY fun. She’s boiling the pasta according to the directions on the box, because she’s in kindergarten now and can read things like directions on pasta boxes.

 

Drain the pasta, then put it back in the pot and pour your shrimpy Alfredo goodness on top and stir it all together.

Serves four, if your kids will share. Mine knocked us out of the way, punched us in the throat, and ate it all themselves because its THAT GOOD. Hope you have better luck at your house.

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound pasta, such as fettucine or linguine
1/2 cup (one stick) butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
pepper to taste (optional)
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside.
2. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Stir in heavy cream; whisk in parmesan cheese, garlic, and pepper.
3. Add shrimp to saucepan and cook until shrimp are pink and no longer translucent.
4. Pour shrimp/sauce mixture over pasta and toss until evenly distributed.