httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8BFp1e9Gfk
RECAP – In Episode 13, we reviewed the Loaded Alfredo recipe found in the Cook This Not That book. However, I found this one to be somewhat of a challenge, so let me recap some of the issues we believe to be the cause for this:
1/ Whole wheat pasta, at least the kind I bought, did not seem to fit this recipe (plus I used a wee bit more than the recipe called for which added to the issue).
2/ Juggling preparing the vegetables while making the sauce and then cooking the pasta all within a certain time frame worked against me (i.e., burned veggies, undercooked pasta).
3/ I used 1% milk though the recipe called for 2%.
I decided I wanted an Alfredo recipe sooo much that I just had to do this one over again and I did but made some changes to what I thought would work better.
1/ Instead of whole wheat pasta (at least the kind I bought originally), I used fresh linguine pasta.
2/ I gave myself a whole bunch more time by doing this on a weekend.
3/ I used 2% milk (and actually had to go out to buy some, cause I still was using the 1% at home).
4/ I only served myself just enough pasta and sauce, then left the rest for Helenka (in separate containers, no less).
From the results and taking the extra time to do this properly (of course serving it hot just as I’d finished it also made a big difference) made this a much more enjoyable dish to eat.
Would I make this dish again? Probably not and there are several distinct reasons.
1/ I do not regularly eat pasta and, when I do, I’d probably make something a bit simpler for a sauce and change out the pasta (we may do something like this in the future).
2/ If I was really hankering for Alfredo, I’d disregard the calorie count/fat content completely and wait until my next trip to the US to eat at the Olive Garden (cause I like their sauce and breadsticks [Evil editor’s comment: we know, we know!]). I try to remember this bit of common wisdom: to take everything in moderation and, as long as I don’t eat this every day, I think once a year would suffice as a treat (and it’s been at least a year or more since I was last at the restaurant).
The amount of time and effort to make the sauce is just not worth it. However, having said that, I do encourage you to give it a try and send us your feedback!
Oh, I did get Helenka to eat it; however, it was many days later and I do believe she did not think it would be fair to review something that was not as fresh as I would have preferred, so no review from her (though if I’m good she may leave some last remarks on alternatives to making your own sauce).
I did find a recipe (albeit not quite a healthy one) from one of my favorite websites for Alfredo Sauce. Click here (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Alfredo-Sauce/Detail.aspx) if you’d like to take a look – it’s rated four and half stars.
Helenka’s Notes:
Brian is right that I decided not to review the rematch of Battle Alfredo, even though it was sweet of him to give me three separate containers (one with pasta, one with sauce and the third with the veggies). I ended up mixing the pasta and sauce and reheating in the microwave and, only then, adding the veggies and chicken, as I didn’t want to dry out the chicken. It was okay but, as mentioned, it was several days after cooking, so it wouldn’t be fair for me to rate it. But I wholly agree with Brian that there are some dishes for which low-cal/low-fat substitutions simply don’t work. And, as long as you’re not “indulging” all the time, straying occasionally from the path of healthy eating isn’t cause for despair. In fact, you may find that you can’t eat as much of the really “loaded” foods after eating more sensibly most of the time. As for other pasta recipes, I’ve given him one for penne with a blender raw spinach sauce that I hope we can make in the future. I like the idea of the sauce being *inside* as well as covering the pasta.
So, if I’m not reviewing, what shall I write about??? Oh … I know. I also have a funny Olive Garden trip story. And, guess what? It also stars Brian and Peter. What a surprise … NOT. It was somewhere in the mid 90s when Brian had one of his I-want-Olive-Garden cravings but there were no longer any Olive Garden restaurants in Toronto. What to do? What to do? Okay, let’s drive to Buffalo, New York. And, so we did. When we got to U.S. Customs and were asked for the purpose of our trip, we all piped up, “We’re going to eat at the Olive Garden.” Imagine my shock when the official asked us for the address. Luckily, we had pre-printed maps showing that it was located at Walden Galleria. But I still think it was unusual to have been asked for the actual address.
On another happy side note, we managed to do a wee bit of shopping. There was one of those semi-gimmicky stores in the Galleria where I found a lamp I just had to have. It was a tall pyramid with swirling lights inside. As Deep Space Nine was on the air at the time, I named it The Orb of Enlightenment!
So … what did I like at the Olive Garden? You already know what Brian likes, but my fave item has always been the endless large plates of salad. I love-love-love salads, especially with sliced red onion and all sorts of other goodies. Yum!!!
Oh … and we were all very nice Canadians: besides giving our waitress a respectable tip, she got LOONIES as a souvenir.
Have yourself a GREAT week!
Enjoy!
B&H =:)
Please note: We try and review the recipes in the cookbook; however, in an effort to respect copyright, we are not able to reproduce the actual printed recipes here. If you do have the book, please follow along with us!
Image is another one from last week
