Recipe gets an A-

I told you I would fill you in on how the Sausage and Broccoli Fettuccine Parmesan went...ahem, 3 days ago. Sorry, I'm really bad at keeping up with things.

The recipe was good. Not great, nothing to write home about, but good. Definitely something I would make again with modifications. I think it was the cream sauce that turned me off of this dish. It was way to complicated for the end process. White sauces are way easier, and better tasting in my opinion, than the one they wrote. I'll write out the recipe as written in the book, then give you my take on a white sauce.

From the Southern Living Christmas Cookbook

Pasta with Broccoli and Sausage
(I named it Sausage and Broccoli Fettuccine Parmesan....has a better ring to it!)

1 pound fresh broccoli, cut into florets
1 (9-ounce) package refrigerated fettuccine
2 tbsp. butter or margarine
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (I omitted these)
1 garlic clove, minced
3 large eggs
3/4 cup whipping cream
3/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook broccoli and fettuccine in boiling water to cover in a Dutch oven 4 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain. Place in a large bowl.

Melt butter in a large heavy skillet; add mushrooms and garlic, and saute 3 minutes or until tender. Add to fettuccine mixture.

Cook sausage in skillet over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until done; drain and add to fettuccine mixture. Wipe skillet clean with a paper towel.

*Stir together eggs, whipping cream, and pepper in skillet until blended. Add fettuccine mixture; toss well. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, 3 to 5 minutes or until thickened. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and toss. Serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings.

My cream sauce:
Melt 2 tbsp. butter in sauce pan on med-high heat. Add 2 tbsp. flour, and whisk together briskly for 1-2 minutes cooking the flour. Add 2 cups milk while whisking continuously. When all the flour has smoothed out and the sauce starts to thicken, add pepper and Parmesan cheese. Done.

*Their sauce becomes tricky with the addition of the eggs and heavy cream. If not cooked at just he right temperature with the right amount of whisking, you'll end up with scrambled egg cream. Yuck! It can be done, but for the average cook, my sauce is much easier and just as good. (It's really not "my" sauce, I realize that....but it's my blog, and I can own it if I want to!!) Anyway, if you want to make the sauce a little more rich, do 1 cup of milk and 1/2 cup cream.

The kids really liked this recipe. The creamy cheese sauce was enough to get my daughter to eat the broccoli which is always a plus. I hope the new parents enjoyed, I sure enjoyed holding their new baby girl. What a sweetie!