The Olive Garden is our favorite restaurant. A few years ago we celebrated my eighty-ninth and half birthday in July. (When you approach ninety, every day is a luxury.) We had an Alfredo dish. My daughter Anne had chicken and I had shrimp. We decided we could make a recipe at home that tasted just as good.

This is not an old-timey recipe. Before World War ll , we were stuck in a food rut. Our boys coming home from the war brought with them pizza, cheeses and different ways of seasoning. I remember the first time I tasted pizza, for instance. I thought it was awful. It didn't take long to develop a liking for that cheesy delicacy.

After working in restaurants for a number of years, I know there is a difference between home cooking and restaurant cooking. There, to make dishes flavorful, more salt and fat are added. Not good. We need to limit both for good health, but both add flavor to a dish. Think about a burger from a fast food place. The calorie amount is posted somewhere. An entire day's calories can be wrapped up in a huge burger. At home you can control a recipe's makeup. Try this recipe and see if you agree with me that it tastes just as good.

HOMEMADE FETTUCCINE ALFREDO #1
4-oz cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups low fat milk
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
6-8 ounces fettuccine, cooked and drained
12.5-oz can chunk chicken breast
or
1 cup cooked salad shrimp

In a medium heavy saucepan, combine cream cheese and milk. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Don't let it boil. Add chicken or shrimp. Remove from heat. Meanwhile prepare pasta. Drain. You can use fettuccine or substitute another pasta. Combine pasta and sauce. Sprinkle each serving with the grated Parmesan cheese. Serve with garlic toast and a green vegetable salad.

OR, you can add frozen peas, pour into a casserole, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake at 375 F. until bubbly. That is a good company dish.

FETTUCCINE ALFREDO #2
Jar of Alfredo Sauce
Cooked chicken or shrimp
Cooked pasta of choice
Parmesan cheese

Prepare as above. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese at the table. How much easier can it be?