Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce

I pinned this recipe for Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce {copy cat} recipe found at Budget Savvy Diva a long time ago, and finally tried it out this week.  It was DE-LIC-IOUS!  Though definitely not low-fat.  But who is thinking low-fat when they are wanting alfredo sauce and pasta anyway, right?  :)  This recipe is easy enough to convince me not to buy the jarred alfredo sauce anymore...

• 1 pkg Pasta (we like penne, instead of fettuccine) 
• cooked chicken
• 1 stick of butter 
• 1 clove of minced garlic 
• 1 pint of heavy cream 
• 1 cup of fresh Parmesan cheese 
• 2 tbsp cream cheese 
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 1/2 tsp white pepper 

Make pasta to your liking. In a sauce pan over medium heat – melt butter and add garlic and cook for two minutes, then add in heavy cream and cream cheese and heat until bubbling, but do not boil. Add in Parmesan Cheese and mix until the cheese melts. Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste (you don;t need to use all of this, do to your liking). Mix the hot sauce into the noodles and serve. Top with fresh parsley and/or cooked chicken if desired.  Just like Olive Garden! Another quick and easy meal just in time for Back to School dinner blues.

Stuffed Pizza Rolls

Katelee and I made these for dinner tonight.  When we first started making them, we thought it was super fun!  We were having a great time.  By the time we finished pinching the last roll, however, we were whining about how much time this was taking and wishing we had just made pizza instead.  We threw them in the oven and 15 minutes later these golden brown rolls of deliciousness came out.  We really enjoyed dinner, and it was so fun to dip our pizza rolls.  The kids loved them.

My conclusion:  Will I make these again for just a busy night family dinner?  Probably not.  Yes, they are fun, but just making a pizza is so much easier.  HOWEVER, these make a fabulous appetizer.  Or finger food.  I picture using them for New Years Eve party or Super Bowl gathering.  They would be perfect for that!  And no, they really don't take that much time.  So if your kids really love dipping and you are a nicer mom than me, maybe family dinner is the perfect time to make these!  :)

I got the idea and photos from Our Best Bites, though I used all my own recipes instead of theirs. 



Start with a batch of pizza dough.  I made Melissa's pizza dough recipe.  OR, you could buy a tube of refrigerated pizza dough from the market.  Thin crust or regular crust works fine. 

Here is the recipe for the dough I used tonight:

• 1 Tbl. honey (heaping)
• 1 Tbl. oil (heaping)
• 1 C. warm water
• 1 Tbl. yeast
• 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
• 3 C. flour

Mix everything except flour then slowly add flour until all combined. Knead for a min.

Then, roll the dough out on a lightly floured countertop into a rectangular shape.  Mine was probably roughly 10 inches by 16 inches or so.  Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into equal shaped squares, maybe a couple inches on each side.  Our Best Bites gets 24 rolls out of store bought dough.  Using the recipe above, I got about 35 pizza bites.

Now, you will need

• mozzarella cheese
• pizza toppings of your choice.  We tried pepperoni, ham and pineapple tonight - yum to them all!

Top each dough square with the toppings.  Just eyeball how much. You just need to be able to enclose the toppings in the dough so keep that in mind. When all of your dough squares have cheese and toppings on them, carefully lift up each square and wrap the dough around the toppings. Pinch to make sure each ball is sealed shut and then place them seam side down in a lightly sprayed pie pan (or similar sized dish). Brush the tops of the dough balls with olive oil or melted butter, and then sprinkle with

• garlic powder 
• Italian seasoning 
• Parmesan cheese.

to taste.  Now they are ready to bake!

Cook them in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top. Keep an eye on them! Doughs vary, so I’d check them after even 10 minutes.

Dip the hot, cheese rolls in your favorite pizza sauce.  I use this recipe here, and it was delicious!

• 8 oz. tomato sauce
• 6 oz. tomato paste
• 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. onion salt
• 1 tsp. garlic salt

Mix together and warm up in the microwave.


Serve these with a nice green salad and it makes a nice meal!

Honey Butter

1 c. honey

1 cube butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla

pinch of salt

Beat all the ingredients together until creamy. This is especially delicious on hot rolls! :)

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

When we grew tomatoes in our garden, we made this recipe in bulk and froze it for use throughout the year. It's a bit of work, but this is probably the most delicious spaghetti sauce we have ever tasted!

1/4 c. vegetable oil
2 large onions, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1 large green pepper, chopped (optional – I usually choose to leave this out)
12 c. fresh tomatoes, peeled
3 (12 oz.) cans tomato paste
3 T. sugar
1 T. salt
3/4 tsp. pepper
3 T. oregano
2-3 bay leaves

Blanch the tomatoes to remove the skins. Core and seed the tomatoes and dice them into chunks. Heat oil in a large kettle and cook onion, garlic and green pepper until tender. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well after each addition. Simmer uncovered for 45 to 60 minutes. Remove the bay leaves. If you want to add already cooked meat, add it now and cook for an additional 30 minutes. Serve or freeze. (This sauce freezes really well.)

See comments for extra advice.

Pizza Sauce

8 oz. tomato sauce
6 oz. tomato paste
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. onion salt
1 tsp. garlic salt

Mix together and use for pizza or lasagna.