Ghetto-fredo

New Year's Eve has never been a huge deal for me. Growing up, my parents always worked (it's mandatory when you are a cop in Las Vegas) & we usually had a babysitter or spent it with my Gramma Sanford eating junk & lounging around, watching TV until midnight, when we would bang a few pots & pans & them promptly fall asleep.

Greg & I have carried on the tradition of junk food & TV, so I'm currently spending my NYE editing my new blog layout/look while simultaneously watching a marathon of Monk (love him).

This was Collin's first NYE where he's been aware of his surroundings & can somewhat participate. I am huge on holidays, so I felt a little guilty that we had nothing special planned...& really, what kind of Mom would I didn't come up with some kind of tradition?!?!

Meaghan taught me how to make this cheap version of alfredo & since then, it's become a favorite family meal. It's crazy unhealthy, so we try not to make it very often....but it's so cheap, easy to make & fuh-reaking ay-may-zing. I thought it would be the perfect meal to use for a traditional NYE dinner. A yummy treat we can look forward to eating every NYE.

Seriously, you guys. This shit is bananas.

Lucky for you, I'm sharing the recipe.

Keep in mind, nothing about this recipe should work. It seems so weird, but I can promise you, the end result is to die. Your taste buds are going to love me for this. It's also insanely cheap to make. Perfect for those of us who are on a budget. Since it's so cheap & easy, I've dubbed it Ghetto-fredo.

GHETTO-FREDO RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

one package of linguine noodles

one pound ground turkey

half an onion (finely chopped)

one tablespoon butter or margarine

two tablespoons minced garlic (the kind you get in a jar)

garlic salt

chicken bouillon flavor

1/4 cup of olive oil or vegetable oil

three roma tomatoes (finely chopped)

two pints whipping cream

DIRECTIONS

Cook the noodles like you normally would, but add about a tablespoon of garlic salt & a quarter cup of oil to the water while it boils. The garlic salt adds flavor to the noodle & the oil keeps them from sticking together. This is usually when I do all of my chopping for the onion & tomato. After I put the noodles on & before I start the turkey.

While your noodles are cooking, start another pan for the ground turkey. Add a teaspoon of garlic powder & a tablespoon of chicken bouillon flavoring & let it brown. I know ground turkey sounds weird, but this is a recession friendly recipe. Plus, we've already tried making it with chicken & ground beef; both were not nearly as good as the ground turkey.

Next, you'll realize that your toesies are freaking freezing & you'll go grab the fab new slippers your super cool niece got you for Christmas. Then you'll take a picture because you love them so much & can't resist sharing them.

Get another pan (yup, this will be your third pan...you'll look like a regular Chef Boyardee) & place the butter, onion & garlic in it. Saute until the onions are brown. Once onions are cooked, add the whipping cream & about three tablespoons of chicken bouillon flavoring. Bring to a boil, then taste so you can measure whether or not you'll need to add more flavoring. I never measure the bouillon, I go purely by taste. This sauce won't be thick. It stays fairly thin, so keep that in mind when making it. The longer you let it boil, the thicker it gets. We like it thin, so once it's hot, it's done.

Once the turkey is cooked, sauce is boiled & noodles are cooked through & drained, the fun can begin.

Add the turkey to the noodles, then pour the sauce on top & then add the tomatoes. I know this seems weird...tomatoes in an alfredo, but it does make a difference & I promise, it tastes awesome.

Mix it all together. Your end result will look something like this:

Serve your family & enjoy.

Here is a picture of my boys scarfing theirs down:

This entire meal cost me about $8 to make. It will cost you more depending on what you don't have already in your pantry/spice cupboard. We always keep minced garlic in our fridge & bouillon in our spice rack.

My not-so-sincere apologies if this ends up being the quietest dinner you've had in months.

You're welcome.