1/2 cup butter
1 package cream cheese -- (8 ounce)
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 cups milk
6 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Melt butter in a medium, non-stick saucepan over medium heat. Add cream cheese and garlic powder, stirring with wire whisk until smooth. Add milk, a little at a time, whisking to smooth out lumps. Stir in Parmesan and pepper. Remove from heat when sauce reaches desired consistency. Sauce will thicken rapidly, thin with milk if cooked too long. Toss with hot pasta to serve.

Stacy's Notes - Made this March 2006, with several changes. First, for the two of us, I halved everything. I also used less butter (about 2-3 T), low fat cream cheese, real minced garlic, skim milk, shredded Parmesan (less than 3 oz, next time I will use grated), salt, pepper and a dash of nutmeg. Next time, whisk cream cheese and butter as recipe states, and then add milk a little at a time until it reaches the consistency you want. I added the entire 1 cup (half the recipe) slowly and it was thinner than I wanted. So next time I'll use less milk. Very good, quick and easy.

Stacy's Ideas - the first time I made this, I added shrimp at the end and served over fettucine. Next time, I plan to make the sauce and add either mushrooms or broccoli, then grilled chicken and serve over whole wheat penne. Very versatile, I think.