Sage, Glorious Sage!

I've got a couple days to breathe before finals take over my life, so today I'd like to share a simple sauce  recipe I made up that tastes great with  both pasta and vegetables.

Sage "Cream" Sauce
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 rounded Tbsp rubbed sage (or more, to taste)
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 C parmesan cheese (I used the powdered stuff we keep around for spaghetti)
skim milk (or whatever type you usually keep around)

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Keep an eye on it, swirling the pan as necessary to keep the melted bits from getting burned. Add the olive oil, then stir in all the spices. It'll get a bit thick, but continue stirring it for a few minutes, letting the spices become fragrant and infuse their flavor into the butter blend.
Add the parmesan cheese, then slowly stir in 1/2 C milk. Turn the heat up to medium and stir gently, until the sauce begins to bubble. Add another 1/4 C milk and bring to a simmer again. Continue stirring the sauce until it reaches your preferred thickness. If you'd like it thinner, you can use up to 1 C milk total.

Serving suggestions:
This is great as a sauce on vegetables, preferably the "big" kind (as seen in the photo above). Broccoli, cauliflower, etc.
I love using this as a pasta sauce, but it's definitely better on a small or long pasta. The first time I made this, I had butternut squash ravioli, and I ended up with the sauce all over my face. Delicious, yes, but not worth looking like a toddler who's accustomed to finger foods.
This is a great way to serve leftover meat. The first time I made it, I shredded some leftover beef into the sauce. In the picture above, I chopped up a cooked chicken breast. I'm sure this would work well with turkey or sausage, too.