Pasta and Skittles

Hello again!  Today I would like to introduce you to the main man in my life.  He weighs 28 pounds, wears a superman cape, and eats EVERYTHING in sight.  He is my son, Trenton, but I call him T.  You know how your parents tell you that you will get payback one day?  You know, when you are acting out, or slamming doors, or climbing out the window of your second story bedroom?  Wait, who did that?  Anyways, T is that payback!  He is so full of life, laughter, and silliness, but boy is he a handful.  A handful who is always in the kitchen with me on his little red stool.

He thinks a mom baking pumpkin muffins and making pretzels from scratch late into the night is the norm.  When I ask him what he wanted for the dinner the other night he told me "pasta and skittles."  I'm not going to lie and say I never let my kid eat skittles, but I certainly won't be tossing it with my linguine!  His other commonly used request is cheese, I swear, that boy was born with a string cheese in his hand.  So, I often whip him up a batch of mac and cheese.  What I like about this, is that you can toss in healthy stuff (sans skittles) and mix it up so it is different every time.  Some of T's favorites are chicken, broccoli, ham, peas, or bacon.  Mmmmm bacon!  Today I am sharing with you my Penne Mac with White Cheddar Cheese and Chicken....Great for kids, and their parents!  Enjoy!

Penne Mac with Chicken & White Cheddar
This recipe makes approximately 6 bowls

2         Cup     Penne Pasta  (I used the Mezze Penne, its a smaller Penne, but regular Penne is good too)
6         Cups    Water
1         Tbsp    Salt  (This may seem like a lot, but it seasons the pasta perfectly, I promise)
1/4      Cup     Unsalted Butter
1/4      Cup     Flour
2 1/2   Cups    Milk
1/2      Tsp      Garlic Powder
1         Tsp      Salt
2         Cups    White Cheddar Cheese, Shredded  plus 1/2 cup to sprinkle on top
1/2      Cup     Parmesan, Shredded or Grated, either is fine
2         Cups    Chicken, Cooked and Shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large pot, bring water and tbsp of salt to a boil.  Add in pasta and boil for 15 minutes, or until pasta is just tender.  Drain, do not rinse, set aside.  In same the pot, over medium heat, melt butter.  Whisk in flour and cook together for two minutes.  While vigorously whisking, start slowly adding the milk until all incorporated. Keep whisking to smooth any lumps.  Whisk about 3 minutes until thickened.  Turn off heat completely.  Stir in garlic, salt, and both cheeses.  Add pasta back into the pot with the cheese sauce and throw the chicken in too.  Fold all together and then pour into a 9x13 baking dish that has been buttered (or use cooking spray).  Top with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.  Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.  Let sit 10 minutes before serving.  Love as Always, "Big K"

Variation:

Big K's Southwestern Mac
Follow Instructions above, but while folding in chicken, add the following:

6      Slices    Cooked, Chopped Bacon
6      Oz        Chopped Green Hatch Chiles
1/4   Cup      Minced Scallions
1/2   Tsp       Cayenne Powder

Big K's Tips:

*  Before making the cheese sauce I warm my milk, this helps prevent lump which can be caused by the cold milk hitting the melted butter

*   When reheating I found that I needed to add a little milk.  The cheddar started to separate and this seemed to help it become creamy again

*  I am not a fan of the precooked bacon you buy at the store, but I like the convenience of it, so I make my own.  I take a pack of bacon and lay each slice flat on a cookie sheet lined with foil.  I bake it at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until it is just done.  Drain the grease and lay the bacon on paper towel to get excess grease off.  Then layer bacon on waxed paper (I do 6 slices per towel).  Then slide into a large ziploc bag.  Then it is ready to chop up and add to recipes!