We took some time away from the blog for the holidays, but we had a wonderful Christmas and hope that you did too. One of Ben’s favorite gifts was a chef’s hat. This week when we cooked together, he wore it and found that it granted him magical powers. Mostly, this meant that he referred to himself in the third person, as in, “The Chef is hungry!” And “The Chef thinks someone else should clean up the kitchen…Dad?” Now that my cooking buddy has donned the chef’s hat, I don’t think I can ever go back. It’s time somebody classed up our operation!
Ben always has big plans, and this time, things came together pretty well. He wanted Peruvian chicken with dipping sauce, macaroni and cheese, and roasted broccoli. For the chicken, we use a recipe from the Food Network show, The Kitchen:
First, a few disclaimers. The first couple times we made this, we followed the directions, but we have gotten lazy. We now use Wegman’s Peruvian marinade to grill boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of spatchcocking a whole chicken. We still make the sauce as directed, though. Ben finds the mayonnaise dipping sauce to be essential.
The mac and cheese is an old family favorite. I love it because it can accommodate variations. Oh, and it’s tasty.
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
1 pound dried macaroni or other pasta
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
4 cups milk
4-5 cups grated cheese (primarily cheddar, but can include whatever you like)
1-2 tablespoons breadcrumbs (optional)
- Cook pasta to al dente according to package directions.
- While pasta is cooking, make white sauce by melting butter in large sauce pan over medium heat, adding flour, and whisking a minute or two. Slowly add milk, stirring and cooking continually. When mixture thickens slightly and is nearly boiling, remove from heat and add cheese, stirring until melted and smooth.
- Add cooked and drained pasta to sauce and stir. Pour mixture into large, greased casserole dish. Top with bread crumbs, if using. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly.
This week, we jazzed it up by using cellentani instead of macaroni elbows, and by substituting some cream for some of the milk, and adding cream cheese to the cheddar and mozzarella.
Wondering about leftovers? The next day, Chef Ben decreed that Peruvian chicken tacos should occur. They did, and they were delicious.
Grandpa said that he would like to come to your restaurant and eat the chef’s food! It looks wonderful!
I’m sure he would be delighted to cook for you – grandparents are always welcome!
He never ceases to amaze me. Great job Ben
He’s an “original” (as he likes to say)!
Looks awesome! Love the tacos idea for day two. Hardly feels like leftovers!!
I think we squeezed a third meal out of it too!