Kid approved dinner!!

Who has a picky eater in their house? *raises both hands* I do, I do!! Literally since the DAY Makayla turned 1 she decided that she no longer liked food. (She obviously forgot who her mother is because I love food.) There was a point when she only ate chicken nuggets from That gross place with a giant yellow "M" as their logo. I mean, before she hit 1 she ate everything. Beef, chicken, fish, collard greens, spinach, mushrooms...and the list goes on and on. Now her meals are usually one color. Orange. She like mandarin oranges, mac and cheese from the box (yuck) and goldfish crackers. Oh and olives, she loves olives. Yum! I have tried so many things to try and sneak her essential nutrients into her meals. Some have worked, others have failed miserably. I'll have some of those cool recipes for you folks soon too! Stuff like brownies that have blueberries and spinach in them/1 This stuff is pretty amazing.

Now onto the reason for this post. I came across this recipe in one of my Betty Crocker® magazines. Its a ham and cheese baked ziti. I mean, what kid doesn't like ham and cheese? Makayla and her very picky best friend gobbled up 2 plates! Now normally it takes makayla close to 2 hours (not exaggerating) to eat her food. They were both done in 15 minutes and licking the plate clean! SWEET! My husband really liked it to, but he eats everything so I wasn't too concerned. :) So here it is! Creamy and cheesy ham and cheese ziti.

Ham and Cheese Ziti

Prep time: 30 min. Start to finish: 55 mins

Makes 8 servings

1 package (16 oz) ziti pasta

1/2 (1 stick) butter

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups milk

1 tsp Dijon mustard

4 cups shredded Colby cheese

8 oz sliced deli ham, cut into thin strips (i used julienne cut ham, its thicker and therefore more meaty)

2/3 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Heat oven to 350°. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.

2. Meanwhile, melt butter in 4 qt saucepan or dutch oven over low heat. Cook garlic in butter 30 seconds, stirring frequently. Whisk in flour and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly.

3. Gradually stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly to avoid scalding. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in mustard and Colby cheese. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted and sauce is thickened. Stir pasta and ham into cheese sauce. Pour pasta mixture into ungreased 13x9-inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

4. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

I served mine with a small salad. :) Yum.

You should totally try this! Let me know how it works out. Until next time, Aloha! Malama pono.