They grow so fast!

It's hard to believe only 9 months ago this terrible twosome were teeny tiny things.  Little LO was able to hold his head up, but Thatbaby wasn't even that advanced.   They stayed where you put them, unable to get anywhere on their own.

Now you can't stop the two of them!  Here's a rare moment of stillness from Little LO's birthday party this weekend.  A big boy now, Little LO doesn't just walk, he runs.  His toddling little feet seeming to move faster than his body can keep up with.  And Thatbaby, crawls, ant-like in his swiftness and determination.  We are in for so much trouble.

But if you ask anyone who knows me, they'll tell you I must love trouble.  My parents used to tell me that instead of looking for doors, I always try to climb over walls  (metaphorically of course, I'm not nearly agile enough to be scaling walls, plus I'm afraid of heights.)

It's evident in the kitchen too.  Instead of instant mac and cheese, you're much more likely to find me stirring a cheese sauce over the stove and pouring it over cooked pasta.  Why go for the easy way out, right?  Plus, if you make it yourself you can tweak it to create a whole host of flavors.  Like this one I made during my "I love pepper jack" phase.  It was a time I was using it for just about everything.  For a while you could be certain to find it in our cheese drawer.  That and some leftover chipotles in adobo combined gave this a spicy, smokey, heat, tempered by the non-spicy cheeses.  It's worth all the trouble.

Spicy Mac and Cheese

1/2 box elbow macaroni

3 Tbsp unsalted butter

3 Tbsp flour

1/4 tsp garlic salt

1/8 tsp onion powder

1 3/4 cup warm milk

1 chipotle in adobo, chopped + 1 tsp adobo sauce

4 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 oz pepper jack cheese, shredded

2 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Cook macaroni according to package directions.
2. Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat.  
3. Stir in the flour and cook until a paste forms.  Continue cooking for 1-2 minutes, until smooth and thick.
4. Stir in garlic salt and onion powder.
5. Pour milk in a smooth, steady stream, whisking consistently.
6. Add chipotle and sauce.  Continue to cook and stir until mixture gets thick, and then cook for an additional minute or two.
7. Stir in the cheeses and stir until the cheeses have all melted into the sauce.
8. Stir the cooked pasta into the cheese sauce and pour the whole thing into a greased baking dish.
9. Bake for 20 minutes and serve.