What My Kid Made for Dinner: Trailer Mac and Cheese

I am determined that when I release my stepson on the world he will know how to do his own laundry, clean his own bathroom, mow his own yard and cook his own food without using a microwave.  To further this mission, Dillon (currently 12) is invited to cook dinner for the family about once a month.  He picks the meal, finds the recipes and is the chef (although sometimes I'll step in as sous chef).

I will start this by saying -- there is NOTHING yummy sounding about this dish.  It's homemade mac & cheese with the added elements of cut up wieners and crushed potato chips.

When Dillon asked if he could make it for dinner, I looked at my husband and we silently understood that if it was horrible, we could always make a frozen pizza after he went to bed.

It was ok.

In fact, it was pretty darn good (if you discount the fact that the wieners he used had been in the freezer for several months and were coated with an inch of ice).  Except for that -- it was pretty.  darn.  good.

START WITH THE SAUCE

It's a basic bechamel (which sounded really impressive to Dillon).

1. Heat three cups milk in a pot over medium heat.  Turn off the heat as soon as the first bubbles appear -- don't let it boil.
2. In another heavy-bottomed pot, melt 1/2 cup of butter over medium heat.
3. When the butter has just melted, whisk in 1/2 cup of flour.  Keep whisking for about three minutes until it turns a shade or two darker.  Remove from heat.
4. Whisk the milk into the butter mixture about a cup at a time.  It gets thick when you add the milk, and smoothes out as you whisk.  Once you have it all incorporated, put it back over the fire on medium.
5. Whisk the sauce constantly for two or three minutes.  You know it is ready when you can put a soup spoon in the mixture and it coats the spoon instead of sliding off.
6. Stir in 2 teaspoons of Kosher salt or 1 teaspoon of table salt.

NOW FOR THE TRAILER PART

1. Fill up a large pot 3/4 of the way with water.  Boil it.  Throw in 1/2 pound of dry elbow pasta.  Cook 1 minute less than the box instructions say.
2. Drain the pasta, put it back into the pot.
3. Throw in 2 cups of the sauce we made above
4. Add 2 cups of cheddar cheese
5. chop up half a package of hot dogs (wieners) and throw them in
6. stir it all up (add more sauce if you like) and get everything all gooey and melty
7. Crush up some potato chips (not too small or it's like greasy dust).  You need about 2 cups.
8. Spoon the mac into bowls, throw on a generous helping of the chips -- serve.

I would also like to state for the record that we had really big salads with this.  I would also like to say that in the spirit of Trailer Mac & Cheese -- we ate it on TV trays watching cartoons.