Squashy Macaroni and Cheese

My daughter is coming home soon from her last day of school and I haven’t thought yet what would she like to have for a late lunch or snack maybe.  My daughter is very picky with her food choices and it gave me a hard time deciding what dish to serve for her today. Well, as I rammed through my minds, I only knew that she loves to eat pasta preferably macaroni provided that is creamy. My problem adds up when I realized long before that she is not fond in eating vegetables and it is very vital that vegetables should be in her dietary requirements.

Finally, after thinking for about 30 minutes, I came up with a dish, somewhat deceiving to a kid’s eyes and taste buds. I didn't waste time and I heat up everything in the kitchen.

Here are my ingredients:

250 grams of elbow macaroni
meat, any leftover meat cut into bits
squash, cube sliced, just enough to cover the macaroni
1 medium carrot, round sliced
cheese powder
grated cheese, any cheese will do, I used cheddar
1 tablespoon of heavy cream
cooking oil
garlic, minced
onion, medium and minced
salt and pepper to taste

My preparations:

1.       Bring water to a boil in a pot, just enough to cover the macaroni. Put a little oil so that the macaroni will not stick on the pot. Pour the macaroni and let it cooked until the pasta is chewy. Set aside.
2.      On a separate pan, heat oil, pour in the garlic and wait to brown just a little then add up the onion stirring continuously until translucent.
3.      Add up the meat bits, I used beef bits that we had this breakfast from Beef Stew dish. Let it brown for a while.
4.      Add the carrots, stir, and pour in a cup of water. Let the carrots half-cooked, how do you know? Just poke it with a fork and you can feel if it is half way done already.
5.      It is time to add the squash and let it cook together with the carrots.  You may add water from time to time to let the vegetables simmer until tender.
6.      When the squash and carrots are cooked, get a fork and press the vegies until it becomes a puree. Alternatively, if you have a gadget, use it to puree the vegies on the pan. The outcome should be like a watery paste.
I just love the color mixture of yellow from the squash and the orange from the carrot.
7.      Add the cream, sprinkler the cheese powder, and mixed well.
Cheese powder helps imitate the color of the original mac and cheese instant in a box.
8.     Add up the cooked macaroni; season it with salt and pepper. Mix well.
9.      Finally, add the grated cheese and cook until the cheese is dissolve.

Well, I did not consume 30 minutes to cook the meal. Maybe it took just about 15 to 20 minutes.

When my daughter arrived, she just loved it and exclaimed “one of her favorites”! How is that? It made me a proud parent!