Basic White Sauce Gets All Dressed Up

Many of the economical meals of my childhood began with a simple white sauce:creamed tuna on toast, creamed salmon over noodles, and my all time favoritemacaroni and cheese. My mother simply substituted Parmesan, cheddar or justplain American to vary the flavor to suit the dish.

I often find myself falling back on old traditions especially when I'm short on time. Instead of canned tuna or salmon, I keep chicken tenders and spicy sausages in the freezer.

From humble beginnings, Cajun Style Pasta hardly feels like a sacrifice at all. For the kids, the pasta is served with a simple white sauce and chicken. The tomatoes and peas are optional. For the grown-ups, the sauce is heated up with Cajun style sausage and hot pepper.

(For kids who don't like their foods mixed up, serve the pasta plain with butter and Parmesan cheese, remove a small portion of the chicken before making the sauce, and heat some peas or other favorite vegetable in the microwave.)

Cajun Style Pasta
12 ounces linguine
1 teaspoon butter or olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 boneless and skinless chicken half breasts, diced
2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups 1% milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and black pepper for seasoning

Optional: 4 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
Optional: 1/2 cup frozen peas
Optional garnish: chopped fresh parsley


GROWN-UPS
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons sherry
1 low-fat Cajun or andouille sausage, cut into 2-inch long matchsticks

Prepare the linguine according to package directions. Drain and keep warmuntil ready to serve.

Melt the butter in the center of a large non-stick skillet over medium-highheat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken and pan-fryuntil cooked through, 3-4 minutes. (Remove the kids' portion now if theydon't like everything mixed together.)

Whisk the flour, milk, and Parmesan cheese together. Pour into the skillet and bring to a boil while stirring. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook for about 5 minutes until the mixture has thickened, stirring occasionally.

Fold in the tomatoes and peas,if the kids like them, otherwise add them to the grown-up portion only. Cook until heated through. Season to taste with salt.

Arrange the linguine for the kids on individual plates and spoon a portion of the sauce over each.

To the remaining sauce add the cayenne, sherry and sausage. Heat through and season to taste with salt and pepper. Arrange the linguine for the grown-ups on individual plates and top with sauce. Garnish with parsley, if using.

Kristene Fortier lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and twochildren. She can be reached at hgourmet@aol.com or 650-595-0439. Visit theHealthy Kitchen at http://www.healthykitchen.com for more recipes. Call1-800-852-4890 to order "The Whole Family Cookbook, Two-Tiered Meals to PleaseBoth Parents and Kids."

Save 20% on your copy of The Whole Family Cookbook: Two-Tiered Meals to PleaseBoth Parents and Kids, by Kristene Fortier, ($14.95 Birch Lane Press) by calling 800-857-5600. You must request the discount when orders are placed.

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