Cuban Sandwich Meets Mac and Cheese!

I was watching The Rachael Ray Show the other day and she made something really interesting: Cubano Mac and Cheese! (Of course her enthusiasm made it even more exciting!) Anyway, so I asked Greg if he liked Cuban Sandwiches since that's what it was supposed to taste like and he said "Oh YEA!" We ALWAYS have ham and pickles in the fridge so Cubano Mac and Cheese was made and even the left-overs were eaten up the next day!

Ingredients: (4 servings)

1 lb elbow pasta
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
1 c chicken stock
2 c milk
¼ c Dijon mustard
3 c Mozzarella cheese, shredded
½ c pickles, chopped
4 sliced ham, chopped

Preparations:

1. Place a large pot of water over high heat and bring it up to a boil to cook the pasta. Once at a boil, add some salt and the pasta and cook it just shy of al dente.
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat a medium-size skillet over medium heat and add the butter. When the butter melts, add the flour and cook about a minute. Whisk in stock, milk, and mustard, and bring up to a bubble.
3. Stir in the cheese until it's all melted.
4. Fold in the pickles and ham, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. When the pasta is done, drain it well and combine with sauce.