Comfort food at its finest...

Homemade mac and cheese with bacon and tomatoes...need I say more?  A good friend, and university roommate of mine, taught me this recipe years ago and it never fails to make me feel warm, comfy cozy, and full!  So, without further delay, here's how to make this yumminess...

Ingredients

• 3 strips bacon, cooked and broken into little pieces
• 1/3 - 1/2 of a tomato, cut into little pieces
• butter (about the size of 1 pat of butter)
• flour (about 1-1.5 tbsp)
• milk (probably about 2 tbsp)
• cheddar cheese, about five grates and the older the cheddar, the better!
• macaroni noodles - I normally just measure these out on my plate to figure out how much I want/need

First thing's first, turn your water on to boil.  At the same time, cook your bacon.  Add the macaroni to the boiling water and, while you're waiting for everything to cook, grate your cheese and cut your tomato.  When the bacon is cooked, pat it down and break into little pieces.  When the pasta is cooked, drain it and move the pot to a different element on low.  Add the butter and melt.  Add the flour to the melted butter bit by bit, stirring the whole time, to create a thick liquid.  Then, add your milk bit by bit, stirring consistently, until you have a thick sauce base.  Add your grated cheese, turn the heat up to medium-low and stir regularly until your cheese sauce is sauce consistency.  Turn the heat back down to low.  Add the macaroni noodles back into the pot and mix.  Last but not least, add the tomato and bacon, stir until mixed and warmed (maybe a minute or so) and serve.  The ingredients above are for 1 serving, so mix and match quantities to get the combination you like for the number of people you're serving.

Ooey gooey goodness.

Dinner!