You know that new macaroni and cheese cookbook that I bought right before I decided I needed to be eating healthier food?  Well, I couldn’t take it anymore.  Scott and I dove in with our first recipe from it the other day–Smoky Bacon Mac.  Sounds healthy, right?

Wrong.  Cheese and pasta and milk and more cheese.  And bacon.  Oh my!  The recipe calls for a whopping pound of bacon.  We wussed out and only used 12 ounces (one package), but it was worth every calorie.

I will say that I’m mildly disappointed that the picture doesn’t exactly match what the recipe tells you to do.  My mom’s macaroni and cheese has a breadcrumb topping that’s pretty epic.  Now that is what the picture shows.  Baked breadcrumb topping of my dreams.

Other than a conspicuous lack of breadcrumbs, this recipe was delicious.  Time-consuming, yes.  But also absurdly tasty and slightly out of the typical mac and cheese box.  Yes! The smoked cheddar and the crisp bacon worked perfectly together.  What can I say?  The good folks of the Mac + Cheese Cookbook did it pretty darn well.  Thanks, guys.

Next time I try this recipe, I’m going to make it half Mom’s way, half the recipe way… layered ingredients in a casserole, baked in the oven with a breadcrumb topping.  I think it’ll be a pretty huge win with the smoky flavor, the bacon, and the quicker Mom Method.  I’ll let you know how that goes, but my body has to recover from consuming all of that bacon first.

P.S.  I started reading the Divergent book series late last week thanks to a friend’s suggestion, and I’m hooked.  We’re talking staying up until 1 AM, reading under the covers like a kid kind of hooked.  Does reading under the covers burn calories from smoky bacon mac?  I’ll go with yes.  It worked when I was a kid.