BACON BROCCOLI MAC AND CHEESE

For a food blogger, I’m a bit hopeless. No matter how hard I try to be inventive for you guys, I usually wind up making the same few meals for the pilot, chickpea, and myself. It varies season to season, but it’s essentially a lot of the same song and dance. When we buy broccoli, for instance, it’s usually with a set purpose in mind: as a dancer for ginger dressing and hummus, as the star of my soup,

Today I got sassy. It’s been far too long since I’ve made mac and cheese and the craving hit me like a mac truck.
Well, technically a mack truck full of mac, but in my book that makes it a mac truck. Tomatoes tomatoes.
The second the pairing hopped into my head there was no stopping it. It had to be done. It may be Spring but gosh darn it, it’s chilly here in NC and comfort food is on the menu! With side salads of course, because, veggies.

Ingredients
3-4 slices of bacon, cooked
5-6 ounces freshly grated cheddar cheese [see below]
3 cups broccoli florets, steamed or blanched
8 oz pasta [measured by weight]
1/4 cup [1/2 stick] unsalted butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 cups whole milk, room temperature
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp black pepper
season with additional salt and pepper to taste, if desired