Memories of Mac n' Cheese

Macaroni and Cheese occupies a somewhat delicate place at our dining table. My husband and I both have had ups and downs with this classic American comfort food. For him it involves recurring nightmares of the gooey glop that they dared to call Mac n' Cheese and served to him in his elementary school cafeteria. Forcing himself to try one bite before escaping the teacher's watchful eye to hide under the table pretending to tie his shoelaces while actually shoveling the remaining gummy mass on his plate into the pockets of his jeans, one fistful at a time, quite inadequately sheathed in layers of paper napkins. My first Mac n' Cheese experience was in my freshman year dorm, with the "mac n' cheese in a box" variety (brand shall remain unnamed), that resulted in a gluey mess of macaroni shells held together with  cheese-like product that was an unsightly shade of orangey-yellow. Maybe I did it wrong, but I won't go there ever again.

We have since moved onto more civilized versions of macaroni and cheese, and I now delight in its endless culinary variations. This Bacon Bleu version of Mac N' Cheese is definitely a favorite of mine, and is such an easy recipe too. A classic combination of flavorful bacon, and bleu cheese. I watched a lady on television make a version of this once and have adapted it to be my own which, in this case, means fewer calories. Anyone who has watched this particular lady with the butter knows why. I also added some sliced zucchini for color, and crunch.

A few notes on the recipe:
Bleu cheese is definitely strong, so I would recommend substituting part of it with something milder if you don't like bleu cheese so strong. Also, I use the term "crumbled bacon" below but the truth is:
a) I am terrible at crumbling bacon as most of it disappears into my mouth, and
b) I don't actually "crumble" it, more like rip it into one inch chunks.

Bacon Bleu Mac N' Cheese

You will need:

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup zucchini sliced to about 1/4" thick
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 cup bleu cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup freshly shaved Parmesan
2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Cook bacon, crumble into small pieces and set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt, then add the macaroni and cook according to package instructions; drain and set aside.
In a saucepan over medium heat combine butter, salt, and pepper. Once butter has melted, stir in milk, flour, yogurt, bleu cheese and Parmesan. Then add zucchini and stir for about 1 minute, just until heated through. Then add cooked macaroni into cheese. Lastly, toss in the crumbled bacon and give it a good stir. Serve hot. Enjoy!