Step 1

Heat the oven and water. Preheat the oven to 400°F and put a 2 quart pot with 1 quart of water on a hot burner, add 1/2 teaspoon salt, and crank it up. You'll need it boiling by the time you get to step 4.

Step 2

Make the optional mix-ins. You can skip the mix-ins, but they really amp this dish up to In a frying pan cook the bacon over a medium heat until done on one side, turn, and cook until crunchy. Remove the strips and set aside. Eat one strip. Meathead's rule: Always cook an extra strip for the chef. Chop the rest into 1/4" chunks. Pour off all the rendered fat except about 1 tablespoon. Finely chop the onions and peppers (seed the peppers first) and mince the garlic and jalapeño (seed the jalapeno too). Add the onions and peppers, and cook until they get a little limp, but not cooked through. Leave a little crunch. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Set aside.

Step 3

Make the cheese sauce. In a 2 quart saucepan or Dutch oven, melt the butter over a low heat. Add the flour, and, with a whisk, mix them together, and cook for 5 minutes, or until it turns the color of straw. This is called a blonde roux. Be patient if it takes longer. This takes the raw pasty flavor out of the flour and eliminates the grit. Add the milk slowly and whisk thoroughly while adding it, so there are no lumps. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently so it doesn't burn, until it bubbles and thickens a bit, like latex paint. This is called a béchamel sauce. Add the cheese mix, 1/3 at a time, and continue stirring until the cheese is melted and there are no lumps. Mix in the salt, black pepper, paprika, and the add-ins. Turn off the heat.

Step 4

Boil the mac. Add the macaroni to the boiling water, and stir. When the water comes back up to a boil, turn the heat down a bit and boil until they are almost al dente, still noticeably crunchy, about 2/3 of the time recommended on the package, probably about 6 minutes from the time it begins to boil. Stir occasionally. Take them off when they are still just a bit chewy because it will cook some more in the oven. Drain in a colander shaking vigorously to get as much water out of the tubes as possible, and leave them in the colander in the sink until the cheese sauce is done. Pour the Mac into the cheese sauce and stir thoroughly.

Step 5

Optional: You can cook the mac until it is tender, then pour it in the sauce, mix and serve if you are in a hurry. But to amp it up to 11, proceed to the next step.

Step 6

Optional. If you are adding the smoke dried cherry tomatoes (and you should) add themnow and mix them in.

Step 7

Bake. If you used a 2 quart pan and the handle is oven safe, you can bake it right in the pan. Otherwise, pour the whole macaroni shebang into a 2 quart Pyrex or CorningWare baking dish. If you prefer, pour it into individual serving size oven proof dishes or ramekins. Sprinkle with the cheese topping and then the paprika. If you are going to add a crunchy topping, add it now. Bake at 400°F for 30 minutes or until it begins burbling. Keep an eye on it so the top does not burn.

Step 8

Rest. Let it cool for about 15 minutes so nobody's tongue is scalded. That cheese holds heat.

Step 9

Scoop any leftovers into an oven proof bowl or ramekin.

Step 10

Grate enough cheese to cover the top and sprinkle with paprika or chipotle powder.

Step 11

Bake at 400°F for about 30 minutes or until the top is bubbly and it begins to brown.