I’m a carb queen. I’ll always order macaroni and cheese, but I don’t want it to be fancy. I want it to be as close to Kraft Services as it can possibly get! Drew Barrymore, actress, producer, director

I have to admit never being much of a fan of John Legend’s music, but when David came across his Mac ‘n Cheese recipe on Martha Stewart’s Living and saw the simplicity of it – well, I had to try it. The ingredients are fairly common and bet you have 90% of them in your refrigerator and pantry. The best comfort food for these times.

Basically, I like to look at recipes as a starting point in a road map and prefer to take a few detours here and there in preparation and modify to my tastes. In this case using a slightly different pasta shape and a few favorite spices: ¼ teaspoon of onion powder, crushed red pepper chili flakes and a dash of five-spice powder for a little extra oomph. Use whatever rocks your boat.

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for baking dish

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

3 cups elbow macaroni

2 (12-ounce) cans evaporated milk

1/3 cup skim milk

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

2 (8-ounce) packages extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1 (8-ounce) package Monterey Jack cheese, grated

Paprika, for sprinkling

Step 1 – Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously butter a 13-by-9-inch glass baking dish; set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add salt and macaroni. Cook until al dente according to package directions. Drain, and return to pot. Add butter, and toss until pasta is coated and butter has melted; set aside.

Step 2 – In a medium bowl, whisk together evaporated milk, skim milk, and eggs. Add seasoned salt, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; set aside. In another medium bowl, combine cheeses; set aside.

Step 3 – Place 1/3 macaroni in an even layer in the bottom of prepared baking dish; cover evenly with 1/3 cheese. Repeat with the remaining macaroni and cheese mixture. Pour milk mixture evenly over the contents of the baking dish. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake until the top layer is lightly browned, 35 to 45 minutes. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

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The “Legendary” results ~ a gooey, savory, cheesy concoction of a dish. It makes enough for a large family; we shared some of it with our neighbor, phoning her there was food at her gate – talk about observing “Social Distance.” Another meal this week (David may add a hot dog to his – ugh!) and then will freeze the rest to enjoy later on.

In the past, David has made some outstanding ‘n Cheese dishes; some of them requiring a variety of fancy and pricey cheeses. But for me, when it comes to the perfect mac ‘n cheese, there’s nothing better than good ole fashioned Velveeta!

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