John Legend's Macaroni and Cheese

Who doesn't love the soulful sound of John Legend's voice, the crazy talent in his fingers when he plays the piano, or the fact that he wrote a beautiful song to his wife when they got married? The man's got talent, to say the least. So when I saw this recipe for his mac n' cheese, I figured it had to be a hit as well. If he's as good in the kitchen as he is in the recording studio, it must taste heavenly, right? And let me tell you, it does! The best way to describe it? The end-all-be-all lasagnas of mac n' cheese. Take a look...

First, grab these ingredients:

* 16 oz. package of extra-sharp cheddar cheese
* 8 oz. package of Monterey Jack cheese
* 4 Tablespoons of unsalted butter
* 3 Cups of macaroni
* 24 oz. can of evaporated milk
* 1/3 Cup of skim milk (I used reduced fat and it was fine!)
* 2 large eggs
* 1/2 teaspoon of seasoned salt (I didn't have any so I used regular table salt)
* 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
* Paprika
* Salt and ground pepper

Start by preheating your oven to 375 and getting a pot of water boiling for the macaroni. While that's warming up, whisk together your evaporated milk, skim milk (if you have any), and eggs. Once combined, add in your seasoned salt, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.

In another bowl, grate your cheeses and thoroughly mix. At this point your water is probably boiling so you can add the macaroni and cook until al dente. FYI - hand-grating this much cheese is a pain so if you prefer pre-shredded cheese, I won't tell.

Once the pasta is cooked and drained, add your butter and coat the pasta in butter until it has completely melted. Hey, I never said this recipe was healthy!

Now comes the lasagna effect. Grease your 9x13 baking dish and put a third of your macaroni on the bottom.

Then cover that macaroni with a third of your grated cheese.

Keep adding the macaroni and cheese layers until the pan is completely full.

Pour in your milk mixture evenly over the entire pan.

Sprinkle paprika on top and stick in the oven for 35-45 minutes (or until the top is slightly browned).

Give it 10 minutes to cool, as it will be quite hot, and enjoy this delicious medley of cheesy goodness from Mr. Legend himself.

TOTAL COSTS: About $18 (minus seasonings - prices from Vons)
$5.49 for 16 oz. package of extra-sharp cheddar cheese
$2.99 for 8 oz. package of Monterey Jack cheese
$.99 for butter
$.99 for macaroni
$2.58 for evaporated milk
$2.49 for eggs
$2.29 for milk
Paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper already on hand

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: About an hour and a half
50 minutes to boil and cook macaroni, grate cheeses, make milk mixture, and layer pasta and cheeses
35 minutes to bake
10 minutes to cool

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 2 out of 5
Nothing too difficult about this one - the hardest parts might be not overcooking the macaroni (which I did) and grating the cheese (which is more annoying than hard). Other than that, chalk one up to the music man because it's divine!