Leo's Guide to Mac N Cheese

"I WANT MAC N CHEESE!" is something we hear about seventy-two times a day around here. And it's not just at lunch or at dinner. We hear it at breakfast, snack time and in the car.

As a connoisseur of macaroni and cheese, Leo can tell you that there is not just one kind. So far he has identified and sampled six different types of this delicacy:

1. Leo's mac n cheese: You probably thought this was called "Kraft Macaroni and Cheese" but you're mistaken. Your basic mac n cheese is "Leo's mac n cheese." This is how he orders it.

2. Jesus' mac n cheese: On Friday nights during Lent we went to our church's fish fry and Leo ate the mac n cheese. The first couple of times he sent it back, requesting "Leo's mac n cheese." But once we explained that it was "Jesus' mac n cheese," he was okay with it. Jesus' mac n cheese is creamier and a little whiter than Leo's mac n cheese. He requests this often too. I'll have to ask Jesus for the recipe.

3. Chattanooga mac n cheese: When we ordered mac n cheese at a restaurant in Chattanooga, we knew Leo would be put off if it was different so we named it "Chattanooga mac n cheese." It was really quite similar to the mac n cheese from church. They must have an in with Jesus.

4. Debbie's mac n cheese: My friend Debbie watched Leo yesterday and served him white cheese shell-style mac n cheese. This is very different from any of Leo's other varieties of mac n cheese so I was surprised when Debbie told me he ate two bowls! I'll have to add "Debbie's mac n cheese" to my grocery list.

5. Flying Biscuit mac n cheese: This was the strangest mac n cheese of all. At the restaurant The Flying Biscuit they had "grilled mac n cheese" on the menu so I ordered it for Leo. It came out looking more like hash browns. It was quite delicious and Leo would have loved it, if I hadn't told him it was mac n cheese. He kept screaming, "I want mac n cheese!" I would say, "This IS mac n cheese. It's Flying Biscuit mac n cheese." He'd say, "Flying biscuit mac n cheese" like he was okay with it and then when I tried to give it to him, the screaming would commence. It was a mac n cheese disaster.

6. Shells mac n cheeese: Now this is mommy's favorite. I used to eat this growing up with apple sauce on the side. And if a little apple sauce got in my shells, all the better! Leo eats this sometimes but so far, it's not his favorite. We'll work on it.

Here are some pics of Leo enjoying his favorite meal: