I love to make macaroni & cheese for people who’ve just had babies. Today, we welcomed a nephew—hooray! finally!—and that’s just what I did. My very favorite macaroni & cheese recipe is this one from Martha Stewart. It takes a while to make but isn’t hard, and I think you’ll find it’s worth the effort.

When making it for someone who’s just had a baby, I assemble the whole thing in a dish (but don’t bake it), and then refrigerate or freeze. All a new parent has to do is bring it to room temperature on the counter and then bake for 30 minutes. The recipe yields enough to have some for yourself the night you prepare it, if you want (I always do).