I came home from work the other night and found Maria in the kitchen fixing dinner. Like most nights, I asked her what she was making. This time, she gave me an answer that scared me. “It’s a surprise.”

Uh oh.

I like surprises on Christmas morning. I like surprises on my birthday. I don’t like surprises at the dinner table. I had a funny feeling I would end up fixing myself peanut butter and jelly for dinner.

I went right into the kitchen to investigate. Boy, was I wrong. I almost shed tears of joy when I saw Maria pouring a packet of orange powder into a pot on the stove.

My wife was making Kraft macaroni and cheese.

Words failed me. I can’t begin to explain the significance of that moment. I expected the crew from “Unsolved Mysteries” to start filming.

I met my wife almost 14 years ago. We have been married for 10 years. She has never made Kraft macaroni and cheese – one of my favorite foods – for me in all that time.

I have had macaroni and cheese since then. I’m human after all. But I have been too lazy to make Kraft for myself in I don’t know how long. Maria grew up on homemade mac and cheese, so I have had to rough it on that.

Imagine my surprise years ago when Maria told me she could make something better than Kraft. I didn’t think such a thing existed. I was right.

Don’t get me wrong – my wife makes wonderful homemade mac and cheese. I appreciate her opening my eyes to such tasty goodness.

But it’s not Kraft. I needed that familiarity. I needed that buttery goodness. I needed the comfort only the orange powder can bring.

Kraft mac and cheese has sustained me on so many levels. As a kid, I would eat as many “packs of mac” as I could each time my Mom made it. In college, a box could get me through a rough Sunday afternoon.

A buddy of mine used to buy a huge supply of Kraft before the semester began. He would hide them from all but a few of us who could dip into his stash to hold us over since meals on Sunday only consisted of brunch and dinner.

You just can’t get rid of that special connection automatically. I have tried many times to convince my wife that she should give Kraft a shot, but I had no luck. Until a few days ago.

I was so happy when I saw the magic happen in the pot. I thought nothing could make me happier.

Then Bridget started eating. She has not been very eager to try many new foods, but she gave the mac and cheese a shot. And she loved it.

Three packs of mac later, my wife resigned herself to adding that familiar blue box to the grocery list in the future.

The wait was worth it.