The Casserole

3 cups rice
1 lb. hamburger, browned
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup

Mix in a casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
At some point, sprinkle the top with crunchy Chinese noodles and serve with as much soy sauce as your system can handle.


When I was a kid this recipe came to be known as "Tony's Favorite Casserole."
My wife's family used the same recipe, except they left off the Chinese noodles and called it "Prison Food."

I'm not really sure when my mom started calling it my favorite casserole. But I do know it was the winner by default. The competition included: Tuna Noodle Casserole (with crunched up potato chips on top), Shepherds Pie, Tamale Pie, some kind of Beef Stroganoff, and a few others that I have blotted from my memory.

My mom was a perfectly fine cook, I just don't care to have my foods touching each other and a casserole is the exact opposite of that. I hate casserole. But I do like soy sauce and the Chinese noodles aren't too bad, so with this recipe I could make it through at least one casserole night without starving.

Winning by default. The thing you dislike the least becomes your Favorite. That's the metaphor of the casserole.

My life is like that sometimes. I don't deal well with disappointment, so sometimes I just settle for the lowest acceptable outcome. It's easier and less risky than actually trying. Of course, you end up eating a lot of metaphorical casserole.

Well, this year is going to be different. Here's an example. We're thinking about getting a new dog. So this time I think I will save up and get a nice little puppy from a breed that has desirable characteristics. Instead of just going to the pound with 35 bucks and picking out the only one that doesn't seem to be barking himself silly, which is how we got Ranger. Apparently he didn't have time to bark because he was too busy listening to all of the voices in his head. (It has not been an easy twelve years. That's 84 dog years, by the way.)

No more settling. Good enough is not really good enough. Unless you actually made a conscious decision that good enough is what you wanted. Then it's perfectly fine. I'm not here to judge.

Tell me then, is there anything you'd like to change this year? Are you tired of casserole? Or is it your best comfort food?

(Also, don't actually try to use that recipe. I have no idea how to make casserole, I just made it up so that it would look like a recipe. For more information, consult Betty Crocker.)