Camping Indoors

This recipe began years ago as a camping dish but was so liked by the family that we ate it--and still do--at home too.

Brown 1 pound of ground beef and toss in some dried onion flakes. Add 1 can of mushroom soup and 1 can of milk and bring to a boil. Stir in enough Minute Rice until things are gooey. Cover and turn off heat.

Here’s my second fast meal: Thaw store-bought frozen potato wedges in a single layer in the microwave. While you are doing that, turn on the oven to 350 degrees. When potatoes are thawed, put them in the oven with the fish that you prepared while the potatoes were thawing.

I buy 1/2 pound of fish for the two of us. You can judge from that what you need for your family. Get out heavy-duty foil and plop the fish on it. Season with fish seasoning or use garlic salt and a squeeze of lemon. Wrap it up in the foil and put it in the oven with the potatoes. In 10 to 15 minutes, test with a fork to see if it flakes. If it doesn’t, cook 5 minutes more (sometimes I’ve turned the heat to 375 degrees at this point). If you use salmon, just use a bit of garlic salt with lemon to season.

While the potatoes and fish cook, set the table and make a salad. Drink your glass of wine or cup of tea. Dinner is ready.