Food is Love: Green Bean Casserole

OK, I read Women, Food and God. I liked it. I know in my heart that Geneen Roth is right: Equating food and love is dangerous.

Nonetheless, with apologies to Ms. Roth, I'm sticking with the Food is Love series. Which brings us to what may be my most-requested, non-dessert dish: the infamous green bean casserole.

Now, most of the time, I think the best recipes come from the people who make the ingredients. Want a good chocolate chip cookie recipe? Follow the one from Nestle. Hungry for chocolate cake? I recommend the recipe on the Hershey cocoa box. Or, you can try Angela's riff on it.

But if you want a green bean casserole that keeps 'em coming back, ignore the Campbell soup approach. You do NOT need milk. Soy sauce? I laugh at soy sauce.

Here's what you need:
Two cans of good green beans. Not the cheap generic version.
1/2 can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup.
1 small can french fried onions (Take out the bank loan, these suckers are expensive.)
Lots of pepper

1. Drain the two cans of green beans. Dump them into a small casserole dish.
2. Stir in half of the soup. (No milk. Just the soup.) Save the other half of the soup in the refrigerator, because your friends and family will be asking for this casserole again in a day or two. And there's no need to waste food.
3. Add pepper to taste. Now, add a little more.
   
4. Stir in half of the french fried onions. Then, use the other half to cover the top of the casserole.
   
5. Cover the casserole dish and microwave on high for 10 minutes. You can also cook this in the oven, but I haven't done that for years. I think it baked at 350 degrees for a long time. I don't have that kind of patience.
   

With a microwave and this recipe, you're 10 minutes away from being a hero. Don't trust me on this. Try it. Happy weekend!