Nostradamus Casserole

I'm not much of a chef, but there are some dishes I'm confident making. I don't feel like I'm bragging when I say my mashed potatoes and scrambled eggs are better than most recipes. Another dish I'm good at making is one I call Nostradamus. I believe I may have mentioned it on my blog several years ago. It's a pasta dish that my kids always ask me to make.

I have only shared a couple recipes on Chaka's World over the years so it's probably time for another. Nostradamus is nothing fancy, it just consists of the following ingredients:

colored spiral noodles (a couple bags)
cream of mushroom soup (a big can)
lean hamburger (about 12 oz.)
peas (a small bag of frozen peas)
sliced olives (2 cans- cut up your own- I refuse to take part in the ultimate scam of pre-sliced olives in tiny cans that cost twice as much as a big can of whole olives.)
shredded cheese (American or mozzarella)
salt and pepper (a pinch, a dash, or whatever it takes)

Cook the hamburger while the pasta is boiling. Throw the bag of peas in the microwave for several minutes so they will be cooked when it's time to combine the ingredients. When the the noodles are cooked, drain them and immediately add all of the other ingredients and mix them together.

You might wonder why I'm not more specific about how much of the above ingredients should be used. I refuse to cheapen my recipe by reducing it to a simple formula that can fit on 3X5 card and be measured in cute plastic cups. The culinary arts are not a matter of following directions, but rather following your intuition. I never measure out my ingredients. I operate at a higher level than your average chef since I follow my innate feelings for what feels right.

Some people might ask "why I named a casserole after a famous French mystical seer who lived 400 years ago?". The answer is because he was so smart, he probably prophesied we'd be having it for dinner tonight.