Rice Casserole

A shout-out to my college friend Christy for this one.

Ingredients
1 can cream of potato soup
2 cups (uncooked) instant rice
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen green beans
1 can sliced water chestnuts
garlic powder
onion powder
salt
pepper
sliced or shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cook the rice on the stovetop (hands on time, 2 minutes).
At the same time, boil your veggies on the stovetop to defrost them (hands on time, 1 minute).
In a large casserole dish, mix the cream of potato soup, the rice, the veggies, the water chestnuts & the spices. (hands on time, 3 minutes)
Top with cheddar cheese. (hands on time 1-3 minutes, depending on if you have to slice the cheese)
Bake uncovered until cheese is brown & bubbly (about 20 minutes).

Variations
OK, this recipe is so adaptable to different tastes. Use any cream-of soup you like. Use any veggie you like. Use canned veggies instead of frozen. Use a different "special" ingredient from water chestnuts, like cashews or chopped green olives or canned diced tomatoes. Use different spices, like cumin & chili powder or fresh basil. Instead of the cheddar cheese, top with crushed tortilla chips, melted butter, & grated parmesan like my friend Christy used to do.