The products sitting on my kitchen counter the other night were all items to be tested at home: a can of cream of chicken soup, a jar of curry powder, a tin of tuna packed in water. To that lineup I added, among other things, a yellow onion and a $9 bottle of sauvignon blanc.

After looking to the back of the soup can for inspiration, I found that these ingredients lent themselves to a homey casserole. The result is rather old-fashioned. This is how so many moms of my youth used to cook when they were being "creative" and enthusiasm outweighed real ability in the kitchen.

Bill Daley writes for the Chicago Tribune, which provided the recipe analysis.

Tuna-Rice Casserole

Makes 6 servings

1 tablespoon butter

1 onion, diced

2 teaspoons curry powder

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) cream of chicken soup

1 1/3 cups water

1 cup uncooked white rice

2 cans (6 ounces each) tuna, drained

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and curry powder. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Scrape the curried onions into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; stir in the soup, water, rice, tuna and pepper. Cover with foil.

Bake until the rice is cooked and the casserole has begun to turn golden, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven; raise the temperature to 450 degrees. Remove foil from casserole. Spread cheese over the top of the casserole; return to the oven. Cook until cheese begins to melt, about 5 minutes.

Per serving: 337 calories, 12 grams fat, 6 grams saturated fat, 46 milligrams cholesterol, 33 grams carbohydrate, 23 grams protein, 644 milligrams sodium, 1 gram fiber