1 can Progresso minestrone soup

2 cups frozen corn

1- 1lb. pkg. frozen mixed vegetables

1 can black beans

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 pkg. taco seasoning

1 pkg. ranch dressing seasoning (dry mix)

1 cup water

The sad thing is that I expect that it tastes pretty good. I have to admit that I love the taco / ranch combo (like in mexicali dip!). Of course, taco seasoning packages are such a rip off. They usually only contain salt, sugar, garlic and tons of cumin. But I'd buy ranch mix. You never know what those crazy Hidden Valley people are putting in those packets.

So this brings me to my next thought: can one say that they have "cooked" this? If cooking is nothing more than the application of heat to food, then I guess they can. But the person making this soup really didn't do anything more than combine processed ingredients. Is it really baking if somebody uses premade refrigerated cookie dough? How about the pizzas that have half baked crusts?

When cake mixes came out in England, they flopped. The English did not consider using a mix to be baking. It was just a way to purchase a cake with a bigger hassle. Before this, when cake mixes came out in America a similar thing happened. You see, cake mixes used to contain powdered eggs. All the person had to do was add water and oil. Once the manufacturers removed the powdered eggs, Americans felt like they were contributing enough to the process to say that they baked it.

I have a feeling that cake mixes with powdered eggs in them would go over just fine today. Americans would see it as a way to bake a cake with less hassle.

So, if this is the way cooking in America is going, then to where are we headed?