Tuna Melt

I worked at a sandwich shop for 7 years when I was much younger. One of my favorite sandwiches was the Tuna Melt. We didn’t stir any of the usual suspects into our tuna. So each person could have exactly what she wanted. You can tailor your sandwiches to your guests, too. 

These sandwiches are big.  I usually cut them in half. These are part of a fast, easy summer dinner.

Servings: 3-6

Time:  Prep: 10 minutes   Cooking:  10 minutes

Hardware:  A cutting board and knife, measuring spoons and cups, a bowl, a large skillet, tongs, rubber spatula, foil, a sheet pan

Ingredients:

• 6 pieces of bacon (optional)
• ¾ cup albacore white tuna (1- 6.4-ounce pouch)
• ⅓ cup mayonnaise
• 6-1 ounces slices Swiss cheese
• ½ cup each chopped pickles, onions, and tomatoes
• Salt & Pepper
• 3 hoagie rolls

 

Tuna Melt

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350˚ and cover the sheet pan in foil. Set aside.
2. Cook the bacon until it is crispy. Cut each bacon piece in half. Set aside.
3. Mix the mayonnaise and tuna with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Cut the rolls length-wise, but make sure to not cut all the way through.  Fill each roll with ⅓ of the tuna mixture. Top with the ½ the pickles, onions and tomatoes. Then top each sandwich with 2 slices of cheese and 4 bacon halves. Place the sandwiches on the foil covered pan and bake for 5-8 minutes or until the cheese melts. Top with the other half of the veggies. Salt & pepper. Serve hot.

The Best Macaroni Salad Ever!

I made this for potluck a few weeks ago. When I got home, I realized that someone had kept the leftovers. One of the people at the party texted me to ask if the recipe was on the blog. It was not. Then some friends invited us over to go swimming. Not wanting to arrive empty handed, I made more of this because I still had the ingredients on hand. I accidentally forgot the leftovers. My friend texted me that they had eaten all of it and did I have the recipe?

This has been kitchen tested by quite a few people and everyone says, “Yummy!” So, here by popular demand, is the recipe for The Best Macaroni Salad Ever!

Servings: 12- ½ cup servings (seriously, who eats that little?)

Time:  Prep: 10 minutes, Cook: 9 minutes, Chill: 2 hours

Hardware:  measuring spoons and cups, a cutting board and knives, a mixing bowl, a pot, a colander, a large storage container

Ingredients

• 8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
• 2 cups + ½ cup olive oil based mayo
• 1½ cups + ½ cup sour cream
• 1 cup crumbled bacon pieces (you can cook 16 slices of bacon or buy the REAL bacon crumbles which are usually found with salad dressing and croutons)
• 4 eggs
• 4 green onions (½ cup)
• 1-7 ounce jar sliced pimentos, drained
• ⅓ cup dill pickle relish
• ½ cup finely chopped black olives (just buy them in a jar)
• Salt & pepper

The Best Macaroni Salad EVER!

1.   Cook the macaroni according to package directions.  Rinse in cold water and drain.
2. Boil the eggs. You can cook the eggs and the macaroni together to save time.
3. While the macaroni and eggs are cooking slice the green onions as thinly as possible. Use both the white and green parts.
4. Roughly chop the eggs.
5. Mix everything except the ½ cup of mayo and sour cream. Reserve them for later. Taste and adjust the salt.
6. Refrigerate the salad for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.
7. Mix in the reserved dressing and a few grinds of black pepper just before serving. 
8. Pasta is thirsty and will soak up most of the dressing.  The reserved stuff will ensure that your salad is creamy.

You might also enjoy Mactastic Macaroni Salad