The Tuna Melt

Before I even own an electric can opener, I now own both a mini food processor and an electric griddle. These are both birthday presents that decided to arrive about five days late, but I'm ok with that. Slightly ironically, I would have owned two mini food processors, as Mr. Tau didn't check my Amazon wish list to see if I might happen to have a mini food processor on there already. So, in short, he didn't get the one I had my eye one. But never fear, it turned out alright, because we had to go to a wedding last night. Can we say "Re-Gift?" So Mr. Tau instead ordered the other small kitchen appliance I had on my wish list, an electric griddle, and left it to Mother Tau to gift her daughter the correct mini food processor. So I now own two more small kitchen appliances that I did before, giving me a combined total of two.

Why you would ever put a cook top with two burners and a grill in a kitchen is beyond me. Obviously that person has never made a Thanksgiving dinner before.

With one week left before our two week "vacation" to Dublin and Barcelona, we are now in the process of using up all perishable items in our house, never mind the looming move that follows a mere five days after we get back. So, with the goal in mind to use many things from the fridge and use both my mini food processor and electric griddle, I made delicious tuna melts for dinner tonight. I now think that the perfect tuna salad is in and of itself enough of a reason to warrant getting a mini food processor. Not that Mother Tau's slightly obsessive compulsive method of giving the tuna exactly 100 energetic stirs with a fork doesn't work beautifully, but this is slightly less muscle cramp inducing.


The Tuna Melt
makes about 4 sandwiches


2 cans solid albacore tuna, well drained (Kitties love tuna juice!)
1/2 large carrot
1/2 small onion
pickles
4 TBsp real mayonnaise
1 TBsp mustard
sharp cheddar cheese
good and grainy whole wheat sandwich bread
your favorite tomato soup to accompany

This constitutes salad right?

 In your mini food processor, chop your carrot, onion, and pickle to your desired consistency. I like mine fairly small, as then I tend to forget that I'm eating vegetables. Set the chopped veggies aside, and add 3 TBsp of mayonnaise, the mustard, and the tuna into the processor and chop until well combined and no large pieces of tuna remain. Add the tuna to the vegetables and mix well. Add black pepper to taste. I don't usually add salt because of the pickles, but its up to you.

The tuna making process

The perfect tuna salad

Cheese, you know, for the "melt" part.

Mayonnaise on the outside.

Apply a hearty layer of tuna salad onto one side of your bread, and add a slice of sharp cheddar cheese. Now, this may sound strange, but it works, and it works really well. Smear a thin layer of mayonnaise on the outside of the bread. Yes, I know. You really want to just use butter. Mayonnaise, in this case, is so much better. The crunch you can get is unbelievable. Place over a low heat on your griddle, or pan if you don't have an awesome electric   griddle. This is to just heat the sandwich through to get it all warm and melty. Then, once melt-age has been achieved, turn up the heat to giver the sandwich a nice golden, crunchy outside layer. Go mayonnaise.

Grilled perfection. Nummers!

 Paired with a delicious tomato soup for dipping into, these sandwiches are awesome. Enjoy! 

Yes, I put a garnish on my soup.

Chocolate Bottom Pecan Pie

Nummers. The final sweet pie that I prepared for the pie party last weekend. Now, growing up we always had pecan pies for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but they certainly never included chocolate. Which, to tell the truth is really, really just a shame. All those years of awesome pecan pies could have been taken to a whole other level with a little (lot) bit of chocolate.

Yes, that's a "Pi" plate.

As previously mentioned, we're gifted with delicious, fresh pecans in Texas, and so while I know a pecan pie is out of season currently, (which was made obvious when, for once, it didn't win the "Best Sweet Pie" category!!!! I know right? Crazy.), I decided to make it anyways. Stupid berries and their currently being in season. 


I have to tell you a secret. Our traditional,"family" pecan pie recipe is actually just the Karo Syrup recipe. Yes, its right there on the back of the bottle of corn syrup. Its just like Libby's pumpkin pie, right? But, to be honest, its still one of the best recipes I've ever had, so why mess with a good thing? Plus, I've now started to change a few things (chocolate! more nuts!) and the results just keep getting better!


Chocolate Bottom Pecan Pie
adapted from Karo


1 cup Karo Dark Corn Syrup
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) pecan pieces
1/2 cup whole pecans


4 oz good quality semisweet chocolate


1 9" ultimate pie crust
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, combine the corn syrup, eggs, sugar, butter and vanilla until smooth. Next, stir in pecan pices until well coated with the custard mixture. Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 10 second intervals and carefully cover the bottom of your pie crust. Lick the chocolate bowl clean. Pour filling into pie crust, but leave some of the custard mixture in the bowl without and pecan pieces in it. Next, decoratively place your whole pecans in a pretty design on top of the pie. Pour the remaining custard mixture over the strategically placed whole pecans to give them a nice sugar coating as well. 

Bake on center rack of oven for 60 to 70 minutes. The bottle says its done with it reaches 200 degrees. It lies. The only reliable way to tell if it is done is to give the pie a jiggle, and if the center moves like jello, its not done, even if a thermometer reads 200. It should be completely firm when you take it out of the oven. If your pie crust edges are darkening too much, just cover them with foil. Cool as much as humanly possible before eating. This would be excellent covered with a nice Bourbon Whipped Cream. Enjoy!

Pre baking, but pretty!