Tuna Fish Salad

This spring I was reminded of a funny fact about Michael that I had forgotten:  that although he dislikes most all seafood, he likes tuna fish salad sandwiches.  So I thought it was worth a try to figure out how to make them.  Personally, I've never preferred tuna fish salad, but I thought that if I could doctor it up with enough other flavors and textures, then maybe I would like it, too.  After some experimenting, I've come up with a recipe that not only Michael and I enjoy, but Sabrina as well.  Besides the flavor, another thing that I've come to appreciate about tuna fish salad sandwiches is how easy they are to make.  Especially on these 90-degree days, it's so nice to have something to make for dinner that doesn't require turning on the oven, stove, or anything else that might make the house even hotter than it already is.  Just mix, chill, and serve.

Tuna Fish Salad
makes enough for several sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp. Hellmann's Real mayonnaise
• 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. onion powder
• 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 5-oz. can of tuna in olive oil.  (The ingredients should include just tuna, olive oil, and salt.)  Avoid the tuna in water or vegetable oil because they almost always contain corn products. 
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion (1 small onion)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery (about 2 medium stalks)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped dill pickle
• 2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Instructions:

In a medium bowl stir together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.  Over the sink, squeeze the tuna in the can to drain most of the olive oil.  Then transfer the tuna to the bowl. Finely chop the onion, celery, pickle, and parsley, and add to the bowl.  Stir well to combine.  For best taste, chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.  Or if you're running late making dinner like I am sometimes, serve immediately.

Honey Mustard Sauce

I have always liked mustard, and I especially love honey mustard sauce. Sabrina takes after me and usually asks for mustard. Michael, on the other hand, is more of a ketchup person. And Naomi, who at least in this case is more European in her preferences, loves mayonnaise. Yup, she likes to put mayonnaise on her hot dog, hamburger, and French fries. She reminds me of my time in Germany, where I first encountered people dipping their French fries into mayonnaise.  But I am just thrilled that I have discovered the recipe for honey mustard sauce, so now I don't have to think wistfully back to the stops that we would make at fast-food restaurants while on family road trips, when I would get the chicken nuggets and packets of honey mustard sauce.  The great thing about having a recipe is that now I can make my own anytime I want. 

Honey Mustard Sauce

Serve 2-4 people (depending on how much sauce you like)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Hellmann's Real mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 2 tsp. yellow mustard
• 1 tsp. lemon juice

Instructions:

Whisk the ingredients together until thoroughly blended.  Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator. 

Hasselback Potatoes

Have you heard of Hasselback potatoes?  I hadn't before I came across a recipe on the internet.  I'm always looking for new ways to cook potatoes, so I was intrigued.  The special feature of Hasselback potatoes is that you cut thin slits into the potato width-wise, being careful not to cut entirely through the potato so that the thin pieces stay attached to one another.  During baking, the thin potato pieces fan out and you end up with a fancy baked potato that looks like you spent a lot more time on it than you really did.  Even better than the looks is the taste, which I think is a big improvement over a regular baked potato.  The skin turns out nice and crispy, and the thin pieces of potato are perfectly bite-size.

As you can see from the picture, I like to pour honey mustard sauce over mine.  (I'll post the recipe for that next.)  To make the potatoes even tastier, you can put small pieces of bacon or Cheddar cheese in the slits.  Writing about Hasselback potatoes makes me want to bake some again, but not until the current heat wave passes and it's cool enough for me to want to turn on my oven.  If you have central air conditioning, you can make some immediately or anytime you want.
    
Hasselback Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 1 medium (about 8 oz.) Russet potato per person (plus 1 extra just in case one of the potatoes doesn't turn out).  The potatoes need to be Russet; I've tried Yukon Gold and white potatoes, and they don't turn out as well.
• 1 tsp. of olive oil per potato
• sea salt and pepper
• 1 to 1 1/2 slices of bacon per potato.  A few brands of bacon that do not contain corn products are Applegate Naturals Sunday Bacon, Classic Sliced Dry Rubbed All Natural Uncured Bacon, and Hormel Natural Choice 100% Natural Original Uncured Bacon.
• OR slices of sharp Cheddar cheese 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add enough water to a large pot so that the potatoes will be fully immersed when they cook in it.  Place the pot over high heat to bring the water to a boil.  (Do not salt the water.  I discovered that if you do, your potato skins will not turn out crispy.) While the water is heating, rinse the potatoes and make slits in them width-wise that are about 1/8-inch apart but not all the way through the potato.  If you aren't great at precision cutting, you can do what I do, which is to place the handle of a wooden spoon on either side of the potato, so that the handles stop you from cutting all the way through the potato.  (See this site for a picture and further instructions.)

Once you have make slits in the potatoes and the water has come to a boil, place the potatoes in the water and boil them for 5 minutes. (Some recipes don't include this step, but I've found that the potatoes take less time in the oven and the potato skin turns out better if you parboil the potatoes first.) Remove the potatoes from the pot to a plate to drain the water a bit. Then place the potatoes, cut side up, in a Pyrex pan.

If desired, cut small pieces of bacon or Cheddar cheese to place in the slits.  The potatoes taste great without the bacon or cheese, but if you happen to have bacon or cheese on hand, I highly recommend adding them.  Since the girls and I have to avoid dairy products, I either make the potatoes plain or with bacon.  If using bacon, cut the pieces of bacon in half length-wise first; then cut the bacon into pieces width-wise to fit the width of the potato.

Once you've placed the bacon or cheese pieces in the potato slits, drizzle each potato with about 1 tsp. Of olive oil. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Bake for 1 hour or until the potato flesh is tender.  (They might need about 5 more minutes.)  Serve with ketchup, honey mustard sauce, sour cream, or whatever sauce your heart desires.