Tuna Melt Sandwich - Recipe

I don't make gooey, cheesy, Tuna Melts nearly enough. Maybe it's just too much of a good thing. 

A Tuna Melt is basically Grilled Cheese with Tuna Salad. My Tuna Melt recipe uses a simple Tuna Salad of drained canned tuna, mayo, pickle relish, and chopped onion. I have a great Loaded Tuna Salad a click away here (it has the addition of a chopped boiled egg and olives.) 

Tuna Salad ingredients are still cheap to get at my 99c only Store and Dollar Tree. Even regular grocery stores sell cans of tuna and pickle relish at bargain prices. Mayo is more expensive these days, but I often find small jars at my Dollar Tree.

I add American Cheese to my grilling Tuna Salad Sandwich. You can use any favorite slices of cheese. 

Experiment with any favorite bread for toasting. I get mine from the bakery bargain bin at Ralphs Grocery store. 

 

I toast the bread with a small pat of butter. You can use a butter substitute or no butter at all.

Making a Tuna Melt is simply delicious when you do it the 99 Cent Chef way.

                                                  Tuna Melt - VIDEO                               Play it here, video runs 3 minutes and 3 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here. 

Ingredients (about 2 sandwiches)

• 1 can tuna - a 5-ounce can "chunk." Drain the tuna of liquid. I press down the tuna with the can lid to squeeze out water - be careful as the can lid can be sharp. 
• American Cheese - 1 slice per sandwich. Okay to use any favorite including cheddar, Swiss, mozzarella, or pepper Jack.
• Onion - 1 tablespoon chopped. Purple, white, green, or yellow onion.
• Sweet Pickle Relish - 1 tablespoon. okay to use chopped pickle.
• Mayonnaise - 1 Tablespoon. Add more or less to suit your taste.
• Pepper to taste - about half a teaspoon. I find canned tuna salty enough, so I leave out the salt.

*For a can of "Solid" tuna double the amounts of onion, relish, and mayonnaise.

Directions

Fine-chop onion. It's okay to leave out the onion if you don't like it.

Drain one can of tuna. "Chunk" tuna which is loosely packed. If you use "Solid" tuna you will get twice as much in a can so you should almost double the amounts of chopped onion, pickle relish, and mayo. 

To a bowl add drained tuna and chopped onion.

Add one tablespoon of mayo. Okay to add a teaspoon at a time to reach desired creaminess. Mix all ingredients and taste. 

Add more mayonnaise if needed. I like to add black pepper but no salt, as I find canned tuna is salty enough.

Store Tuna Salad in the refrigerator until ready to use in a Tuna Melt. 

Grilling a Tuna Melt

To complete the recipe build and grill the Tuna Melt. I start with a pat of butter in a frying pan or stovetop grill over medium heat. It's okay to just toast bread without butter or oil.

When the butter is melted drag the bread slices through the butter. Now assemble the Tuna Melt.

With the buttered side down, I like to add a slice of cheese to the bread first. Next, I pile on some Tuna Salad. Finally, top it all with another lightly buttered slice of bread. 

Having the cheese on the bottom nearest the flame gets it to start melting-- that's what makes a Tuna Melt so special.

It only takes a few minutes to toast the bread, so peek under it as it cooks so you don't burn the sandwich. 

You may find Tuna Salad breaking down a little bit during toasting as it warms, so be careful when turning the sandwich during toasting as some Tuna Salad may spill out.

The Hot Dogs of Summer - Relish Dog with Mustard

It's summertime and the time is right for Hot Dogs. My Hot Dog Series covers all the greatest hits including  Kraut Dog, Mustard & Relish Dog, Chili Dog, plus the killer combos of Kraut & Chili Dog, Slaw & Chili Dog, and Relish & Chili Dog. Now that's a mouthful and they are all cheap of course. So keep checking back here for all the yummy recipes served with tasty text and scrumptious photos!

Okay let's be frank, anyone can make these, and maybe this Series is just a celebration of  America's favorite frankfurter or a reminder of the joys of dining simply.

Click on any photo to see larger.

A Relish Dog with Mustard is the easiest to make. The only work is opening a tight pickle relish lid. I often have to use a bottle opener to break the seal -- as it's often too hard to just twist off. 

And you can't get much cheaper than a Hot Dog with Relish. I can always find Pickle Relish for a buck  at my local 99c only Store and Dollar Tree.

Now, do you like sweet or unsweetened Dill Pickle Relish? I lean to the sweetened version as a contrast to sour mustard. 

They're all kinds of mustard to choose, everything from classic yellow to Grey Poupon Dijon, and spicy to extra-sour seed popping stoneground. I feel lucky to have all these types again at my local 99c only Store and Dollar Tree. And what's great about mustard it lasts almost forever stored in the fridge.

This may seem nit-picky but I like my mustard against the tube steak, not the bun, and finally topped with relish. Of course, any order of condiment to bun and wiener will work.

So check out my video below to see how I do it, from steaming weenie to squirting mustard!

These days it easy to make vegan versions using tofu dogs and vegan chili, so everyone can join in summertime patio Hot Dog partying.

 And the main ingredients of a Hot Dog are cheap of course, but that's not the only reason to like them. They are just a satisfying combination of flavors that you can build any way you like.

A package of Hot Dog Buns for about a buck? Check. I prefer regular white flour buns, but I often find whole wheat bun on sale too -- it's all good.

Meaty tube steak for a buck? If you know where to look and don't mind if they are a mix of beef, chicken, and pork. I always find them on sale at my local 99c only Store and Dollar Tree.

I mean, there is a texture taste difference - I find the typically mixed meat wieners a bit softer when you bite into them and with a milder meaty taste, while an all-beef wiener has more snap and thicker texture and an intense beef flavor. Depending on how my pocketbook is feeling I can work with any type of Hot Dog wieners.

Do you like your weenies steamed, sauteed, or grilled? I find it easiest to just steam mine in a pot with a basket and covered until they are hot and plump. This way you can walk away and get all the fixing ready while they cook - when you steam them you don't have to worry about burnt weenies.

How about the Hot Dog Buns? Well, at the last minute I will throw in a couple of buns on top of my steaming wieners, cover and give them a minute to soften. This works especially well if the buns are old and hard.

You do have to watch steaming buns as they can become soggy, although you can always let a soggy bun dry out for a couple of minutes if necessary.

 If I am barbequing then I will grill the wieners and add the buns at the finish line - same with sauteing in a frying pan on a stovetop.

I like Hot Dogs dress simply with mustard and sweet or sour pickle relish. I always can find jars for a buck.

So, how do you like to make yours? Leave a comment and let's compare wiener...recipes. Ha, ha, I couldn't resist. And check back for more simply delicious and cheap Hot Dogs. So load up the steamer basket or fire up the grill and get to cooking one of my yummy Hot Dog recipes.

The Hot Dogs of Summer - Chili Dog

It's summertime the time is right for Hot Dogs. My Hot Dog Series covers all the greatest hits including Kraut Dog, Mustard & Relish Dog, and Chili Dog, plus the killer combos of Kraut & Chili Dog, Slaw & Chili Dog, and Relish & Chili Dog. Now that's a mouthful and they are all cheap of course. So keep checking back here for all the yummy recipes served with tasty text and scrumptious photos!

Okay let's be frank, anyone can make these, and maybe this Series is just a celebration of  America's favorite frankfurter or a reminder of the joys of dining simply.

Click on any photo to see larger.

 My last Hot Dog of summer was a Kraut Dog, well move over there's a new dog in town and it's a meaty Chili Dog!

I've made Hot Dogs with all kinds of canned chili, from name-brand Hormel to brands I've never heard of like Hartford House...and they are all just fine by me. In the South, my Mom tops her Chili-Cheese Enchiladas with Wolf Brand Chili.

Canned chilis should mainly be flavored with chili powder. These days it's usually a mix of meats like pork and chicken, but mainly beef. I've grown used to canned chili and actually like the flavor.

The main problem is the texture which is often crumbly from ground meat, not stringy like a saucy pulled pork which I prefer - hey, you get what you pay for!

In the last couple of years, I started making my own Homemade Beef Chili and you can click on the recipe name to see recipe directions and photo illustrations, or just watch my recipe video below.

I use the cheapest cut of beef called the shank. It's one tough steak but after 2 or 3 hours of simmering in spices and tomato sauce, it becomes fall-apart tender and extra flavorful. Try slow-cooking with beef shank sometimes, as it's even cheaper than hamburger these days.

Can you top your Hot Dog with a can of Chili with Beans? Sure, I have in desperate times.

I build my Chili Dog with mustard. I also add pickle relish if I have it in the fridge. A jolt of sour keeps the taste buds dancing and provides a delicious yin and yang contrast.

Here is the whole shebang, from bun to weenie to toppings. Just watch my Chili Dog video below.

Chili Dog - Video

Play it here, video runs 2 minutes, 6 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

These days it is easy to make vegan versions using tofu dogs and vegan chili, so everyone can join in the summertime patio Hot Dog partying.

 And the main ingredients of a Hot Dog are cheap of course, but that's not the only reason to like them. They are just a satisfying combination of flavors that you can build any way you like.

A package of Hot Dog Buns for about a buck? Check. I prefer regular white flour buns, but I often find whole wheat bun on sale too -- it's all good.

Meaty tube steak for a buck? If you know where to look and don't mind if they are a mix of beef, chicken, and pork. I always find them on sale at my local 99c only Store and Dollar Tree.

I mean, there is a texture taste difference - I find the typically mixed meat wieners a bit softer when you bite into them and with a milder meaty taste, while an all-beef wiener has more snap, a thicker texture, and an intense beef flavor. Depending on how my pocketbook is feeling I can work with any type of Hot Dog wieners.

Do you like your weenies steamed, sauteed, or grilled? I find it easiest to just steam mine in a pot with a basket and cover until they are hot and plump. This way you can walk away and get all the fixing ready while they cook - when you steam them you don't have to worry about burnt weenies.

How about the Hot Dog Buns? Well, at the last minute I will throw in a couple of buns on top of my steaming wieners, cover, and give them a minute to soften. This works especially well if the buns are old and hard.

You do have to watch steaming buns as they can become soggy, although you can always let a soggy bun dry out for a couple of minutes if necessary.

 If I am barbequing then I will grill the wieners and add the buns at the finish line - same with sauteing in a frying pan on a stovetop.

I like Hot Dogs dressed simply with mustard and sweet or sour pickle relish. I always can find jars for a buck.

So, how do you like to make yours? Leave a comment and let's compare wiener...recipes. Ha, ha, I couldn't resist. And check back for more simply delicious and cheap Hot Dogs. So load up the steamer basket or fire up the grill and get to cooking one of my yummy Hot Dog recipes.