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Jack’s Tuna Fish

2 six ounce cans tuna fish packed in water
1/3 C mayonnaise
1/2 apple unpeeled, small dice
1-2 T sweet or red onion, small dice
1-2 T dill pickle juice
2 small dill pickles, small dice

2 eggs
Salt and pepper

  1. Place the eggs in a small sauce pot with enough water to cover.  Bring to a boil.  When the water starts boiling, turn the heat off and cover.  Allow to sit for 10-11 minutes.
  2. After 10-11 minutes drain the eggs and immediately immerse into an ice water bath for several minutes.  Peel, dice and set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl add the onion, pickles, apple and pickle juice.  Mix well.
  4. Drain the tuna thoroughly, then flake into the bowl of vegetables/fruit.  Mix well.
  5. Add the egg, mayonnaise and salt/pepper to taste.

 

This post is the second tuna fish posting of the day.  I lost the first one.  Honest.  So in a fit of anger I went to the kitchen to make tuna fish.  I screwed it up.  The eggs didn’t cook completely.  It was only then that I realized I had written wrong directions on how to fix the eggs in my first post.  Divine intervention I guess.

I never ate tuna fish with apples in it before I got married.  Now I can’t eat tuna fish without apples in it.  If I’m out of apples, I don’t make tuna fish.  I never understood that a good tuna salad had more tuna than mayonnaise.  During my college years The Truck would show up on College Avenue around 11 pm.  I loved their tuna subs at 2 or 3 in the morning.  The Truck’s tuna salad was always the cheaper light chunk tuna in oil with a lot of mayonnaise.  The ratio was probably 2 parts mayo to 1 part tuna.  On a 12 inch white french loaf.  It was like eating a tuna flavored mayonnaise sandwich.  No wonder I topped the scales at 370 pounds, but I digress.

So I’m making two more eggs and I ask my lovely wife of too many years,

“Is this your recipe?”

“No, it was my Dad’s recipe.”

“But your Dad couldn’t cook.  He couldn’t even make coffee!”

“He could make tuna salad.”

Thanks Jack.  Great tuna salad recipe.

Tips:

Mayonnaise should be to taste.  Use only as much as you like.  Or for a low calorie version, substitute plain low fat yogurt (at your own risk).  I’ve used yogurt in the past and I prefer mayo.  Do not use Miracle Whip.  I hate Miracle Whip.  Add parsley if you’re inclined to do so.  Garlic powder adds a nice touch.  Also try curry powder or chili powder for a nice change of pace.

But don’t use Miracle Whip. 

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Vitamin B12 Deficiency – Harvard Health Blog

There are many causes for vitamin B12 deficiency. Surprisingly, two of them are practices often undertaken to improve health: a vegetarian diet and weight-loss surgery.

via Vitamin B12 deficiency can be sneaky, harmful – Harvard Health Blog – Harvard Health Publications.

 

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Good Pie

Good Pie
3 egg whites beaten
1 cup sugar
1tsp Vanilla
Pinch of salt
1 cup graham crackers crumbs
1 cup pecans chopped
½ tsp baking powder

Beat egg whites until stiff then add salt, sugar (slowly), and vanilla. Fold in or beat at low speed graham cracker crumbs, pecans and baking soda.  Bake for 25 minutes @ 350 degrees.

Last weekend the Normal Hill Gang gathered at Barking Dog Ranch.  Another Saturday, another opportunity to share good food and wine with good friends.  I’m reasonably positive my lovely wife has made this pie for the gang not just once but several times.  But everyone raved about the pie as if they never had it before.  As promised I put this recipe on my blog.

While researching a cooking method for sirloin tip roast I opened a 1947 copyright version of Irma Bombeck’s Joy of Cooking.  There are several copies in the house and this copy belonged to my mother-in-law Beverly.  On the inside front cover I found this pie recipe handwritten neatly.  It was the kind of place you put a recipe you don’t want to lose.  We figured the recipe was probably written in the book sometime in the fifties.

So here you go.  My modern day version of the inside cover of a treasured cookbook.  Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.  But as I write this I realize why everyone loved the pie.

It was the pumpkin ice cream.  Not vanilla, nor whipped cream.  Pumpkin ice cream and Good Pie.  YUM.

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Chicken Meatloaf

Chicken Meatloaf

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 green pepper, seeded, small dice

1 carrot small dice

1 onion, diced
2 teaspoons (about 3 cloves) chopped garlic
1 pound ground chicken and 1 pound bulk Italian chicken sausage
2 eggs
3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs moistened with a little milk
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped basil leaves
1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat and add the peppers, onions, carrot and garlic. Saute until just soft, remove to a plate and cool.
  3. When the vegetables are cool, combine all of the remaining ingredients together.  Start with the Panko and moisten with milk.  (Any milk will do. I used 2%).  Beat in the eggs next.  Add the meats and toss everything else in the pool.  Blend well with your hands.
  4. Form the meat mixture into 2 loaf (brain) shapes on an oiled oven tray or baking dish.
  5. Bake for approximately 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

 

At one of the local stores I kept seeing ground chicken on sale.  There were also packages of bulk Italian seasoned chicken sausage.  It was fairly obvious that the plain chicken was a combination of white and dark meat while the sausage looked to be more dark meat.  I bought a pound of each with absolutely no idea what to make.

A little voice in my head said “Meatloaf, stupid”.

So I thought why not?

You’ll notice the seasonings are nearly identical to my Italian Meatloaf.  But you will discover using chicken and Italian chicken sausage gives this meatloaf an entirely different flavor profile.  The Italian Meatloaf is tasty.  This Chicken Meatloaf is YUMMY.

Yes, YUMMY.

Remember, I hated meatloaf as a kid.

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Confused by Beef

http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/beef/zen_of_beef_cuts.html

Confused by beef?  Don’t feel bad.  I get confused constantly in the meat aisle.  For example, I came across a Top Blade Roast this past week and immediately got confused.  Top Blade Roast?  Not a clue what it was.  But the roast was on sale so I bought it.  Now what do I do with it?  After some determined internet research I learned Top Blade is Chuck.

Pot roast.

During the course of my research I stumbled upon a great website run by a guy named Meathead.

Yes, Meathead.

Check it out and learn what a Denver Steak is.

 

 

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