Home-made tuna melt sandwich

Our daughter has taken to having sandwiches for breakfast or lunch. It's a good way for her to have a full meal (with juice or milk) before going to school or while at school. It's not messy and doesn't need utensils for eating. S

While it would be nice to have some multigrain bread, I often use the milk bread from Fuwa fuwa. I also use pandesal for these sandwiches. I also usually use cheddar slides you can easily get from the supermarket. You can use two slices for each piece of bread or perhaps use other cheese for a more tasteful sandwich.

Open a can of tuna. I use flakes in oil or flakes in olive oil but you can also use the ones in brine or water. Just make sure they are in flakes form. I use salted butter but you can also use unsalted butter. I have never used margarine.

Spread the butter on one slice. You can be generous with the butter so it will have an impact on the taste of the sandwich. It blends well with the tuna and cheese.

Put the tuna flakes on top of the cheese. You can be generous with the tuna if you have enough. I am usually generous with the tuna for daughter's or my sandwiches. Another option is to cook the tuna a little before putting it on the bread. 

I use an oven toaster though you can use a sandwich maker if you have one. I usually pre-heat the oven toaster so its already hot inside when I place the slices.

Set the oven toaster to medium so the toasting will be more gradual. That's so you don't burn the bread. My daughter likes it that way but if it were just me I permit some more brown especially on white bread.

Toast until the bread is a little crispy. Don't let them be burned. By the time, the tuna would be cooked enough. The butter and cheese would have melted before this.

Just flip them over and slice into two before serving. Our daughter likes it sliced into two triangles.

This is a favorite whether for breakfast, lunch or merienda. Its easy to make and you can have some variety with the cheese, tuna and breads. I haven't tried multiple cheeses but these are common in other tuna melt sandwiches restaurants or delis offer. You can get good bread from French Baker, Lartizan or off the shelf in major supermarkets. Canned tuna is available in most supermarkets and groceries. I can't imagine the effort to make tuna flakes from raw tuna from the wet market. If I had to buy my tuna melt sandwich, I prefer the one by Wild Flour. To-go, that would probably be by Starbucks. But that assumes I didn't have time to make one for myself.

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Alternative way of cooking hotdogs

One of the things I did while I was in Japan was cook or prepare food. Breakfasts are usually oatmeal or a "silog" meal that consists of fried egg, rice and whatever I can substitute for tapa, hotdog or longganisa. Fortunately, there are many sausages and other cuts I could get from the local deli or the supermarket near my place. Sometimes, I am able to get some hotdogs from shops selling Filipino goods in Tokyo (Ueno/Okachimachi area) or Yokohama. Or hotdogs from a store selling imported goods in Yokohama. Once a year though, I could get hotdogs from the church bazaar as the Americans in our congregation are able to procure hotdogs and burgers from the commissary the US Naval Base in Yokosuka.

We usually grilled or fried hotdogs. I actually prefer the grilled ones and our American friends at the church bazaar in Yamate had this huge set-up for the burgers and hotdogs that were very popular then. A Japanese friend taught me an alternative way of cooking hotdogs. You first boil the hotdogs. Once practically cooked, you can put them in the oven toaster for the final touches including having the skin crispy as if it were fried.

After boiling the hotdogs, place them inside the over toaster

Here's the final product

I still prefer the grilled hotdogs but these are really good. [Disclaimer: Don't eat too much hotdogs. It's bad for your health!] 

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Bathing our big dogs during the rainy days

We currently have three big dogs after our golden Mocha passed away almost two years ago and another a few months back. Two were Mocha's pups - Hiccup and Snowy. Snowy (born 2020) is a year older than Hiccup (born 2021). With the recent rainy days, we welcomed the break in the wet weather and took advantage by doing the laundry and also bathing our dogs.

Hiccup taking his bath quite seriously. He doesn't struggle and just stands as we shampoo, rinse and dry him. 

Hiccup is usually very malikot but when you give him a bath, he is relaxed. Still, we usually use a leash because if he thinks he's done, he will run away and then roll over the floor or the garden.

Snowy doesn't require a leash as he is usually chill before, during and after his bath. He will patiently stand while being toweled to dry.

After being towel-dried, we usually let our dogs enjoy the sun before letting them back in the house. 

 

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