Helen Kelley | loose threads

    Tuna
    Melt

It was a big mistake. I should never have asked. Dinners at my house have gotten pretty bland of late. I was looking for something different to have for supper. Somehow, the idea of tuna melts slipped into my mind. I searched through cookbooks, dug through my file drawer, and even went on the Internet. Tuna melts are so common, it appears, that cookbook writers add little twists and turns to make their own recipes unique. I made a list of all the various flavors, nuances, and textures. I was well armed when I went off to my Wednesday morning quilt group. Those ladies are great cooks with discriminating palates. They are a wonderful source of culinary expertise.

"Okay," I said to them. "I need your opinion. If you were going to make tuna melts, would you use sesame buns, onion buns, or multigrain bread?"

"Whatever I happen to have in my bread drawer," came each of their replies.

"Do you use cucumber or green pepper or celery?"

"Whatever is in the refrigerator," was the answer.

Helen Kelley is a quiltmaker, lecturer, author, and teacher from Minneapolis, Minnesota. You can visit Helen on the Internet at her website www.helenkelley- patchworks.com or email Helen at this address: helen@helenkelley- patchworks.com.

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"How about dressing?" I asked. "Do you use mayo, salad dressing, or french dressing?" Again, their replies were the same. "Use whatever you have."

Cheese was another "whatever." Cheese was a matter of personal preference–sharp cheddar for bite, mozzarella for texture, or processed slices for convenience.

I was no further ahead than when I began. The answers were always, "Whatever works." I needed measurements, brand names, and specifics. In other words, I wanted somebody to give me a kit or at least a pattern. I was truly frustrated.

At this point, one of the other quilters handed me a quilt top she'd made with two small slits she had accidentally cut into it. She wanted to know how she could fix it, and my first inclination was to say, "Just dampen the edges with Fray Chek or fabric glue and pull the slits together. Whatever works!" But I stopped myself. I realized that whether you are a beginning tuna-melt maker or a less-experienced quiltmaker, "whatever works" puts a lot of stress on the uninitiated. I took the top and carefully touched the edges of the slits with a faint bit of fabric glue on the tip of a darning needle, just enough to seal the vulnerable ends of the fibers. Then I drew the edges together with fine, firm stitches. I think it helped her to see, firsthand, how to do it. I have been mending boo-boos for so long, it could have been easy to be flippant, but this quilter needed guidance.

When I got home this afternoon, I began to prepare the sandwiches. I opened cans of tuna and drained off the water. I chopped up a stalk of celery that I happened to have. I was ridiculously nervous about preparing this mundane meal, something of so little consequence. I needed somebody to hold my hand and help me along. I mixed in the mayonnaise. The mixture seemed a little dry so on a whim, I shook a couple of blobs of french dressing into it. This wasn't so hard! I began to feel a bit confident and maybe even creative.

Like beginning quilting classes, there should be beginning tuna-melt classes. They would eliminate the stress and strain of starting out. Tenderfoot quilters and neophyte chefs need encouragement. My cooking/quilting ladies sent me home with enough gentle guidance and direction to give me the confidence to be inventive. Please, please, all of you super-wonderful, highly experienced quilters, have patience with novice quilters. Help them. Show them how.

Nurture them. Before your very eyes, "beginning tuna-melt quilters" can turn into superb chefs and master patchworkers.

©HK 2005