One of my favourite places to go growing up, was the McIntosh Tea House in Red Deer, Alberta. It is now a spa, but when I was young I’d go their with my mom and Gramma. I always ordered a tuna melt. The tea room was filled with antiques and had scented, wooden, red apples that smelled like cinnamon — they were trendy at the time and I loved them.

This isn’t exactly like the tuna melt I had back then, but it’s one of my favourite recipes and I often make them when I visit my parents.

Ingredients (makes six)

• three English muffins, cut in half (homemade or storebought)

• 2 cans of flaked, skipjack tuna

• 1/3 cup of black olives

• 1 stalk of celery, minced

• 1 tbsp minced sweet onion

• 1 clove of minced or pressed garlic

• olive oil

• salt & pepper

• 1/2 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, or other melty cheese)

Instructions

1. preheat oven to 350°F

2. set English muffin halves on lined baking tray

3. drain cans of tuna and put in bowl

4. add olives, celery, onion, garlic and mix

5. add a drizzle of olive oil

6. add salt & pepper to taste

7. stir

8. place a heaping tablespoon of the tuna mixture on top of each English muffin and press down

9. cover the English muffins with a pinch of cheese

10. back for about 8 minutes, until cheese has melted

11. (opt) broil for a minute to get a golden crisp on the cheese

12. enjoy!