Kitchen Accomplice-Sandwich Basket for the Office

   Is it your turn to treat?  You might think about taking a variety of delicious sandwiches presented in a wicker basket surrounded by crudities, such as radishes, carrots, olives and celery.  A bowl of jumbo cashews will disappear before you know it.  Consider leaving some of the stems on the radishes and carrots.  They are not only excellent handles but they also increase the appeal of the presentation.  I also favor having a bowl of kettle cooked potato chips handy.  These will be avoided assiduously by your diet-conscious compatriots, but people like me will flock to them.  (I guess a little dip would not hurt either.)
   Have some stylish paper plates and lots of napkins.  Beverages will include jugs of coffee, tea and pitchers of iced tea.  Remember the sugar, cream and lemon slices.
The breads here are as important as the fillings.  Find a variety that looks appealing to you.  Pepperidge Farm makes a thin sandwich bread I like.  Your local bakery will have croissants and French bread and others.  For the sandwich bread, once filled, consider cutting off the crusts and cutting them into finger shapes.  For French bread, scoop out some of the soft interior, fill it, and then slice into manageable slices with an electric knife.  I think the tuna salad responds well to a sprinkling of crisp, shredded iceberg lettuce.  Once prepared, the sandwiches should be tightly covered.  There is always the alternative of having a bread basket and bowls of fillings.  I generally do not do that because I think people enjoy walking into a space, picking up a sandwich and moving on.  The work is done by the host and not the guest. 
   The following recipes have some interesting twists.  They may sound a little strange to you.  Take it from me, they are absolute keepers.

Tuna Salad Recipe
—A Caterer’s Specialty

Ingredients
• 1 (7 ounce) can premium white tuna, rinsed, drained and flaked
• 6 tablespoons Hellmann’s mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish (Sechlers brand, if you can find it, is perfect.)
• 1/8 teaspoon dried minced onion flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1 pinch garlic powder

Directions
1. In a medium bowl, stir together all but the tuna.  Add the tuna, mix well, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.  Serve with a variety of crackers or on a sandwich.

Bologna Sandwich Spread for Company

Ingredients
• 4 eggs
•1 1/2 pounds unsliced bologna, chunked
• 6 medium sweet pickles, chunked  (I like Sechlers for this)
• 1/4 cup Hellmann’s mayonnaise

Directions
1. Place eggs in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let eggs stand in hot water for 12 minutes. Remove from water, cool and peel.
2. In a food processor, place eggs, bologna and sweet pickles. Blend to a spreadable consistency.
3. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl. Mix in mayonnaise, increasing the amount as necessary to make the mixture smooth. Cover and chill in the refrigerator until serving.

Vegetarian Spread

Ingredients
• 1 pound firm tofu
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup Hellmann’s mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions
1.    Drain the block of tofu, and freeze overnight. Thaw, and cut into quarters. Squeeze out any moisture by hand, then wrap in paper towels, and squeeze again. Crumble into a medium bowl.
2. Add celery and green onion to the tofu. Stir in mayonnaise, soy sauce and lemon juice until well blended.

Judge Kirkendall is a retired probate judge. 
He has taught cooking classes for more than 25 years at various cooking schools in the Ann Arbor area and has himself attended classes at Cordon Bleu and La Varenne in Paris, as well as schools in New York, New Orleans and San Francisco. 
He is past president of the National College of Probate Judges and can be reached at  Judgejnk@yahoo.com.