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PLAY BALL!
Sports can be a year-round commitment for students
Also:
n The LP High School Transition Program teaches life skills
n Hall’s Bryant boys discuss being from a sports family
n Get dinner on the table in no time with these recipes
JULY 2024
Illinois Valley Parent
426 Second Street
La Salle, Illinois 61301
(815) 223-3200 (800) 892-6452
www.newstrib.com
General Manager/ Advertising Director
Jeanette Smith jmsmith@shawmedia.com
Niche Editor Shannon Serpette sserpette@shawmedia.com
Writers
Brandon LaChance
Shannon Serpette
Photographer Shannon Serpette
Designer Liz Klein
Transitions Program 3
Preparing
The Game Never Ends 6
Student-athletes
Creating Their Own Paths 10
The
Fast Meals for Busy Summer Days 14
Short
LaSalle-Peru High School’s Transitions Program prepares students for life
By Brandon LaChance
On the list of departments at LaSalle-Peru High School, special education is listed. If you’re on the L-P website, click on the link, and it will provide options within the special education programming – one of them is the Transitions Program.
After a student makes it through the four years of high school promised to everyone, a special needs student or a student with a disability is given the option of a transition to extend their education until they’re 22.
Kristie Witte, originally from London Mills, west of Peoria, has been in education for 25 years. She came to L-P 18 years ago with a nudge from her husband Russell Witte, who was then a teacher and coach at Hall and has now been the Seneca boys basketball coach for the last 15 years.
Two years into her L-P tenure, she began teaching the Transitions Program and has no desire to leave anytime soon.
“The purpose for the Transitions Program is to provide post-secondary life skills training in order for them to meet their life goals. It’s all the things we wish we had when we first left our parents’ house. The first time you were told to figure it out, that’s what we do here. It’s all the daily living. It’s the cooking, cleaning, laundry, problem solving, and money management, budgeting, and other money skills we all have to have,” Witte said.
“We work out of an actual residential house. Anytime something goes wrong, like the toilet isn’t working right or the smoke detector is beeping, we use those as real-life living skills. I use our environment to teach all of those little things that you just don’t get in a regular classroom,” she said.
The house is a school and a home wrapped into one.
“It’s a combination of work/office/dorm
Drinks are passed many times a day from the students of the LaSalle-Peru Transitions Program to thirsty students and teachers during lunchtime. L-P Superintendent and the L-P Board of Directors allowed for the Transitions Program’s Cavs’ Sip-n-Savor to be a full-fledged, student-run business during lunch hours. After a menu change in fall 2023, more drinks have been made since the lines are longer.
room,” she said.
When Witte came to the program, it was taught in the school, but the overflowing numbers made it necessary for a different space. A house L-P owned at the time was then used for the program for three years before the L-P Board ruled it needed to be demolished.
The transition students went back to the school for six years until L-P found the perfect house for the program.
“I love it because most people don’t know it’s owned by L-P. That’s the best part of it because we are truly part of our community. Our neighbors are very sup-
See TRANSITION page 4
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PAGE 3
portive, nice, extremely social, and it’s just nice that the Transition students are truly in the community. Our disability community has fought labels for many, many, many years. I feel in the Illinois Valley, we’re really making some great strides to extinguish the old stereotypes. The Transitions Program having a house is one way of doing it,” she said.
“The other nice side is we’re literally across the street from the high school, so if anything is needed – information, emergency situations, supplies – we can get it easily. I couldn’t have asked for a better situation. It made those long six years worthwhile.”
The house has also helped Witte individualize the program to each student’s needs, which was something she always wanted. She can work on cooking skills while also focusing on soft skills such as working with teammates, understanding how to talk to the public, and presenting themselves in an adult manner.
“It doesn’t matter what your IQ is, every individual wants to be an independent, self-serving adult to say, ‘I got this’ or ‘I did that.’ It’s an ever-changing program. I’ve been here 16 years, and it has never looked the same two years in a row. A lot of it depends on who I have, where we’re at, and what their goals are. It’s a very individualized program and I take pride in that. I spend a lot of time with the students and their families, caregivers, and support to try to bring everyone together as one big team to fit the goals that they each have,” Witte said.
“It’s very rewarding. The biggest successes are when I see alumni out in the community working. Through the entire Illinois Valley, I see it a lot. I see a lot of them out there living their best lives. There are other stories and many things I can list of why I love the Transitions Program, but in a nutshell, the reason why I love what I do is being able to help them achieve their dreams and what they want,” she said.
Another goal for Witte with the program is real-life skills. The house helps with learning about baking, laundry, and basic home upkeep like replacing light bulbs, but it doesn’t offer much in the way of business lessons. That led Witte to implement a stu-
Participants of the Transitions Program are taught many different life skills, including cooking and baking. Making cookies is always popular because of the final result – eating them.
dent-led business through the Transitions Program.
The Cavs’ Sip-n-Savor was brought to life in fall 2022 when a group of students decided a coffee shop would be a great business to run. They created a proposal and presented it to the L-P administration, which accepted the idea.
The coffee shop opened in January 2023. The menu was changed in fall 2023, and the result was an explosion of excitement for the drinks.
“I can’t explain how big the Cavs’ Sip-nSavor has come on and how quickly it did. It’s had an impact on our L-P school as a whole, some of our community members, and business owners. It’s been huge,” Witte said. “We’re basically a mini Starbucks. We do a lot of stuff. We have hot coffees, cold coffees, lattes, ice teas, our own lemonade, multiple choices of flavored syrups, and hot chocolate.
“Our main place of business is where they run the concession stand during L-P games. We’re right there in the cafeteria during high school student lunches, which was another great blessing our administration allowed us to have. It’s a perfect location in the building,” she said.
“I hope my students see themselves as providing a service and a business to students and teachers. Having those opportunities and those perfect situations to work with customers is amazing. My students have made connections with some of the teachers that they’ve never had interactions with before,” she added.
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
The Transitions Program averages 6 to 8 kids a year but has seen
of 12 and a low of four (2023-24 school year). However, the next few school years predict a significant increase in students.
It doesn’t matter how many sets of feet walk through the door; Witte and the Transitions Program will continue their mission of trying to help every student be the best form of themselves.
“There is nothing I’d rather do. Even on my bad days when I get frustrated, all of us have them in any job, I ask myself, ‘What are you going to do because you can’t just stop working,’” Witte said. “I’ll go through a number of things and say, ‘I don’t want to do that’ to every one of them.
“It comes back to I love what I do. Get over the bad day, move on, and continue doing what I’ve been doing. People tell me all the time about the high level of patience I have. I don’t have patience. I have an understanding of the individuals I work with,” she said. “I could never teach regular education. It’s just not my cup of tea or what I’m meant to do. The Transitions Program is where I belong.”
Many different projects roll through the LaSalle-Peru High School Transitions Program. Whether it involves food, no food, inside the Transitions House that is owned by LPHS, or outdoors, the Transitions students are always staying busy.
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
tries to improve her game, whether
is playing with her travel team or hitting the weight room.
The Game Never Ends
Student-athletes don’t stop their commitment when their season ends
By Brandon LaChance
Most high school seniors are playing sports or video games, working, hanging out with friends, or finding creative ways to drive their siblings and parents crazy during the summer. Although they may try a few of these things during their free time, Henry-Senachwine High School 2024-25 seniors Alexia Serpette, Lauren Harbison, and Rylan Davis don’t have much downtime this summer. They’re at the softball field as players and coaches.
Harbison, who helped Henry-Senachwine win the Class 1A Amboy Regional Championship, 2-0, over Annawan-Wethersfield with a 12-strikeout, shutout victory, continues to work on her game by playing travel softball all summer and completing individual workouts.
“Sports is all I’ve really ever known. I’d like to play softball in college. I know in order for me to do that I have to keep improving. I know I have to get up, keep going to practices, and going to the weight room to get
better,” Harbison said.
“It used to be, just go to practice. Now it’s, I have to go to the weight room, pitching lessons, every practice, and sometimes stay later to work on extra things that I think I need to improve on or what my coach (Lady Mallards coach Lori Stenstrom) thinks I need to improve on. Anything to help myself and the team get better and go further,” she said.
For Harbison, who gives it her all to help her team on the field, it’s easy to spot those who don’t
Lauren Harbison, a three-sport athlete at Henry-Senachwine High School, was a key hitter for the team during the 2024 season. She always
she
PHOTO/MELISSA THOMPSON
care as much or play with a different level of commitment.
“The people who don’t put in the extra effort and who are not committed complain at practice that they don’t want to be there. They don’t want to pitch,” Harbison said. “Sometimes I’ll get sore, but I’ll keep pushing through because I know it’ll make me better. They will give up and won’t keep going. I’m mainly talking about pitching, but in general, if it’s hot, they want to take a break and go inside. I’ll go to the batting cages and keep hitting because I don’t want to stay at good. I want to go to the next level. I want to be better. I want to be above just good.”
If Harbison isn’t physically working on her game, she’s making it mentally stronger.
She watched the NCAA Softball World Series to see what those pitchers were doing. She studied local players such as now-graduated St. Bede pitcher Ella Hermes, who Harbison thinks was the best pitcher in the area last season, to see things Hermes did that she didn’t.
Harbison can also call other players better than her or point out her weaknesses because she knows along with work ethic, she needs to be humble.
“I know I’m not always going to throw a perfect pitch or a strike. I’m not always going to have a perfect game,” Harbison said. “I know there is room for improvement, and I have to find it. I have to be willing to do it to get better.”
Like Harbison, Lexi Serpette thrives on competition – whether she’s competing against herself by shaving minutes off of her cross country runs or beating other teams in team sports.
“I am a pretty competitive person when it comes to sports. The competition of beating yourself in the more individual sports and beating other teams in team sports is what I enjoy,” said Serpette, who has played softball
Henry-Senachwine High School softball players Lexi Serpette (left) and Rylan Davis stepped up to the plate in another way when they learned Henry Sports and Rec didn’t have coaches for their 12U summer softball team. The two girls volunteered, with Serpette serving as head coach and Davis as assistant coach.
since T-ball and is a three-sport athlete for the Lady Mallards, also participating in volleyball and cross country. “It gives me something to do. It’s better than sitting around all day. I meet a lot of new friends. I’ve met kids from other schools through sports, and I still keep in touch with them.”
Sports have been such a big part of Serpette’s life that she’s not ready to give them up when her high school career ends.
“I feel like staying committed to sports is second nature for me. I hope to play softball in college. I keep that in mind when I’m thinking about making plans because I always want to save time to improve. It’s a big time commitment to think about,” she said.
The time commitment is important to consider because Serpette’s schedule is already
See GAME page 8
PHOTO/SHANNON SERPETTE
Game
FROM PAGE7
exceptionally full. In addition to the three sports she plays at HSHS, she is also a member of many groups and clubs, such as National Honor Society, Scholastic Bowl, Mallard Athletic Club, Prom and Post-Prom Committee, and she recently won the election to be the 2024-25 class vice president. She is also number one in her class academically and has almost finished the 300 hours of volunteering in the community that she needs to complete the high school’s optional Silver Cord program.
When her high school softball season ended in May, she improved her softball knowledge by starting her second summer of working as a softball and baseball umpire in Henry. She also added another challenge this
summer – she is coaching a 12U softball team for Henry Sports and Rec.
“I was actually on the way to one of my softball games this season. My mom texted me while I was on the bus and said Henry Sports and Rec sent her a message asking if I would consider coaching. I said, ‘Yes, of course,’ she said.
Serpette had been recommended as a possible coach because she was also helping with a 10U travel softball team whenever her schedule allowed.
“I was just saying a month or two before that how I always wanted to coach a softball team with my dad, Mike Serpette, at some point because he had coached me for so many years of summer and travel softball and has taught me so many things about the game. I really wanted to coach with him because I felt like it would be a great experi-
ence,” Serpette said. “I’m the head coach, Rylan Davis is an assistant, and my dad is an assistant. We have 11 girls on our 12U team. So far, it’s been such an amazing experience.”
Davis is spending her summer helping Serpette coach the team while also trying to get better as a player on the field. She is passionate about helping younger players improve as well, and coaching with Serpette is a great way to do that.
She was extremely excited to coach, and it didn’t wear off as the season got underway. Davis, who pitches and plays first base, has been playing softball since she was 8 and hasn’t played another sport since eighth grade. She has invested her time into polishing her craft and sharing it with others.
“Softball is the only sport that really caught my eye when I was playing it. It’s the only
Hours: Mon. 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m./1:30 p.m.-4 p.m. Tue.-Fri. 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m./1:30 p.m.-5 p.m. • Sat. by appointment 704 Indiana Ave. Mendota, IL 61342 815-538-5316
sport I’ve loved the entire time I’ve played it. I really love my teammates encouraging me. I really enjoy pitching, whether it’s in a game or in my free time,” Davis said.
“I think coaching is really fun. I love sharing the game with the other girls and passing my love of the game to them. Sometimes it’s a little tough to get them to listen, but for the most part, it’s been pretty good,” she said. “I’d say I’m a friendly coach. A lot of the girls on the team haven’t pitched very much, so it’s really cool to see them improve with the drills we give them. I’ve been helping them with their release point and making sure they’re using their legs.”
Davis and Serpette feel coaching has been beneficial in many ways.
Not only are they around the game they love and sharing it with younger players, but they’re
seeing a different side of the game they haven’t seen before.
“When I started umpiring, it took a pretty good attention span because some days it was hot. The round-robin tournaments are multiple games and I umpired three games some days,”
Serpette said. “I had to keep the count every single at-bat, so I feel like it helped my attention span. If you’re in the dugout and you know how many balls and strikes there are, it’s beneficial.”
“Coaching this year has opened my eyes a little bit as to why coaches think the way they do. It’s really giving me another twist on the game that I hadn’t really thought about before,” Serpette added.
Coaching has become a learning opportunity. It has shown them what it takes for a team to be successful. It isn’t just balls, strikes, swinging the bat, and running. There are
Spring Valley Police Department
NATIONAL NIGHT OUT RUBBER DUCKY HUNT
Turn in your duck during for a prize Tuesday, Aug. 6 at Kirby Park
• Duck Hunt
• Free Food & Drinks
• Free Swimming 5:00-6:00 PM Coveny Memorial Pool
• Face Painting & Tug of War
• SVFD Games
• 70 Foot Bounce House
• Foam Party
• Kids vs. Police Dodgeball
emotions, schedules, bus or car rides, and more.
Serpette and Davis are now seeing all sides of being committed to a sport.
“It’s very important for everyone to be bought in and committed. I’ve played softball and other sports with most of the girls on our team since we were little. Seeing what the parents do to help us get there is amazing. I’m so thankful that the parents do all that they do. It takes a lot from the girls to do two seasons of softball at the same time if you’re on a house team and a travel team, or as you get older, a school team and a travel team,” Serpette said.
“I feel there are different ways to stay committed. People are doing many different things, sports or not. We all have our own ways, but staying committed is extremely important,” she added.
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Creating Their Own Paths
The Bryant brothers embraced their family history instead of competing with it
Growing up in a small, rural Illinois town can be amazing. It can also have its struggles and challenges.
Throughout the years and decades, family history or legacy plays a part in upbringing and how students and student-athletes develop.
For those from Spring Valley or anywhere else where “The
Valley” or Hall High School has been discussed, the last name Bryant is familiar.
Thankfully for Max Bryant, a 2024 Hall graduate, and Luke Bryant, who will be a Hall sophomore in the fall, they have had a more positive than negative experience with their father being Eric Bryant and their grandfather being
Eric Bryant – two well-known local sports figures.
“I haven’t had any pressure. I don’t think about it because I’m around my family every day. They’re normal people to me,” said Max, who played basketball and baseball all four years as a Red Devil and football his senior year. “I go out there, and after the game,
Hall’s Luke Bryant fields a play at second base.
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Story by Brandon LaChance
they’ll talk to people. Someone will mention something about my dad or my grandpa and how great they were during their state runs. I just don’t really think about it in terms of it affecting me or me filling their shoes.
“I tried to build my own path. I obviously had some pretty big shoes to fill. I’m not the best basketball player like my dad was. I just kind of tried to stay on my own path and not let that stuff get to my head,” he added.
Eric Bryant, the boys’ father, was a member of the Red Devils’ IHSA Class 3A state football championship team in 1995, the runner-up gridiron team in 1996, and a senior guard on the second-place IHSA Class A basketball team in 1997.
He is currently the Hall athletic director (for the last 12 years), assistant principal, and the dean of students.
The elder Eric Bryant –they’re not senior and junior –is in multiple hall of fames for his time as a basketball coach with Hall and DePue.
Instead of using the resumes and reputations of his dad and grandfather as fuel or something to compete with, Max embraced it as family history.
He’s enjoyed playing sports for the same high school and growing up on the same streets as his family. Instead of thinking he had to recreate someone else’s story or memories, he’s made his own.
“Living in a small town has its ups and it has its downs. It’s definitely nice to be around people who know you and who have your back,” Max said. “Everyone is willing to help someone. It’s nice to know it’s not like everyone is out to get you. Instead of that first impression like, ‘Oh, that
There isn’t a better time for a family photo than the IHSA Class 2A Baseball Postseason as, left to right, freshman Luke Bryant, father and Hall Athletic Director Eric Bryant, grandfather and Hall of Fame coach Eric Bryant, and senior Max Bryant pose at the 2024 Hall Regional semifinal where the Red Devils were victorious, 3-0, over Kewanee. They went on to win the Class 2A Hall Regional Championship, 8-4 against Illinois Valley Central.
kid is a weirdo,’ everyone is willing to help you if you need it. Everyone has open arms for everyone.
“Last year’s sectional championship baseball game is a blur to me, but a memory I’ll have forever just like this year’s playoff run. In the 2023 sectional championship, I kept asking myself, ‘Are we actually going to do this?’ I was the starting pitcher, and I walked the first three guys and gave up a grand slam. I thought, ‘Oh great, here we go, this is how we’re going to end the season?’
On the surface, Luke has it a little tougher than Max because not only does he have his grandfather and father’s reputations looming over him, but also a brother three
See BRYANT page 12
“Then we kept chipping away. I thought, ‘Holy cow, we might do it.’ And then we finally got a big five- or six-run inning and it came to reality. We could win. We did win,” he said. “It’s been fun to build these memories with my friends and teammates. I’m going to have these memories forever. That team is family to me. I’d do anything for them, and I know they’d do anything for me.”
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years older. But for Luke, there wasn’t any thought of what other people did – he concentrated on his own abilities.
“I really haven’t had anything to worry about. My first day of high school I was nervous because I didn’t know what I was doing. But I kind of got used to it as the first week went along,” said Luke, who played basketball and baseball his first year at Hall. “For sports, I wasn’t worried about anything. I didn’t think of any pressures or anything with my family at all.
“I’ve been playing sports my entire life and just worried about doing what I could do. We fell into sports – it wasn’t like anyone in our family forced us. People tell me when I was younger, I would sit in a diaper with a baseball bat in my hands watching TV. I always had a baseball bat in my hands,” he added.
From a diaper-wearing, bat-toting baby to being a teenager in high school, Luke has kept the same thought process as Max about his family and the Spring Valley community.
“I 100 percent agree with
The Bryant brothers not only have a grandfather, Eric Bryant, who is a hall of fame coach, and a dad, Eric Bryant, who is renowned as a great Hall athlete and the Hall athletic director for the last 12 years, but they have two aunts, Michelle Wawerski, second from left, and Bernadette Savitch, third from left, who are Hall graduates as well.
Max. If you ask anyone to do anything for you, they’ll help you out,” Luke Bryant said. “It’s the same thing for us. If anyone asks us for help, we’re there and will help them. It was easy for me to make friends here. I’ve had my group of friends since I was 7.
“I always played up a level in travel baseball, so I wasn’t always on the same teams. But this year, we’ve been all one big group again. I play on the varsity team and they’re up with me. It’s been fun having everyone together and playing ball again,” he said.
Competition within the family arises from time to time because they’re all athletes and competitors, but instead of turning it into a negative, Luke has transformed it into an education.
Luke remembers watching the Chicago Cubs win the NLCS and the World Series in 2016 with his family.
He can vividly recall the 2018 Hall state baseball championship and sitting in the outfield with his father, watching Max’s teams. The younger brother was observing, figuring out what he needed to do to be good enough to play with them.
That’s what the father is excited about.
“It’s been a little difficult here and there with my administrator roles at Hall. Sometimes you’re not wellliked by the student body because you have to follow the rules, and you’re the person responsible for holding people accountable for those rules,” Eric Bryant said.
“The boys probably hear a lot of things from the student body that they don’t necessarily like me. I think they catch a little flack from that. With the sports stuff, me and my father, their grandfather, being in the Hall Hall of Fame, which is a great honor, it’s something I hope they don’t have any pressure to live up
to any expectations. I hope they’re enjoying their high school experience. Max just graduated. We have had our share of battles that come with it, but I think, for the most part, it has been positive,” he said.
As a parent, Eric hopes they follow their own path – whatever that might be.
“I don’t think they have to fill anyone’s shoes. They fill their own shoes. When I played, I didn’t look at it like I was trying to fill anyone’s shoes. You just play. You do your best to help your teams win. I think that’s what Max and Luke do,” he said.
The Bryants used the same word when they described the Spring Valley community and Hall High School – pride.
The father is thrilled his sons feel the same way.
“I think the best word I can use is proud. I’m proud to be able to be a part of the Spring Valley community and to have a small hand in the greater scheme of things at Hall High School,” Eric Bryant said. “There are a lot of people who came before me and a lot of people who came after me. To just be a part of it, you get a proud feeling, and you feel lucky and appreciative that you get to be a part of it.”
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Fast Meals for Busy Summer Days
By Shannon Serpette
When you have children who are in multiple summer activities or sports, summer can often feel busier than the school year does. It can seem like you’re always on the go, especially around dinner time, which makes it tricky to cook a meal for your family.
During summer, my family relies on recipes that can be made quickly. If you need some meals that don’t require a big time commitment or a lot of preparation time, here are some to try.
Slow Cooker Chicken
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 bone-in chicken breast halves
1/2 cup chicken broth
DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, stir together the first seven ingredients and rub over the chicken. Place in a 5-quart slow cooker and add broth. Cook while covered on low for about 4 to 5 hours or until chicken is cooked thoroughly.
Cheese Chicken
Tortellini Soup
INGREDIENTS
20-ounce package of cheese tortellini
8 cups water
4 tablespoons granulated chicken bouillon
4 stalks of celery
5 large carrots
4 cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 medium red bell pepper, diced
7 green onions
1/2 cup fresh basil
DIRECTIONS
Cook the tortellini al dente; drain and put aside. In a big pot, add water, chicken bouillon, and chopped carrots and celery. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chopped, cooked chicken, red bell pepper, and tortellini. Add in chopped green onions and basil, and heat the soup completely. Then add salt and pepper, according to taste.
Coffee Pot Roast
INGREDIENTS
2 medium onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 boneless beef chuck roast, approximately 4 pounds, quartered
1 cup brewed coffee
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup cornstarch
6 tablespoons cold water
DIRECTIONS
Put half the onions in a 5-quart slow cooker. Top with garlic and half of the roast. Top with the rest of the onions and beef. Stir together the coffee and soy sauce and pour over the meat. Cover and cook on low until meat is tender, about 9 to 10 hours. Stir together the cornstarch and water until smooth. Stir into the cooking liquid. Cover and cook on high for about 30 more minutes, until the gravy is thickened.
Quick & Easy Quesadillas
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 can of corn
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
4 large flour tortillas
16 ounces shredded cheese (any kind)
2 tomatoes, diced
Several fresh basil leaves, diced
DIRECTIONS
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the corn and red onion. Saute for five minutes until softened. Move them into a small bowl and set aside for later. Place one tortilla in the skillet and cover with cheese. Put some tomato on the tortilla and add some corn/onion mixture on top. Place some diced basil on top and then put a lid on the skillet until the cheese is melted, about one or two minutes. Remove the lid and add a second tortilla to the top of the melted cheese. Flip the tortilla over to cook the just added tortilla. Cook for a minute or two.
Transfer the cooked tortilla to a plate and cut in wedges. Repeat the process with the remaining tortillas. Serve with a salad.
Open-Faced Tuna Melt
SALAD INGREDIENTS
4 cans (5 ounces each) tuna packed in water, drained and flaked
1/4 cup celery, diced
2 tablespoons red onion, finely minced
1 teaspoon parsley, finely minced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
SANDWICH INGREDIENTS
8 slices bread
8 slices cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 small tomatoes, sliced
SALAD DIRECTIONS
Put drained tuna in a large bowl. Add celery, red onion, and parsley, and stir to mix. Add mayo, mustard, and lemon juice and stir until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Put in the refrigerator until ready to use.
SANDWICH DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to broil. Put bread sliced on a foiled-lined baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Broil until golden brown. Flip the bread slices and toast the other side. Set aside to let them cool a little.
Once the bread has slightly cooled, add some already-made tuna salad to each toasted bread slice and then top each one with a cheese slice. Return the sandwiches to the oven and broil until the cheese is melted, but make sure they don’t burn. Remove from oven and add the tomato slices to the top. Add salt and pepper to taste.
