Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

When I arrive in CA I always look forward to The Habit Burger Grill. Burgers aren't exactly large; however, everything is nice and fresh - hits the spot. I like their fries and shakes too. Quick service and never been disappointed. I think I now prefer them to In-Out. Tried Tommy's twice and can't recommend them. Tried to buy a coupon book from Tommy's for a family member and that was a total disaster. Corporate office was incompetent at best.

I've noticed the difference for quite a while, especially when the cans and packages started changing shape. Some older recipes are based on the original sizing which is irritating. After being the primary grocery shopper and cook in our household for 45 years, the companies aren't fooling me in the least.

Divine strawberries - huge and oh so red - artichokes - absolutely huge and so fresh. The produce at the local farmer's market in CA last weekend was incredible since it was locally grown nearby on the coast - and the prices so low compared to the chain stores. How I longed to take it all back with me to the east coast. And sadly .... noone buying that day.

Thanks for the memories. I lived on Western Ave. when I was a small child - married at age eighteen - and moved away. I haven't been able to make it back to visit - other than to fly in/out. However, I do remember some of the spots we ate and shopped at. A city with lots of ethnic diversity.

Just finished the recipe I had wanted to try for awhile. My husband insists that sauce have peppers, so I added a little red and green in with the onions and garlic. I bought a really nice Chianti import and I had a loaf of sourdough bread just baked, so I ended up using that for the larger crumbs. I also had to rush so baked the meatballs - there were lots - at 400 degrees, then added most of them to the sauce to finish up. Because I baked the meatballs, I sauteed the vegetables, then added them to the wine and tomatoes, therefore missing out on the browned bits this time. I cooked the sauce down, tasted, and added just a bit of sugar, then added the meatballs. My husband said he thought tasty and I thought worth the extra time to prep and cook. There will be enough meatball for hot subs another day - hooray.

I'd long ago given up the canned variety (and especially the packaged)when it's so easy to prepare from ingredients in my kitchen. I control the sodium and I much prefer knowing exactly what's gone into the mix. Here's to a good "Sloppy Joe" - as missbhavens said - 'the' saucymeat sandwich.