Bacon Meatball Subs

When I was younger, it was my dad's job to do the grocery shopping, and he always went on Saturdays.  Sometimes I would tag along with him, and as I followed up and down the aisles, we would make sure to try all the free samples they were offering that weekend.  Back then, the grocery stores must have been rolling in dough or otherwise feeling generous, because they were giving away so much food that little girls like me often went home with full tummies, feeling spoiled by free treats and indulgent dads.  

Other weekends, I would stay at home with my mom while my dad did the grocery shopping, and those times he would usually make a stop at Subway on the way home to pick up lunch for us.  I remember I used to try out all different sorts of subs (I eventually decided I like the veggie sub on white bread best, boring I know), but my dad would predictably come home with the same thing each week: A meatball sub.    

When I was younger, I never really understood the appeal of the meatball sub.  I can blame that on childhood naiveté, or just plain picky eating, but now I know that my dad was a smart man.  Meatball subs are amazing.  Since I am all grown up (or so I pretend to be), I have changed my ways and fallen head over heels in love with meatballs.  Initially I slowly warmed up to them, but last year I chased after them with lust when I tried the Meatball Sammy from MIHO Gastrotruck here in San Diego.  (Seriously, check out the post, you can see me eating the meatball sub with gusto.)      

When this Meatball Sammy was on MIHO's menu, I tried it on Thursday, I went back and ordered it again on Friday, and I ate it again the following week.  I was obsessed.  Four of my co-workers tried it as well, and they agreed - MIHO's meatball sub was the best they had ever had.  Any hand-crafted meatball sub is pretty great, but I think their sub really knocked my socks off because the meatballs themselves were so intensely flavorful and juicy.  Of course, I had to have the recipe, and I found out their secrets: lots of fresh herbs and spices, shitake mushrooms, grass-fed beef... and bacon.  BACON.  Ah...it seems at the heart of every truly indulgent dish lies a core made out of bacon.    

Rosemary Rice Krispie Treats, and a Weekend at Camp

Last weekend I was able to get out of town and head up to the San Bernardino Mountains for a few days.  

I attended Camp Blogaway - a getaway weekend for food bloggers, recipe developers, and photographers that is organized by the lovely Patti Londre.  The weekend serves as our time to enrich our sense of community and connect with one another and learn ways to improve and enhance what we love to do.  I truly enjoyed making new friends, catching up with old ones, and being surrounded by people who love and appreciate food (and all that good food stands for) as much as I do.  It was food for my soul (pun intended) to be in an environment surrounded by genuine people that have true passion.  And of course, the blue skies and clean air didn't hurt.          

Anytime I go out to the mountains in So Cal I always feel like I am going home; the real 'forests,' green grass, and birds chirping take me back to the Midwest where I grew up.  I definitely felt like that this past weekend, but I also felt a different sense of belonging that you can only really get when you are with a group of caring, like-minded people.  That sense of family was even further reinforced when we listened to Cheryl and Susan talk about their community of readers, and about how our online families extended beyond the connections we made with each other at camp to include each one of YOU that faithfully reads our blogs.  And for that I want to say thank you - for being part of my family - for supporting me when life is hard, for laughing with me when life is amazing, and for always appreciating good food and good friends.