Where I grew up, there was an old-fashioned drug store with a lunch counter. When the weather was good, my best friend and I would ride our bikes there and order grilled cheese and made-to-order orange-ades. The grilled cheese was made with fluffy white bread and American cheese on a griddle. It had one slice of cheese between the bread slices and was as thin as a sandwich can possibly be, as the bread was compressed during grilling. Still, I have a vivid and mouthwatering taste memory of this grilled cheese, as if I ate it yesterday.

Baking a potato is the easiest thing in the world, right? Then why are so many potatoes lacking in texture and flavor?

"Working with your spouse on something like this, we had our ups and downs," said Scott with a laugh. "I think that now that we've survived this, we can probably survive anything."

The disclosure late Thursday comes after the produce industry said it was stepping up safety measures following a series of outbreaks , including one last year that sickened more than 200 people and killed five. It's not clear why romaine keeps sickening people, but experts note the difficulty of eliminating risk posed by raw vegetables grown in open fields.

The rich, round vanilla notes of a good bourbon complement our favorite autumn foods.