Kara's Sights & Bites
Kara’s Sights & Bites: Supermarkets hold a special place in my heart
By Kara Kimbrough I’ve often shared my love of food stores…large supermarkets…family-owned food markets…neighborhood grocery stores and local bakeries…I’m no discriminator between any of them. Bottom line: I just want to shop locally for my food. As a result, I recently explored a “supermarket on steroids” and compiled a list of my favorite products in…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: It’s FINALLY time for fall food!
By Kara Kimbrough We’re well into our 7th month of warm/sometimes hot Mississippi weather. My patience is wearing thin. However, the weather report shows the temperature FINALLY dropping into the 60’s this week. I need no further encouragement to begin making some of my favorite fall food items. The cooler weather is making me feel…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: Let’s retire the word ‘casserole’
By Kara Kimbrough I’ve said it before but it bears repeating: casseroles get no respect. For some reason, the dishes that gained popularity in the 1970’s have fallen out of favor. I’m not sure if it’s due to the amount of sodium-filled cream of mushroom (or chicken or celery) soups or the fact that, like…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: Action-packed visit culminated with moving museum experience
By Kara Kimbrough On paper, spending a mere 24 hours in New Orleans doesn’t compute. There’s so much to see and experience in a city filled with hundreds of restaurants, attractions, venues and one of the nation’s largest museums, The National World War II Museum. But…I’m not like most people. With a little guidance from…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: New Orleans trip highlighted by trip down memory lane to Galatoire’s
By Kara Kimbrough It started out as a 24-hour trip solely to tour the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. While the museum was undoubtedly the highlight of a whirlwind visit to the Big Easy (more about the must-see museum in next week’s column) I can’t stop thinking about a visit to Galatoire’s,…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: Making own sides, snacks is not only tastier, but it’s healthier
By Kara Kimbrough It’s a memorable week when I discover new recipes that not only taste great and contain some of my favorite ingredients, but are also easy and quick to make. First, searching for a side dish to liven up chicken, I found a lemony, buttery, garlicky pasta that’s completed in a skillet in a matter…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: Crocktober heralds the start of fix it/forget it meals
By Kara Kimbrough I’ve never understood why Crockpots are used more in the fall and winter months. I understand that cooler weather signals the start of comfort food season, highlighted by hot soups, stews and chili. But not only do I use my Crockpots – emphasis on plural, as I own several – all…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: “Search for pound cake recipe stirs up pleasant memories”
By Kara Kimbrough I’ve shared my love of pound cake before. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that I recently spent a few hours following the comments of members of an online food and recipe group as they helped someone search for a long-lost pound cake recipe. One of the members was trying to…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: Ending Souptember on a delicious note
By Kara Kimbrough It’s been entertaining, to say the least, to watch grownups bicker on the internet this week over whether or not gumbo and chili should be considered soup. I’ll be honest, I have better things to do with my time than argue about such trivial things. I’m too busy looking over my…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: Our ancestors were healthier and here’s why
By Kara Kimbrough Here’s a sobering thought. The overall quality of life of Americans living in the previous century compared to modern-day residents wsd much better. No surprise, our ancestors were much healthier. Diseases like cancer and diabetes were rarer and here’s why. Researchers attribute moderate doses of sunshine, rigourous daily exercise from working…
Read MoreKara’s Sights &Bites: “Fall = and my favorite comfort food – is on the way!”
By Kara Kimbrough The advent of fall is still a couple of weeks away. However, that hasn’t stopped me from looking through my recipe collections in search of favorite fall recipes. As much as I enjoy summer’s cool salads and lighter fare, nothing can compare to fall’s warm and soothing comfort foods. I’ve…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: It’s not too late for one last summer vacation
By Kara Kimbrough Just like the old adage that white shoes can’t be worn after Labor Day, there seems to be a misconception that vacations need to cease as well. In the south, the weather is still extremely warm. Let’s be honest: summer-like conditions will be around for quite a while. So, why not…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: At nearly 200 years old, Vicksburg offers a wealth of history, adventures and culture
By Kara Kimbrough School has begun and for some, this means the end of summer adventures. However, vacation season is far from over for many and here’s an additional positive thought: decreased crowds create the perfect time for sight-seeing. In Mississippi, it’s hard to find a more magnificent site than the Mighty Mississippi River.…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: Never forget Red Lobster gave us Cheddar Bay Biscuits
By Kara Kimbrough It’s always a sad day when a longtime restaurant closes, especially one that gave us a genuinely good menu item that became part of American culture. Such was the case with seafood chain Red Lobster. It’s now-famous Cheddar Bay Biscuits were placed on the table prior to every meal for decades.…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: Retro foods can (and should) be revived
By Kara Kimbrough Just when I thought I’d seen it all, an online group of over 250,000 fans of Carnation Breakfast Bars has joined together to share their love of a favorite breakfast go-to from the 1970’s and 80’s that was discontinued in 1997. Recipes for copycat versions are shared among group members…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: Summer survival tool: the Crockpot!
By Kara Kimbrough As much as we’d like to be able to enjoy hearty bowls of chili, gumbo, taco soup and beef stew year-round, it’s just too hot to survive the heat that fills the kitchen when we’re cooking and stirring these dishes. And who needs their body temperature to rise even more through eating…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: Recipes I almost didn’t try
By Kara Kimbrough I have no shame about sharing this: I often peruse social media sites when looking for recipes that: A. I haven’t yet tried and B. Don’t bore me with the same ‘ol ingredients. Last week, while scrolling through that platform that originated in another country and that some politicians have…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: 30 minute meals make summertime cooking doable
By Kara Kimbrough Overheard in the supermarket: “I don’t cook anything with more than five ingredients!” I waited for the inevitable reply of, “I won’t spend more than a few minutes cooking ANYTHING!” …words I’ve also heard while shopping for groceries. I didn’t hear it this time, but I’ve talked to enough people to know…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: Dak’s ‘home,’ BBQ, books, sports and shopping await in Frisco, Texas
By Kara Kimbrough Elements of home in the form of Mississippi State University alum Dak Prescott’s large presence in the Dallas Cowboys’ world headquarters in Frisco, Texas, and hearing stories about Jackson native LeAnn Rimes’ formative years in nearby Garland added special touches to the final part of a recent trip to Texas. Additionally, enjoying…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: 48 hours in Grapevine: ‘Christmas Capital of Texas” is the perfect getaway
By Kara Kimbrough Describing the unique features and sights of charming Grapevine, Texas in a f ew hundred words is an impossible task. Visiting the city on the outskirts of Dallas was an enjoyable, eye-opening experience that left me wanting to return. I knew little about Grapevine before I arrived to spend a…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: Three new things to love about the Mississippi Gulf Coast
By Kara Kimbrough I’ve always loved the Mississippi Gulf Coast for its unending natural beauty stretching as far as the eye can see…among hundreds of other attributes, of course. But there’s a feature remains one of the primary reasons I visit as often as possible. It’s the fact that just when I think I’ve seen…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: 4th of July favorites that don’t require an oven
By Kara Kimbrough Newsflash: Fourth of July 2024 will be a hot one. Since it’s a couple of weeks away, I haven’t yet seen the weather report. But I just know it will be hot – maybe because I’ve suffered through numerous steamy hot holidays. But don’t ditch your celebration plans just yet. There are…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: Chilled desserts are the only way to survive Summer ’24
By Kara Kimbrough First, the bad news: It’s hot. Even worse, the official start of summer is still days away. But things are not all gloom and doom. There are numerous recipes containing words like “frozen,” “frosted,” “cool,” “chilled” and perhaps the best one this time of year: “no bake.” In case you haven’t…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: Worried about the economy? Make your own fast food/takeout favorites
By Kara Kimbrough Disclaimer: I’m a big supporter of restaurants. I enjoy visiting and writing about them, especially family-owned ones. And on occasion, I frequent fast food places. But as you’ve likely heard from news reports on the state of the economy, fast food and some restaurant prices have risen along with most other…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: A hidden oasis for camping, hiking and relaxing is closer than you think
By Kara Kimbrough The City of Jackson is filled with many wonderful historic attractions, including my favorite, the beautiful Old Capitol Museum. But sometimes, the need for a little R & R that doesn’t involve walking around a multi-storied museum arises. When visiting the Capitol City, I have just the place to literally…
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