Kara's Sights & Bites
Kara’s Sights & Bites: Claim leftover Thanksgiving turkey meat (and bones) now
By Kara Kimbrough Thanksgiving is a couple of weeks away, but believe me when I say, you need to claim dibs on the turkey BEFORE the day arrives and here’s why. The game is not over when the turkey has been whittled down to a toothpick-like state. There are several meals left from leftover…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: Follow the Pioneer Woman’s advice: keep it simple
By Kara Kimbrough Famous chefs and culinary experts never cease to inspire me…but not for the obvious reasons. Julia Child’s response to a reporter’s question asking if she ever ate fast food was golden. “I order fast food occasionally – everybody does when they’re on the road. A burger has protein, carbohydrates and…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: Dip your way through a less-than-stellar football season
By Kara Kimbrough What do you do when your football team is playing badly? Find a comfortable spot in the tailgate tent and find solace in the dips. Lack of entertaining football action can be tolerated and in some cases, totally ignored by continuously dipping chips, crackers, chopped vegetables, toasted bread sticks and more into…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: Apples, doughnuts, strudels and mountains are on my mind
By Kara Kimbrough Surveys listing each state’s “most searched” recipe or food are often way off base when it comes to listing Mississippians’ picks. Case in point: listing “turnips” as the most popular Thanksgiving dish in the Magnolia State was just wrong on many levels. But reading last week that the Smoky Mountains was…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: Appetizers for dinner? Why not?
By Kara Kimbrough It’s the small things for me that trigger new ideas. Seeing “steak bites” on the appetizers’ menu of a restaurant I visited last week caused me to order the entrée-sized version for lunch. As expected, it cost more due to being accompanied by a salad and side dish. I wasn’t overly…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: Let the fall comfort food commence!
By Kara Kimbrough It’s fall, a sign that we can begin dreaming of cozy evenings gathered around the table filled with hot dishes of our favorite comfort foods. Or maybe we’re curled up before a crackling fire cradling a hot, steamy bowl of comforting soup. While these scenarios are just pipe dreams at the…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: It’s time to explore Mississippi’s waterfalls…yes, waterfalls!
By Kara Kimbrough I felt a pang of envy last week as I watched news coverage of the picturesque town of Pomfret, Vermont. Attracting thousands of tourists from around the world is an abundance of fall foliage in vibrant colors of orange, yellow and green. One of the most sought-after spots is a private…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: You say Cajun/I say Creole…both are delicious
By Kara Kimbrough I’m not here to reignite an argument about the differences between Cajun and Creole food. I’m gun shy about mentioning ANY food from these regions after causing a furor on social media last year. I innocently said I “didn’t like okra in my gumbo.” There were a few supporters who agreed…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: Must-haves for tailgating…or just enjoying fall
By Kara Kimbrough Finally…fall is on the horizon! In 10, give or take a few, days, it’ll “officially” be time for hot apple cider, cozy sweaters, soup bubbling on the stove and pumpkin spice lattes. I was going to mention the smell of burning leaves, but decided against it since most southern states are…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: ‘Life’s too short’ not to enjoy life, including dessert
By Kara Kimbrough “Life’s too short…” It seemed like I heard these words everywhere I went last week. The fact that I heard it as the 22nd anniversary approaches of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York City, the Pentagon and an aborted plane headed toward the U.S. Capitol didn’t escape my notice.…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: ‘Leave the grill outdoors’ not the best Labor Day hack; I have better ones
By Kara Kimbruogh The internet is full of tips and tricks to create an enjoyable Labor Day weekend barbecue. Most that I read made sense, but this took the cake for nonsensical advice, especially here in the Deep South where we practically invented outdoor grilling. “Never grill indoors – always leave the grill outside your…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: ‘Are you ready for some…tailgate food?’
By Kara Kimbrough When you glanced at the headline, you may have thought the tagline would be…”football!” I have a confession to make. Unless it’s Homecoming and I want to see what the court’s gowns look like, I sometimes skip the main event and stay in the tailgate tent. That’s where the real fun…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: Homemade desserts are a dying art; here are a few relics
By Kara Kimbrough Receiving emails from readers asking for restaurant recommendations is a regular occurrence. Requests with questions like, “What are the best seafood restaurants on the Gulf Coast,” or “While visiting the Jackson area, where should I go for steak?” I’m happy to oblige these requests but one particular request is not so…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: It’s not too early to prepare for Labor Day grilling
By Kara Kimbrough “Don’t go, summer!“ The headline from a food magazine at the checkout line couldn’t have been more direct: Big, bold red letters practically lept off the page as I unloaded my cart. Despite a silent acknowledgment that the author of the article probably doesn’t live in the South, I bought in…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: Eat well in the heat and live to tell about it
By Kara Kimbrough You don’t need to watch the 24-hour weather reports with the gloom-and-doom reports of this being the “hottest summer on record.” We get it…it’s HOT! And along with that no-brainer knowledge comes the fact that turning on the oven for any length of time will just make things worse. In…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: What’s old is inevitably new again, even in the food world
By Kara Kimbrough Here’s a little-known fact – many of the recipes we use today -or at least variations of them – originated during the dismal decade between 1929 and 1939, better known as the Great Depression. Prior to this time, many in the U.S. “lived off the land,” feasting on home-grown vegetables…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: Create a “to do” list, one Mississippi attraction at a time
By Kara Kimbrough Last week I was perusing one of the few remaining bookstores (don’t get me started on the impracticality of ordering books online without at least holding it in my hands, thumbing through a few pages and deciding for myself if it’s worth buying) in the state and came across two intriguing titles: “100…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: Silver linings come in all forms, including treasured recipes
By Kara Kimbrough It’s summer, which in the south means one thing: it’s hot. Very hot. Even so, last week I was excited to find an easy way to make one of my favorite dishes, vegetable beef soup/stew. Yes, soup can be enjoyed in the summer. It’s all in how you prepare it.…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: Here’s what I’m loving in Summer ‘23
By Kara Kimbrough It’s hard to believe, but half of 2023 has slipped away. The halfway point is a good time to reflect on the food and travel-related items that are on my favorites list. So, without further ado… Here’s what I’m loving: 1. Blue Bell Sherbet – I’m not sure how I…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: Fourth of July may be my favorite food holiday
By Kara Kimbrough What’s not to love about the Fourth of July? It’s filled with patriotism, picnics, fireworks, family gatherings, watermelon (make that Smith County watermelons if you’re from south Mississippi), barbecues, homemade ice cream, and much more. And there’s only one color scheme: red, white, and blue. It’s the perfect low-maintenance holiday. Think…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: A little island time can be enjoyed in The Bay
By Kara Kimbrough Lounging under shady palm trees with a tropical drink watching the waves roll in. Feeling the cool breeze floating in from the water. Standing under the refreshing waterfall of an infinity pool while gazing at the shimmering water. Sound like an island paradise vacation in another country? You might be surprised to learn…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: Iconic restaurants come and go, but comeback sauce has endured 100 years
By Kara Kimbrough I don’t know about you, but when an iconic restaurant closes after decades of serving customers, it’s like the loss of a good friend. So many wonderful restaurants have closed in Mississippi and other parts of the U.S., especially during and after the pandemic. However, as long as a recipe or…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: Beach trip proved food doesn’t have to be fancy to be good
By Kara Kimbrough The past week was filled with dichotomies. I went from sampling what can only be described as “peasant food” – tuna salad and white beans – to the following night, dining on fresh seafood topped with a heavenly homemade sauce. The meal was a special treat, but simple foods are most likely…
Read MoreKara’s Sights & Bites: Jimmy Buffett has the right idea when it comes to summertime food
By Kara Kimbrough “Nibbling on sponge cake, watching the sun bake,” has to be one of the most hummable summertime lyrics. Penned by Mississippi native Jimmy Buffet, the line from the song “Margaritaville” is the perfect hot weather ballad except for one tiny detail. Something more substantial than sponge cake is necessary to get the…
Read MoreCelebrate Memorial Day with plenty of cool, no-bake desserts
By Kara Kimbrough Memorial Day is finally within sight and as promised, I’m sharing desserts that’ll reduce cooking time to mere minutes. But first, we have to talk about Blue Bell Ice Cream’s new flavor, which hit coolers last week. I understand the sentiment behind combining the products of two Texas-made products – Blue…
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