By Kara Kimbrough We’re entering the month I call the “happiest month of the year.” May is just plain "happy," filled with joyous occasions like Mother’s Day, high school and college graduations and spring wedding celebrations. On top of personal events are fun tours, pilgrimages and festivals showcasing the best and most beautiful of our…

By Kara Kimbrough It’s a proven fact: most Southern men are happiest when warm weather arrives and they can spend quality time over a hot bed of coals. Grilling is the true southern way to cook meat – it's outdoors, it’s casual and it delivers great food. Even Southern ladies consider grilling one of, if…

By Kara Kimbrough After last week’s column about the upcoming start of grilling season, it’s only fitting that I share a few of my favorite burger sauces. Burger purists may recoil in horror when I mention dousing, dipping or sprinkling a grilled burger with anything. Disputing their belief that the flavor of the meat should…

Headed south for a long Memorial Day weekend at the beach? Take the Hattiesburg exit and drop in the bustling city of Hattiesburg to stretch your legs, enjoy a delicious meal and take incredible selfies in a wonderland of beautiful roses. Slightly twisting Shakespeare’s words, a rose by any other name, or color, would look…

By Kara Kimbrough Memorial Day officially begins Friday at 5 p.m., signaling the start of outdoor grilling, eating and entertaining season. Whether it’s at a backyard cookout, family reunion or long-weekend-vacation, food served outdoors just tastes better. Finding the right recipes to celebrate the holiday is second only in importance to a few coveted days…

By Kara Kimbrough It’s not officially summer yet but that hasn’t stopped temperatures from breaking into the 90s on more than one recent occasion. I don’t know about you, but surviving a tortuous Mississippi summer requires an extra dose of self-care. And yes, that extends to the kitchen and my meal choices. After all, what…

By Kara Kimbrough Mention food of any kind these days and the first thing that pops in anyone’s mind and out of their mouth is the cost, both in the supermarket and at restaurants. Here’s the thing, though – we still have to eat. I can’t in good conscience recommend that anyone stop dining out…

By Kara Kimbrough “Beach or mountains?” This question is often thrown about when engaging in workplace “get acquainted” sessions and other venues. For me, it’s a no-brainer. Having grown up in a state with hills, not mountains, not to mention 26 miles of beautiful manmade beaches fronting the Gulf of Mexico at our southern-most tip,…