Kara's Sights & Bites
Kara’s Sights and Bites: America’s 250th birthday… Make this 4th of July a festive, stress-free holiday
By Kara Kimbrough America’s 250th birthday is finally here! This momentous milestone that only rolls around every two and one-half centuries deserves special recognition. Whether you’re entertaining a crowd at a backyard barbecue or plan to watch fireworks shows on TV, this once-in-a-lifetime occasion deserves more attention than a regular 4th of July holiday. A…
Read MoreKara’s Sights and Bites: Celebrate Memorial Day close to home without breaking the bank
By: Kara Kimbrough Filling up the car with gas in advance of a road trip during the long Memorial Day weekend ahead was not a problem in previous years. But this year…well, that’s a different story. Without dwelling on the pain we’re all feeling at the pump, I decided to share a few…
Read MoreKara’s Sights and Bites: Spring has sprung: Get out and explore!
By Kara Kimbrough The month of March is shaping up to be a great one, filled with some of my favorite things: Daylight Savings Time; a few day trips, culminating with a few stops along the Mississippi Gulf Coast; new food and treasure finds; spring break courtesy of a school-related job and of…
Read MoreKara’s Sights and Bites: February means delicious snacks, romantic meals…
Celebrate Super Bowl LX, Valentine’s with special foods By Kara Kimbrough A few years ago, the Super Bowl did American men a favor by landing right in the middle of Valentine’s Day weekend. The excuse that there was “simply no time” to go out for a special Valentine’s meal due to the big game got…
Read MoreKara’s Sights and Bites: 2025 was a great year for cooking, dining and exploring
By: Kara Kimbrough I can’t enter 2026 without sharing the best food and travel finds that made 2025 one to remember. Besides discovering some true gems on supermarket shelves that I’ll use in ’26, The past year also filled with delicious restaurant meals and amazing travel adventures. Here are a few of my…
Read MoreKara’s Sights and Bites: North Carolina trip highlighted by fresh Appalachian cuisine with a Southern flair
By Kara Kimbrough A week in western North Carolina offered breathtaking views of the Great Smoky and Blue Ridge Mountains as well as a chance to explore charming towns like Maggie Valley, Waynesville, Lake Junaluska, Clyde and Canton, all within scenic Haywood County. Seeing the mesmerizing stacked blue layers of the Blue Ridge was…
Read MoreKara’s Sights and Bites: It’s fall…can apple baked goods be far behind?
By Kara Kimbrough Finally, it’s fall…the all-too-fleeting season that brings only a few cool days in the south in between heat spells and cold weather. Instead of thinking about ways to incorporate pumpkin spice into everything from coffee to bread, I’ve been dreaming about apples. When fall arrives, there’s nothing more satisfying that…
Read MoreKara’s Sights and Bites: The ‘red box’ is from the past…let’s leave it there
By Kara Kimbrough Don’t ask me why…but someone, somewhere thought it was a good idea to make Hamburger Helper relevant again. Yes, you read that right…the bright red box adorned with the animated white glove character pointing to a pan of…well, I’m not exactly sure what the dish consists of…is being touted as…
Read MoreKara’s Sight and Bites: Finally…a new food trend I can embrace
By Kara Kimbrough Covered in red sauce (or gravy, as Italians lovingly call it); paired with sauteed vegetables, shrimp and more red sauce for a delicious Shrimp Creole; stirred together with chopped vegetables and pepperoni and doused in a vinaigrette dressing for a zesty pasta salad and perhaps my favorite method, topped with…
Read MoreKara’s Sights and Bites: Gulf Coast visit on emotional anniversary brought renewed hope; restaurant and hotel finds
By Kara Kimbrough Visiting the Mississippi Gulf Coast on the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina proved to be an emotional journey. Highlights were moving commemorative ceremonies and candlelight vigils; riveting documentaries and personal stories from those who lost everything but never considered not rebuilding. I discovered a hidden gem hotel as well as…
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