Kara's Sights and Bites: Spring has sprung: Get out and explore!

By Kara Kimbrough

It’s not a “pretty” dish, but Dirty Spaghetti is a tasty alternative to traditional red sauce pasta. (Photo 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 course, the advent of spring itself. In no particular order, here are the highlights from a week of exploring, traveling and dining:

First, a quick trip to Monticello in Lawrence County to purchase a piece of furniture marked half-off at June Bug’s, a cute vintage and home decor store, brought back memories of living there right after college and working at the newspaper. I was impressed with the unique way the small town is utilizing once-empty stores and transforming them into attractive retail spaces, especially in the historic downtown area.

June Bug’s is a delightful vintage/antique and treasure hunt-type of store filled with everything from yard and garden décor to collectibles and more. Some of the downtown stores were closed on the Saturday I visited, but after spotting similar stores and learning a friend operates nearby Fannies Flowers & Gifts, I decided I'd definitely have to return on a weekday.

Another trip down memory trip occurred a few days later when I met a college friend at Genna Benna’s, a cozy spot in downtown Brandon. After moving from Monticello to the Jackson area, I eventually landed in Brandon not far from the downtown area. I always loved exploring downtown Brandon's shops and restaurants. I was pleasantly surprised to that even more clothing and gift boutiques, vendor markets, coffee shops and restaurants have opened downtown.

Genna Benna’s offers something for every taste. Southern comfort classics like hamburger steak, grilled pork chops, red beans and rice are offered along with specialty pastas, sandwiches, burgers and steaks. Everything looked intriguing, but it had been a while since I'd seen a Cuban sandwich on a menu, so I had to order one. The sandwich was everything I expected and more, but since so many other dishes on the menu looked amazing, a return visit is on my to-do list.

One benefit of having a few days off is slowing down enough to catch up with the rest of the world. After scrolling through a few social media sites, it was evident I was behind in trying “dirty spaghetti.” Inspired by Cajun (often called dirty) rice, the spaghetti version relies heavily on a browned ground beef, chopped peppers and onions and a roux of beef broth and flour that coats the pasta for a savory flavor.

In short, there are: no tomatoes, no tomato sauce, no tomato paste. Nothing red…only brown; thus, the name “dirty.”

I was a bit skeptical – spaghetti without red sauce just sounded, well…wrong. But I decided to see what had made this the “viral TikTok recipe of the week.”

I can report that the dish is, indeed, tasty…as long as plenty of Cajun or Creole seasonings are added. If this important step is omitted, it’s somewhat bland. And here’s the worst part – it’s definitely not a “pretty” dish. I hesitated about sharing the photo I shot; it’s not very appetizing-looking, at least in my opinion. But again, if properly seasoned, the taste is above average and hey, maybe a change from my regular red sauce is needed.

Last, the highlight of the week was a quick, but busy trip to the Gulf Coast. First up: I was excited to meet work friends for lunch at Uncle Joe’s Pizza and Wings in Long Beach. Several years ago, I wrote a food story for the Sun-Herald on the top pizza restaurants on the Coast. Uncle Joe’s, then solely located in Diamondhead, was on the list. I was anxious to check out Uncle Joe's expanded menu at another location.

For the record, Uncle Joe’s serves many specialty pizzas, including Kitchen Sink and Cheeseburger, as well as over 20 varieties of wing sauces. Since a trip to historic Philadelphia may be on the horizon this summer, I couldn’t resist ordering the Philly Cheesesteak pizza. It's a savory combination of steak, plenty of cheese, green peppers, mushrooms, and onions. My friends’ choices of chicken, bacon and ranch and a vegetarian version also received positive reviews.

Besides its Long Beach and Diamondhead locations, Uncle Joe's is open in Bay St. Louis and Pascagoula.

So yes, March has been a good month. Before summer's oppressive heat descends, why not get out and explore, experience and enjoy these places and more? Happy Spring!

Dirty (But Still Good) Spaghetti

1 pound spaghetti

1 pound ground chuck

1 each: green pepper, red pepper, yellow onion, diced

1 tablespoon minced garlic

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3-4 cups beef broth

Seasonings: 1 teaspoon each: Cajun seasoning, Creole seasoning; salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, brown ground beef until browned; drain grease. Move meat to side of skillet and brown chopped vegetables until wilted; stir in garlic. Add seasonings and mix together meat and vegetables, stirring well.

Slowly add flour; stir well to coat and cook 1-2 minutes. Slowly add beef broth while stirring. Cover and let simmer on medium-low for a few minutes.

Pasta options: Cook pasta separately in lightly-salted water until al dente. Or, add dry spaghetti directly to skillet mixture; break in half, cover and cook until tender, stirring occasionally.(I prefer meat sauce served over, not combined with pasta, so I cooked pasta separately, then spooned meat sauce over a dish of hot pasta).

Kara Kimbrough is a food and travel writer from Mississippi. Email her at kkprco@yahoo.com.