Kate, Author at A Thought and a Half - Southern Lifestyle Blog

Weekly Sip: Spontaneous Decisions

May 23, 2017 By Kate Leave a Comment

Welcome back to the Weekly Sip, y’all. It’s been a few weeks but I’m back with a fresh mind and lots of sips of new wisdom to share. Well, maybe “wisdom” is a stretch. But I’ve got things to say this week, so let’s get to it.

If you’re new to the series, you can catch up on my past Weekly Sip posts here and read about my vision for it here.

Anyway, I’m doing things a bit differently this week, because it’s good to mix it up sometimes. On this week’s Weekly Sip, I’m talking about a new adventure.

A couple weekends ago, I traveled to New Orleans with some friends from the Chattanooga FC supporter group. I’d never been to New Orleans, and I’d never traveled for a soccer match, let alone a match for a semiprofessional, 4th-division club. A group of 10 had gotten an AirBnB about 15 minutes from the French Quarter, and someone mentioned they had a spot open up. I gave it some brief thought, and within 20 minutes I was planning a weekend trip to the Big Easy.

[Read more…]

Best Places for a Craft Beer in Chattanooga

May 18, 2017 By Kate Leave a Comment

Last week was Chattanooga’s Craft Beer Week. Several local restaurants and breweries celebrated with craft beer specials and new brews for the week. It was a beer aficionado’s dream and a perfect chance for newbies to explore and find their tastes.

You may not guess, but Chattanooga is a hot spot for great craft beer.

For Craft Beer Week, I teamed up with The House, a new app in Chattanooga that partners with local restaurants to curate the best food and drink deals around town. Users can get exclusive offers for some of the best spots in town and reserve a table for them and their friends, before the offer expires. Exclusive offers are based on table availability, so you won’t have to wait for a table. In addition to exclusive offers, The House shares daily specials that are open to anyone who goes to a restaurant.

It’s pretty sweet, and you can download it on the Apple Store and Google Play.

[Read more…]

Chattanooga in Photos

May 9, 2017 By Kate Leave a Comment

Chattanooga is a beautiful city, from its food to its people and everything in between.

I’ve been carrying my camera around with me a lot more in the last few months, in an effort to be a little less millennial-like and pay attention to what’s around me. Yes, my actual camera, not just my iPhone. My trusty little Sony HD point-and-shoot has lasted for at least four years and still has plenty of life left in it. There are so many places, people and sights in Chattanooga that are worth capturing and I often miss so many of them because I’m too absorbed in my phone or food (we’re all guilty of it sometimes). Or I don’t realize I don’t have a photo of them until I need it for a blog post.

I’m certainly no professional photographer, nor do I have a ton of training (I took one photography class in grad school). But I’ve come to enjoy walking around and snapping photos of whatever catches my eye. As I was going back through all the photos I’ve taken recently, I noticed that I’ve accrued a wide collection so far this year. From food to street art and everything in between, I’ve captured some of the best glimpses of life in Chattanooga.

Today, I’m sharing some of my favorite photos from my adventures and explorations around Chattanooga (and a little beyond).

[Read more…]

Weekly Sip: Life as an Extroverted Introvert

May 5, 2017 By Kate 4 Comments

It’s that time again: welcome back to the Weekly Sip! If you’re new around here, catch up on my past Weekly Sip posts here.

One day I will branch out from coffee/breakfast spots for this series and write about a cocktail bar or something. But there are so many awesome coffee and breakfast shops in town that I have so many options for the Weekly Sip. Then again, we do have plenty of bars, too.

The Camp House is one of my favorite spots in town. Its convenience to my work is an added bonus to its vast menu and chill atmosphere. It’s a great spot for meetings, study sessions or just for coffee and a meal. I haven’t actually had any of their non-breakfast food, but I will say that their biscuits are some of the best in Chattanooga.

That morning, I decided on a “stuffed” biscuit and mocha. My tall, buttery biscuit was “stuffed” with eggs, cheese and pesto; I opted for no tomatoes or onions, per usual, and took roasted potatoes as my side. I almost had to eat the biscuit with a fork and knife because it was so tall, I couldn’t bite it like a sandwich. Potatoes aren’t my usual breakfast side of choice, but I’m glad I picked these.

For the record, a plain Camp House buttermilk biscuit with honey butter and jam is simple and delicious, too.

[Read more…]

Frothy Monkey Wine Love Dinner in Chattanooga

May 1, 2017 By Kate Leave a Comment

Frothy Monkey, the Nashville-based cafe/restaurant establishment which opened a location on Chattanooga’s Southside in March, recently hosted its first Wine Love Dinner. And let me tell y’all, it set the bar pretty high for future dinners and events.

The dinner brought together five courses of elevated cuisine prepared by chef Chase Ingalls and head baker Jen Mello, each paired with a wine selected by Brittany Harrison.Each dish highlighted ingredients sourced from Frothy Monkey’s farm partners, which were then developed to create unique flavor profiles. I got to enjoy some eclectic foods that I would likely never eat on any other occasion. And that’s one of the main reasons I love little dinner events like this!

Frothy Monkey knows that nothing is better than a wonderful meal paired with the perfect wines.

Here’s what we enjoyed for each course!

We started out with a pepper-crusted ahi tuna, served with a chilled field pea and heirloom tomato salad, radish and a cherry balsamic reduction. Admittedly I am not a huge fan of fish, but I enjoyed the tuna, especially when I took a bite with the cherry balsamic sauce. That pepper was strong, but the crust texture was a nice complement to the tuna itself. Our first wine was a rosé from the Provence region of France. The mineral-y notes were a nice touch on the palate after the pepper.

[Read more…]

You Should Probably Know

April 24, 2017 By Kate 2 Comments

It’s a new season and I’m sure there are some new readers out there, so, hi! If this is your first visit to A Thought and a Half, I’m glad you stopped by and I hope this will be the first of many times you peek around here. If you’re a returning visitor, then welcome back!

My favorite question to ask and be asked is, “What’s your story?” It’s become one of the first questions I ask when I meet someone new. I always enjoy a good story, whether I’m telling it or listening to someone else. I’m a writer because I love stories. That’s part of the reason I started my Weekly Sip series — we always have a story to tell, and it’s always more interesting when the honesty comes out.

As Miranda Lambert’s producer said on the ACM Awards a few weeks ago, “Tell the truth. It’s more interesting.” So, with that in mind…