[Plugin: Search By Category] kinda works, but not really

after adding the php I am able to search some categories through the main search, but not all

Can’t use the shortcode as a widget because it overrides the css and takes over the sidebar or widget area and doesn’t display correctly.

I haven’t tested it beyond that because I can’t get it to display well enough to use. This is unfortunate, because it’s exactly what I need.

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/search-by-category/