Author: Emily Gautreaux

Spiced Brioche Bread Pudding Loaded with Apples and Pecans

Warm apples, buttery brioche, toasted pecans, and fragrant baking spices come together in this Spiced Apple Pecan Bread Pudding from Louisiana Cookin’. The soft, custardy center contrasts with a lightly golden top, while a warm apple-butter sauce adds an extra layer of richness just before serving. With familiar fall flavors in every spoonful, this dessert works especially well when apples and pecans are in season.

Ingredients for the Bread Pudding:

  • 1 (17.6-ounce) loaf brioche, cut into 1-inch cubes and toasted
  • 3 cups chopped Granny Smith apples (about 3 large apples)
  • 1 cup chopped pecan pieces
  • 5 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter
  • 3 cups half-and-half
  • ¼ cup apple cider
  • 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon apple pie spice
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Ingredients for the Apple Sauce

  • ½ cup chopped Granny Smith apples
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider
  • ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon apple pie spice
  • 1 cup granulated sugar

Directions for Bread Pudding:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 13×9-inch baking dish or 12½-inch enamel-coated cast-iron pan with cooking spray. Toasting the brioche beforehand dries it slightly, helping the bread absorb the custard without becoming overly soft.
  2. Place the toasted brioche cubes in a large bowl. Pour the half-and-half over the bread and toss gently to coat. Let the bread soak while preparing the apple mixture.
  3. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and kosher salt, whisking until combined. Stir in the chopped Granny Smith apples and apple pie spice until evenly coated. Remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes to cool slightly. Add the beaten eggs, stirring vigorously until incorporated, then stir in the apple cider.
  4. Pour the apple-custard mixture over the soaked brioche. Add the chopped pecans and gently fold until the bread, apples, and pecans are evenly distributed. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and cover with foil or a lid.
  5. Bake for 50 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean. The center should be set while remaining soft and custardy.
  6. Meanwhile, prepare the apple sauce. Combine the granulated sugar, butter, and heavy whipping cream in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Do not boil. Stir in the chopped apples, apple cider, and apple pie spice. Cook for 2 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples soften slightly while retaining some texture. Keep the sauce warm until ready to serve.

Serve the bread pudding warm or at room temperature, spooning the apple sauce generously over each portion. The tart apples help balance the sweetness, while the pecans provide a nutty contrast to the rich brioche custard. For the best texture, spoon the warm sauce over individual servings rather than pouring it over the entire pudding in advance.

Because this bread pudding dessert contains eggs and dairy, leftovers should be refrigerated promptly. USDA food-safety guidancerecommends refrigerating cooked leftovers within two hours and generally using them within three to four days. Individual portions can be gently reheated before serving, with the apple sauce warmed separately.

The combination of buttery brioche, spiced apples, and pecans gives this bread pudding plenty of texture without making the preparation complicated. Served beneath a spoonful of warm apple sauce, it is a cozy way to turn classic bread pudding into a dessert filled with the flavors of apples, toasted nuts, and aromatic fall spices.

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Albuquerque Offers a Different Kind of Southwestern Fall Foliage

Fall foliage may not be the first thing travelers associate with New Mexico, but according to this travel blog article from Travel + Leisure, Albuquerque’s location being between the Rio Grande and the Sandia Mountains gives the high-desert city a surprisingly varied autumn landscape. Golden cottonwoods line riverside trails, maples turn shades of crimson and orange, and groves of quaking aspens brighten the mountains above the city. Better yet, Albuquerque’s dramatic changes in elevation stretch the color season across several weeks. Leaves can begin changing in the higher mountains around late September, while cottonwoods and other trees at lower elevations may hold their autumn color into early November. That makes Albuquerque an appealing base for travelers who want to experience several distinct versions of fall within a relatively compact area.

One of the easiest places to begin is along the Rio Grande. The city’s Paseo del Bosque Trail follows the river for 16 paved miles through the bosque, the cottonwood forest that occupies the Rio Grande floodplain. During autumn, the canopy takes on rich shades of yellow and gold, creating long stretches of color for walkers and cyclists.

Nearby, the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden provides a more landscaped approach to fall. Its Sasebo Japanese Garden combines maples with ponds, waterfalls, stone features, and carefully designed plantings. Another part of the BioPark,Tingley Beach, offers ponds surrounded by cottonwoods and opportunities to spot migrating birds passing through the Rio Grande corridor.

The most dramatic change in scenery comes east of the city in the Sandia Mountains. The Sandias rise thousands of feet above Albuquerque, creating cooler conditions and an earlier start to the foliage season. The Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway makes the climb particularly accessible, traveling 2.7 miles to its upper terminal at 10,378 feet.

The approximately 15-minute ride passes through multiple ecological zones before reaching the high country, where groves of quaking aspens turn brilliant yellow. At the summit, the observation area opens onto an expansive panorama of the Rio Grande Valley and surrounding landscape. Temperatures can also be 20 to 30 degrees cooler at the top than in Albuquerque, so fall visitors should arrive prepared for a noticeable change in weather.

For an entirely different palette, head about 90 minutes southeast of Albuquerque into the Manzano Mountains. Cibola National Forest is home to Fourth of July Canyon, an area known for its bigtooth and Rocky Mountain maples. Instead of the predominantly golden foliage associated with New Mexico’s aspens and cottonwoods, the canyon can produce combinations of red, orange and yellow more reminiscent of hardwood forests farther east. Hiking trails through the area provide a closer look at the seasonal color, although visitors should check current Forest Service conditions before setting out.

Fall 2026 also gives travelers another reason to explore Albuquerque. November 11 marks the centennial of Route 66, and the city has been celebrating 100 years of the Mother Road throughout the year. Albuquerque contains 18 continuous miles of historic Route 66, creating an easy way to pair autumn scenery with neon signs, roadside architecture, museums, public art, and local restaurants.

The Albuquerque Museum, for example, is presenting The Other Route 66: 100 Years of People, Identity, and Place in Albuquerque through January 3, 2027, exploring the road through hundreds of artifacts, photographs, and local stories.

Together, the Rio Grande bosque, Sandia Mountains, and nearby Manzano Mountains make Albuquerque’s autumn scenery far more varied than its high-desert setting might suggest. Rather than arriving all at once, fall descends gradually from the mountains into the city—offering weeks of changing color and several distinctly New Mexican ways to experience the season.

For more travel-related news and information, click here.

New Endowment Connects Bayou Region Students With Higher Education at Nicholls

A new endowed scholarship at Nicholls State University will provide financial support to students from four South Louisiana parishes while creating a long-term source of college funding for the Bayou Region, as per this news releasefrom Nicholls. The South Central Industrial Association (SCIA) and Bayou Industrial Group (BIG) established the Bayou Industrial Group Legacy Endowed Scholarship through a $50,000 contribution.

Managed by the Nicholls Foundation, the fund will support eligible students from Lafourche, Terrebonne, Assumptionand St. Mary parishes who attend Nicholls. Recipients will receive $500 per semester during the fall and spring, providing $1,000 in assistance each academic year. Students who continue to satisfy the scholarship’s requirements may retain the award for as many as eight consecutive semesters, potentially providing support throughout four years of undergraduate study.

For incoming freshmen, eligibility extends across academic disciplines rather than limiting the scholarship to a specific major. Applicants must attend Nicholls full time, have at least a 3.0 GPA, live within one of the four eligible parishes and have graduated from a high school or approved home-school program in the region. Students can review additional opportunities through the university’s scholarship and financial aid resources.

The program also includes a pathway for nontraditional adult learners. Adults living in Lafourche, Terrebonne, Assumption or St. Mary parishes may qualify if they have registered for classes or been accepted into a program at Nicholls. Including these students broadens the scholarship beyond the traditional route of enrolling in college immediately after high school and recognizes that higher education can begin or resume at different points in a person’s career.

According to SCIA Executive Director Hillary Charpentier, the new endowment continued a decades-long investment by the two organizations in students and workforce development. SCIA and BIG have collectively awarded more than $500,000 in scholarships over the past three decades, supporting hundreds of area students. Charpentier said the latest investment was intended to reduce some of the financial pressure facing students while encouraging local learners to pursue their education and professional goals within the Bayou Region.

That regional emphasis reflects the missions of both organizations. Bayou Industrial Group is a nonprofit organization that supports students preparing for business and industrial careers in the Bayou Region through scholarships, educational programs, fundraising and career-focused initiatives. The South Central Industrial Association represents more than 250 member companies and 200,000 workers worldwide while working on issues affecting Louisiana’s offshore energy and marine services sector, including infrastructure, workforce development, coastal preservation and levee protection.

The structure of the new scholarship is especially significant because the $50,000 contribution established an endowment rather than funding only a limited number of awards. The Nicholls Foundation explains that endowed funds are invested so that only a portion of their earnings is used for designated purposes while the principal remains invested. That approach is designed to make scholarship support available on an ongoing basis rather than ending once the original donation has been distributed.

As the fund grows through investment earnings or additional contributions, the amount available for future awards could increase. This gives the Bayou Industrial Group Legacy Endowed Scholarship the potential to serve generations of Nicholls students while creating a permanent connection between higher education and organizations involved in the region’s workforce.

Scholarships of this kind can also address college costs without restricting students to one professional pathway. Because eligible freshmen may pursue any major, the award can assist students preparing for careers ranging from business and education to science, health care, technology and other fields represented across the university.

Students interested in applying can review the complete eligibility requirements and scholarship application information through SCIA’s scholarship programs. Additional information about endowed giving and other student-support funds is available through the Nicholls Foundation.

For Nicholls and the surrounding Bayou Region, the new fund represents more than a one-time $50,000 contribution. By creating a renewable scholarship tied specifically to students from four nearby parishes, SCIA and BIG established a continuing resource designed to make higher education more attainable while supporting students who already have strong connections to South Louisiana.

For more education-related information, click here.

Tasso and Butternut Squash Make This Risotto Extra Savory

Creamy risotto makes an inviting base for the savory flavors of this Pan-Seared Butternut Squash and Tasso Risotto, adapted from Louisiana Cookin’. Tender Arborio rice is finished with Parmesan, thyme, and half-and-half, while a separate skillet of golden butternut squash and crisp tasso brings contrasting texture and smoky depth. The result combines a rich, creamy rice dish with a hearty topping that feels especially fitting for cooler weather.

Ingredients:

Directions:

  1. Heat the vegetable oil in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped tasso and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pieces are browned and crisp around the edges. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the tasso to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the rendered drippings in the skillet.
  2. Add 2 tablespoons butter and the butternut squash to the same skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender and lightly browned. Letting the pieces sit against the hot skillet for short periods helps them develop golden, caramelized edges.
  3. Add ½ cup coarsely chopped yellow onion to the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes, or until softened and translucent. Stir in the sliced garlic and ¾ teaspoon kosher salt. Cook, stirring constantly, for another 2 to 3 minutes. Return the browned tasso to the skillet and toss everything together. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and keep warm.
  4. In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet or braiser, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the remaining ½ cup chopped yellow onion and the minced garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the Arborio rice and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until the grains are lightly toasted.
  5. Stir 1 cup chicken broth into the rice, using a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Cook for about 1 minute, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
  6. Heat the remaining 4 cups of chicken broth with the remaining 1 ½  teaspoons of kosher salt until hot. Add the broth to the rice 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly. Allow most of each addition to absorb before adding more. Continue cooking for 20 to 25 minutes, until the rice is tender but still has a slight bite.
  7. Stir in the freshly grated Parmesan cheese, ¼ to ½ cup half-and-half, thyme, black pepper, and remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Mix until smooth, creamy, and loose enough to spread gently across a plate.
  8. Spoon the risotto into shallow bowls and top with the warm squash and tasso mixture. Finish with chopped green onion and garnish with additional Parmesan and fresh thyme, if desired.

Creamy, savory, and full of contrasting textures, this risotto balances tender Arborio rice with caramelized butternut squash and crisp, smoky tasso. The Parmesan and thyme add richness and freshness, while green onion brightens each serving at the end. Serve it warm as a hearty main dish, or pair it with a simple green salad or roasted vegetables for a well-rounded meal that highlights the comforting flavors of the season.

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The Worldwide Connections Behind 16 Major Southern Cities

A trip abroad can sometimes reveal an unexpected connection to home. Across the South, major cities maintain formal relationships with communities thousands of miles away, creating international partnerships centered on cultural exchange, education, economic development, tourism, and cooperation, as per this article from Southern Living. These relationships are part of Sister Cities International, a program whose roots date to 1956, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower encouraged citizen-to-citizen diplomacy as a way to strengthen understanding between countries. Today, the organization connects hundreds of American and international communities, representing more than 1,800 southern cities, counties, and states in over 140 countries.

Some of these connections feel especially natural given New Orleans’ long history as a port city shaped by French, Spanish, Caribbean, African, and Latin American influences. Cap-Haïtien, for example, represents another historic Caribbean city with French colonial roots, while Orléans provides a direct connection to France. These relationships reflect New Orleans’ identity as a place where international influences have long blended into local architecture, music, food, and traditions.

Historic Charleston maintains sister-city relationships with Spoleto, Italy; Panama City, Panama; Speightstown, Barbados; Freetown, Sierra Leone; Doha, Qatar; and Flers, France. Charleston’s relationship with Spoleto is particularly fitting because the South Carolina city is closely associated with the performing arts through the annual Spoleto Festival USA, which was established as an American counterpart to the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy. Charleston’s relationships with Speightstown and Freetown also connect the coastal Southern city to places across the Atlantic whose histories intersect with broader stories of maritime trade, migration, and the African diaspora.

Nashville may be internationally recognized for music, but its sister-city program reaches far beyond that identity. Its partners include Edmonton, Canada; Caen, France; Belfast, Northern Ireland; Mendoza, Argentina; Kamakura, Japan; Magdeburg, Germany; Taiyuan and Chengdu, China; Tamworth, Australia; and Erbil, Iraq. Tamworth stands out as an especially interesting match. Like Nashville, the Australian city is strongly associated with country music and hosts major events celebrating the genre. Belfast also brings another music-rich cultural connection, while the broader network gives Nashville opportunities to share educational, artistic, and civic programs with cities across several continents.

Atlanta has built one of the most expansive sister-city networks in the southern cities. Its partners include Salzburg, Austria; Montego Bay, Jamaica; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Lagos, Nigeria; Toulouse, France; Taipei, Taiwan; Brussels, Belgium; Ancient Olympia, Greece; Nuremberg, Germany; Fukuoka, Japan; Tbilisi, Georgia; and several additional cities. Atlanta’s position as a major transportation and business hub helps explain the international scope of these relationships. The city is home to one of the world’s busiest airports and has developed extensive connections in commerce, higher education, culture, and international affairs. Partnerships with cities such as Rio de Janeiro, Lagos, and Taipei reflect the global reach of a Southern city whose influence extends well beyond the region.

Florida’s largest city by area, Jacksonville, maintains relationships with Bahia Blanca, Argentina; Changwon City, South Korea; Curitiba, Brazil; Nantes, France; Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality in South Africa; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Yingkou, China; and other international communities. Jacksonville’s position on the Atlantic coast gives several of these relationships a maritime connection. Like Jacksonville, cities such as Nantes, Yingkou, and Nelson Mandela Bay have histories shaped by ports, shipping, and access to major waterways. The partnerships illustrate how coastal cities separated by enormous distances can nevertheless encounter similar questions involving commerce, development, transportation, and waterfront identity.

Sister-city relationships are more than symbolic pairings on a map with southern cities. They can support student exchanges, cultural programs, economic development, tourism, disaster assistance, and community events that introduce residents to traditions from another part of the world. For travelers, they also provide an intriguing reminder that cities with very different landscapes and languages may still share surprising cultural, historical, or economic connections.

For more travel-related news and information on southern cities, click here.

Two Louisiana Coastal Leaders Honored for Careers Protecting the State’s Wetlands

Louisiana’s coast and wetlands has been shaped not only by massive restoration projects and scientific research, but also by people who have spent decades studying, protecting and explaining the landscape. According to this article from The Advocate, this year, two longtime coastal advocates are receiving special recognition for careers devoted to that work. The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana will honor David Muth and Mark Shirley with Lifetime Achievement Awards during its 30th annual Coastal Stewardship Awards on September 17 in Baton Rouge.

Although their careers followed different paths, Muth and Shirley have each spent decades working across Louisiana’s wetlands and coastal communities. Muth became a prominent voice in large-scale coastal restoration, while Shirley built a career around marine extension, wildlife management and hands-on coastal education. The coalition described the pair as representing some of the best of Louisiana coastal stewardship, with work whose influence is expected to continue long after their formal careers have ended.

For Muth, a New Orleans native, that career included roughly 30 years with the National Park Service at Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. He eventually oversaw natural and cultural resources there, including work connected to the Barataria Preserve. His time with the park stretched through Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon disaster, two events that dramatically increased attention on the vulnerability of Louisiana’s environment. In 2011, Muth joined the National Wildlife Federation as its Louisiana state director and later served as director of its Gulf Restoration Program.

Muth also participated in development of Louisiana’s 2012 Coastal Master Plan, an ambitious framework that identified 109 projects representing about $50 billion in proposed coastal protection and restoration investments at the time. He became a strong supporter of using the Mississippi River’s water and sediment to help sustain disappearing wetlands. Some major sediment diversion proposals have since been discontinued amid concerns involving costs, fisheries and impacts on nearby communities, but Muth has maintained that the river remains one of Louisiana’s most important natural tools for rebuilding delta landscapes.

Shirley’s career developed farther west, where his work connected scientific knowledge with the people who live and work along the coast. After beginning at Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, he joined Louisiana Sea Grant and the LSU AgCenter in 1984. He spent more than four decades as a marine extension agent, working with residents, producers and landowners in areas including Cameron and Vermilion parishes. His expertise eventually ranged from coastal ecology and fisheries to crawfish production and Louisiana’s alligator industry.

One of Shirley’s most enduring contributions, however, may be Marsh Maneuvers, an immersive coastal education program he helped establish during the late 1980s. Participants travel into Louisiana’s marshes to examine wetlands, wildlife, water-control structures and restoration practices firsthand. The program has introduced generations of Louisiana students to coastal ecology, and some former participants have gone on to careers involving science and restoration. Shirley also continued mentoring individual students, encouraging them to develop research questions and conduct their own scientific work.

The September 17 ceremony will recognize several other Louisiana coastal leaders, including Todd Baker of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, Ioannis Georgiou of The Water Institute, Kristina Peterson of the Lowlander Center,Glass Half Full founder Franziska Trautmann and Louisiana Sea Grant law and policy director Jim Wilkins. Austin Rapbaum will receive the Emerging Stewardship award, while Alexius Reign will be recognized as Volunteer of the Year.

Together, the honorees reflect the many forms coastal stewardship can take—from research and restoration planning to education, community involvement and wildlife management. For Louisiana, where wetlands influence everything from ecosystems to communities and local economies, preserving coastal knowledge is nearly as important as building restoration projects themselves. The careers of Muth and Shirley demonstrate how decades of steady work can help keep that knowledge moving forward.

For more Louisiana-related articles, click here.