Author: Emily Gautreaux

The Bluest Waters to Visit Worldwide

When you finally land on a water-side destination to spend your time off from work, you ideally want to be staring at the bluest water imaginable, and thanks to this expertly-curated list from Travel and Leisure, that can certainly be arranged.

The article outlines the thirteen destinations across the world with the bluest water imaginable because the ideal setting to re-center yourself and absolutely refresh your mind, body, and overall sanity is in front of a tranquil blue sea or ocean. The locales listed include all blue bodies of water such as lakes, seas, beaches, and bays and their vistas ranging in blues from clear turquoise to bright navy blues.

Crater Lake, Oregon

In Oregon, there are vibrantly-deep blue waters that fill a caldera of the sunken volcano Mount Mazama, making Crater Lake a sight straight out of a drawing. The lake has no incoming streams or rivers to make the water murky, therefore the deep blue waters are practically crystal clear, making it the absolutely perfect place for any scuba divers brave enough to dive in the chilly waters. Crater Lake, the United States’ deepest lake, is located in Southern Oregon,and its depths plunge to 1,943 feet with sunlight extending 400 feet down.

The Maldives

Known by most as one of the world’s best islands, the Maldives is a favorite destination to most of the world’s most prestigious travelers. This low-lying island nation is found between the Indian and Arabian seas, and it has the makings of a bucket-list-perfect vacation setting. When visiting, you can be staying in one of the islands’ luxury-laden bungalows overlooking dazzling-blue waters and talcum-powder-soft white sand beaches. When not transfixed by the beauty of the beaches, visitors can explore the nearby coral reefs, and underwater playgrounds.

To Sua Ocean Trench, Samoa

This swimming spot, located in the South Pacific is a setting stolen from a tropical adventure film, and it’s made all the more magical by it being a naturally-occurring wonder of the world.  Due to the translucently teal waters that cover a hole that’s nearly 100-feet deep, it’s known by most as “The Big Hole”. When visiting these waters,  tourists trek through the lush forest outside of the Lotofaga village on Upolu Island, Samoa. Once through the tree-line, travelers climb down a steep ladder or partake in a brave plunge into the descending hole below. The waters of this Samoan trench come in from lava tubes that connect to the ocean, ensuring that this picturesque swimming hole never dries out.

Peyto Lake, Alberta, Canada

The waters from this lake that’s found in Banff National Park owe their impossibly-brilliant blue hue to the silt and icy meltwater emerging from the Peyto Glacier and Wapta Icefields. The true, sapphire-blue lake water can best be seen from the Bow Summit near Alberta’s Lake Louise. Adventurous visitors can even trek down and hike to the lake as well as the glacier and relax at Banff’s naturally-occurring hot springs.

Devil’s Bay, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands

Devil’s Bay, located on the other side of its gem-colored baths consists of a picture-perfect piece of white sand that’s found at the other side of a pool of water. After swimming the expanse, you’ll feel as though you’ve stepped into a literal postcard, as you’ll be taking in the clear turquoise waters of this secret of the Caribbean.

It’s time to stop visiting the lackluster, brown-tinted waters of nearby beaches and truly treat yourself and your eyes by taking in the bluest waters imaginable.

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

Southern Style Coleslaw Burgers

While coleslaw is a southern table-side delicacy, it doesn’t have to be only seen as a side dish anymore with this recipe for Southen Style Slaw Burgers from Buy This Cook That.

 Hamburgers stand as a dish that’s utterly incomplete without its collection of toppings, and coleslaw combines the texture and variety of vegetables with condiments and seasoning normally reserved for the bun alone. This particular recipe uniquely features the pairing of both sweet and sour flavors with its step-by-step guide to producing sweet + sour vinegar cabbage slaw that tastes perfectly atop a beef patty.

Ingredients for Slaw Burgers

16 oz. of cabbage slaw mix

¾ cup white vinegar

¾ cup water

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup yellow prepared mustard

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon celery seed

2lbs lean ground beef

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 cup yellow onion (finely chopped)

⅓ cup Italian parsley (finely chopped)

8 hamburger buns

2 tablespoons butter (optional)

1 tomato (sliced)

Dill pickles (optional)

Coleslaw Burger Recipe

  1. If you’re using pre-packaged hamburger patties, you’ll merely follow the instructions on the package. If making the patties from scratch, mix your beef, Worcestershire sauce, yellow onion, parsley, salt, and pepper thoroughly in a large bowl. Form the contents of the bowl into 8 patties and let them rest in the fridge for a minimum of an hour.
  2. Begin your coleslaw mixture by combining your vinegar, water, brown sugar, mustard, salt, pepper, and celery seed together in a small saucepan.
  3. Then, heat the combination to a low boil. During this process, stir the ingredients frequently until the sugar has dissolved.
  4. Afterwards, place the cabbage slaw mix in a medium-sized bowl and pour the hot vinegar mixture over the vegetable. Stir it all together to get the vegetables coated well, and then chill the total mixture while you prepare the burgers and buns.
  5. Take your patties out of the fridge and cook them on a pre-heated grill or stovetop skillet until they’re your desired level of doneness. At the same time as your cooking, the burgers spread some butter on the underside of your hamburger buns and toast them lightly on your heating element.
  6. Afterwards, it’s assembly time! Begin by stacking a tomato slice, dill pickle slices (or spear), hamburger patty atop a bottom bun. Then, take your coleslaw mixture and top the patty generously with your vinegar slaw. Top it with a bun, serve, and enjoy.

If you’re lacking time in the week or are far from an outdoor grill, this recipe can certainly be simplified with the prepackaged patties from Ball Park Steakhouse. These patties take the time out of sculping burger patties from scratch and still have that smoky grill flavor you’ve come to associate with summertime burgers.

This is the perfect meal to slap together as a celebration meal at summer’s end or on a weeknight when you just can’t find the time. Not only is the prep time under thirty minutes, especially if you’re using prepackaged patties but the juicy burgers pair so perfectly with the vinegar coleslaw that you might want to save some patties in the freezer for another rainy day.

Outside of the Ballpark-branded patties in this recipe, the simple combination of flavors in the ground beef hamburger patties stand as a simplistic, yet classic combination of familiar ingredients that can always be made in bulk and saved in the freezer until a later date, solving a problem you’ve yet to have.

So, treat yourself soon to the summertime classic that is coleslaw by topping your next hamburger with it!

For more delicious recipes, click here.

LSBDC Office Opens at LSU to Aid Small Businesses

Louisiana small business owners will soon have a new resource in their arsenal thanks to the federal CARES ACT and a collaboration between LSBDC and LSU, according to a press release from the school.

The collaboration is being referred to as the LSBDC at LSU, and it will essentially be a business satellite service center on LSU’s campus that will be focused on providing technology and innovation services to existing business owners and entrepreneurs across the state. The project comes from the Louisiana Small Business Development Center and Louisiana State University, and with it comes three professional business consultants that will be housed at the LSBDC at LSU.

Technology consultants will offer high-quality technical assistance to any start-up or existing businesses in Louisiana, and the assistance will come at no cost to clients impacted by COVID-19. Similarly, the business consultants will assist in developing and reviewing strategic plans, gaining access to capital, and connecting clients to any and all resources that could help their start-up or existing business.

The interim executive director of the LSU Innovation Park, David Winwood, said of the importance, “small businesses and technology-based entrepreneurs can play a key role in revitalizing our economy. Our collaboration with the LSBDC will help catalyze that revitalization.”

The LSBDC at LSU will specifically specialize in the transfer, commercialization, and utilization of technology as well as the development of new products to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of businesses. The mission of the Louisiana Small Business Development Center at Louisiana State University will be to work with businesses and entrepreneurs to commercialize inventions that benefit the public and enhance the economy.

Beyond LSU’s campus, the Louisiana Small Business Development Center continually offers high-quality technical assistance to existing and start-up businesses as well as entrepreneurs at no cost to the client. The LSBDC is a part of the larger network, the Small Business Development Center, which is the single-largest provider of management and technical assistance for businesses in the United States.

The LSBDC is funded partially through a cooperative agreement with the United States Small Business Administration, Louisiana Economic Development, and other participating institutions of higher education, such as Louisiana State University. LSBDC was established in 1983 and is strategically located to service all of Louisiana’s 64 parishes and their businesses.

LSBDC State Director Carla Holland remarked on the necessity of such a service in times such as these by saying, “the opening of this SBDC satellite office is extremely important for business owners, especially during the pandemic. I look forward to working with LSU and this collaboration becoming the spark of a great economic development push-in technology. When the CARES ACT funding was available, we knew we would need to bring in partners who specialized in technology as we saw less in-person business taking place and more virtual interaction.”

The LSBDC at LSU office is located at LSU Innovation Park, 8000 Innovation Park Dr., Baton Rouge, LA, 70508. LSU Innovation Park is a substantial, 200-acre resource that stimulates the economic growth in Louisiana through the various incubators it operates. The Park offers specialized business assistance to help companies formulate their ideas and further them to the best of their ability. Outside of the LSBDC at LSU, the LSU Innovation Park also houses the Louisiana Business & Technology Center, Protostripes Prototyping Center, the Louisiana Technology Transfer Office, and additional available office and lab space for other companies.

The LSBDC and LSU announced their partnership via a Facebook Live event as a part of the LSU Innovation Pak Facebook Page in early March. The office is welcoming the public business owners of Louisiana to call and schedule a consultation.

For more education-related information, click here.

Skip the Beach for the Mountains on Your Next Spring Trip

The beach isn’t the only spring trip destination, despite it often being the location most often associated with Spring Break. Though, thanks to TravelPulse, there are plenty of non-beach alternatives to choose from when planning your next springtime-foray.

As always, it should be noted that when traveling, especially in 2021, you should regularly check the CDC recommendations and travel advisories whenever traveling while in the midst of a pandemic. State and local health department websites are your best resource. Keep in mind that restrictions can change rapidly depending on local conditions. Check back for updates as your trip gets closer.

Coastal cities, sand-laden beachfronts, crystal-clear waters are often synonymous with springtime vacations, be it a “Spring Break” or even just a weekend getaway. In addition to it being an optimal location for recreation, it even allows for plenty of social distancing room and wide-open spaces for families to stay together while still having fun. Despite these benefits, it’s always fun and even a good idea to think outside the box, branch outside of your comfort zone, and set your sights somewhere less sunny and possibly more northbound with the following locations, as suggested by TravelPulse.

Yosemite National Park

The famed park, located in California, offers its patrons an environment that’s not necessarily as warm as Sandals, Jamaica during a spring trip, but the sights taken in are simply inspiring. Once inside the forest’s enclosure, you’ll be greeted by nature itself as well as utterly massive, prehistoric trees that you’ll struggle to capture with your camera. Though, it’s likely that you’ll simply be awe-struck by their majestic stature.

Salt Lake City, Utah

Up north there is a majestic city near the Upper Peninsula that blends together nature and modern conveniences, it goes by the name of Salt Lake City, Utah. Set the GPS today and make your first stop at the Great Salt Lake State Park. Alternatively, you’ll be able to visit the Bonneville Salt Flats and take in the iconic sights of the 12-by-5 mile expanse that emcompasses 300,000 acres. The salt crust has been around since the latest Ice Age, making it a truly unforgettable experience.

Sonoma Valley, California

This location is perfect for two travelers who want to get a little off-path from the beach but still in the California sun during a spring trip. Here, you’ll see the lovely splendor of wine country, and once you set your sights on those gallant hilltops lying beneath a sunrise or sunset, you’ll likely assume you’ve booked a vacation inside a postcard.

San Antonio, Texas

See the lush greenery of this southern gem in March or April before it gets too hot in later months. San Antonio holds a lot of history within its limits, but it also stands tall as a living testament to the culture of its modern-day inhabitants. Take in the shops, eateries, and attractions along the riverfront, and you’ll begin to see why this southern town just north-of-the-border is often called the Venice of Texas.

Denver, Colorado

In the heart of the United States is the modern, bustling metropolis of Denver. The air is clean, the city is large, and frankly, the people don’t seem at all bothered. Stop by City Park for some lovely sights and space to move around or head out of town to a nearby hiking trail. The downtown scene is always home to a new recreation-based business venture like virtual reality or indoor puzzle rooms, so there’s always plenty to do in this strikingly vibrant city lying on the forefront of modern spectacle.

For more travel related news and information, click here.

Nicholls Partners with U.S. BOEM to Develop Database of Coastal Research

It was recently announced that Nicholls State University is partnering with the United States Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to develop a database for coastal research conducted on the Bayou Region and Gulf Coast, according to a press release from the school.

It was outlined that the $400,000 project would take place over a four year period, wherein a database and repository would be created for scholars, agency officials, and members of the community to contribute to and benefit from. The project is titled, “Digital Curation: Streamlining Access to Research Across Gulf of Mexico Communities.” Aptly named, the project’s title also stands as a concise mission statement for the goals set forth by the partnership.

Nicholls’ dean of the College of Sciences and Technology and director of coastal research initiatives, Dr. John Doucet remarked on this momentous collaborating, saying: “The Digital Curation Project will improve how levels of government from federal to local find key resources for environmental impact statements and other reports related to the Louisiana Gulf Coast, The Digital Curation Project will improve how levels of government from federal to local find key resources for environmental impact statements and other reports related to the Louisiana Gulf Coast.”

Dr. Doucet went on to say, ““The project is an important addition to our growing portfolio of coastal services at Nicholls as the Louisiana university ‘Closest to the Coast.’ It shows our continuing commitment to coastal communities.” He will oversee the project alongside Dr. Gary LaFleur, R.E. Miller Endowed Professor of Honors Studies and executive director of the Center for Bayou Studies.

Overseeing the day-to-day project operations and student training as project manager will be Dr. Shana Walton, Nicholls associate professor of English, modern language and cultural studies. Walton remarked to Nicholls press that the Center for Bayou Studies is notable in that it alone is uniquely qualified to develop the database because much of the research is composed of qualitative reports based on structured interviews, surveys, oral histories, field notes, and observations. Because of this variety of qualitative reporting, the accurate coding of coastal research reports requires a deep knowledge of the surrounding region and its culture.

The project initially started its work back in October by conducting studies that had been commissioned by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and other agencies. In addition to the studies, the work involved archival material and projects, such as regional oral histories and information gathered, analyzed, and collected from local historical groups.

Dr. LaFleur remarked on the project’s meaning, saying: “this project represents a history of hard work laid down by Dr. Walton through her past BOEM projects, and Nicholls researchers taking the innovative step to work together within the Center for Bayou Studies.”

Not only will the project fund graduate fellows to help construct the database itself, but it will also allow for the professional utilization of that information. Additionally, opportunities will emerge for Nicholls faculty to develop their own research initiatives, allowing for undergraduates to take part in class-based projects.

This project opens the doors for accomplished faculty, graduate fellows, and inquisitive undergraduates to combine their eagerness for research and respect for their surrounding region. This pursuit of information, data, methods, and knowledge undertaken by the university and the U.S. Bureau stands tall as a perfect encapsulation of higher education at its best. The Center for Bayou Studies is housed at Nicholls State University, and it’s a multidisciplinary faculty collaborative focusing on the cultural and natural resources of the Bayou Region and its famed wetlands.

For more education related information, click here.

Hamburger Side Dishes Other than French Fries

Hamburger and french fries are a classic American pairing as traditionally iconic as baseball and crackerjacks, but just because they pair particularly well together doesn’t make them your only hamburger side dish option when grilling burgers. Luckily, Martha Stewart’s recipe blog suggests a dozen tasty alternatives to place alongside the canvas that is the classic hamburger.

The following options were chosen for how well their taste profile, texture, and ease of preparation. It’s not simply an opportunity to say, “forget the french fries, and try hash browns instead.” Least of all is it an opportunity to simply suggest you pair that fine, heavy cheeseburger with a store-bought salad; no, these pairings are truly a match made in culinary heaven.

Seasoned Roasted-Corn Salad Cups

When you’re outside, maybe poolside in the summer months, grilling hamburgers, a natural partner to your entree platter is something from the corn family. On the cob, off the cob, it’s all delicious, so why not char the corn, toss it in a glass with jicama, chiles, cilantro, a little oil, lime juice, and of course, queso fresco. It makes for a juicy and delicious flavor profile, that’s just the right type of spicy.

Crisp Zucchini-Panko Fries

Potato fries are out, and veggie fries are in. Specifically, these crispy, panko-crusted wonders that transform the versatile zucchini vegetable into an irresistible side that’s perfect for dipping in whatever condiment or sauce you’d like. The panko bread crumbs help to create a very unique texture that simply goes quite perfectly with a hamburger.

Shaved Fennel, Zucchini, and Celery Salad

If you’re weighing your stomach down with a juicy, jaw-dropping hamburger, maybe make your side dish a little on the lighter side, and that’s just where this wholesome, crunchy, fresh, substantial veggie salad comes in! It’s topped with shavings of fresh fennel, zucchini, celery, butter beans, almonds, and a dressing composed of white-wine vinegar and oil.

Cucumbers with Lemon and Basil

Hamburgers are simple; after all bread, meat, veggies, and condiments is essentially a sandwich. So, take a page from it’s unadorned cookbook and whip up this quick, fresh, and healthy summer side. Make sure your basil leaves, grape tomatoes, and cucumbers are fresh before spritzing lemon juice on top eight hours in advance of your next cookout.

Simple Coleslaw

Condiments aren’t reserved only for your burger or it’s bun; consider mayonnaise- it is the perfect treat to toss along with cabbage and carrots. Add some tangy mustard and sour cream to the mix, and you have yourself a standard, classic slaw. Serve it bun-side with a spoon or just slip it between the buns as an added condiment-veggie combo!

Melon and Cucumber Salad

Barbecues in the spring or summer deserve a large pitcher of lemonade, because one of the best ways to beat the head is to consume something sweet and refreshing. Most think this is reserved for drinks, but this simple salad is not only aesthetically-pleasing (edit: gorgeous!); it’s light on the stomach, impressionable on the taste buds, and ideal for your serving platter.

Garlic-Ginger Cucumbers

Often overlooked, the cucumber is a truly versatile vegetable, especially when it’s properly seasoned and prepared right. This little dish is a classic one-two punch that’s equal parts crispy and refreshing. The combination of garlic and ginger give a unique, vaguely-asian flavor to this show-stopping vegetable side.

Pickled Vegetables

The grilling of a hamburger isn’t the only dish that requires preparation to taste incredible. Take advantage of the availability of in-season summer vegetables, simmer them in a vinegar solution for about 10 minutes, and jar them for use later that night or summer for the gift that keeps on giving.

For more delicious recipes, click here.