Taste the Best of Summer with this Creole Caesar Salad

Here in the dead heat of summer, it’s necessary that we make the most of the summer produce made available to us, and this creole Caesar salad recipe does just that. Chef Alexander Smalls details many summer recipes in his writings, but this Creole Caesar Salad recipe, as shared by Epicurious.com, is said to capture the entire essence of a southern summer.

Smalls’ creole Caesar salad recipe is fully loaded with fresh tomatoes, fried okra, and cornbread croutons, all tossed in a zesty red bell pepper dressing. The dressing especially is the real star of the show, as you’ll need to roast half of a red bell pepper in the oven until it becomes soft, charred, and intensely sweet. Then you sauté onions and garlic, and put it all in a food processor with chopped celery, vinegar, cayenne, mayo, and Parmesan cheese. With all of that flavor, it’s natural that Smalls refers to it as much more than a simple salad topping, but instead it’s a ““a Creole or gumbo sauce” that you can pair with almost anything.”

Creole Caesar Salad:

  • 2 cups Fried Okra
  • 2 heads romaine lettuce, leaves separated
  • 1 cup cooked fresh corn kernels, chilled
  • 2½ cups cubed cornbread, toasted
  • ½ cup sliced grape tomatoes
  • ½ cup sliced seedless cucumber
  • ¼ cup sliced red onion
  • Creole Caesar salad dressing (recipe follows)

Creole Caesar dressing:

  • ⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 2 tablespoons chopped onion
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • ½ roasted red bell pepper
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped celery
  • 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • Salt and pepper

Preparing the Creole Caesar Salad:

  1. Place half the fried okra in a large bowl and add the romaine, corn, corn bread, tomatoes, cucumber, and onion. Add the dressing and toss until well coated.
  2. Divide the salad among six serving plates and top evenly with the remaining okra. Serve immediately.

Preparing the Creole Caesar Salad dressing:

  1. In a small saucepan, combine the oil, garlic, and onion. Cook over low heat until the garlic and onion are golden and tender, about 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the garlic and onion to a food processor; reserve the oil.
  2. Add the vinegar, bell pepper, celery, sugar, cayenne, mayonnaise, Parmesan, and a pinch each of salt and black pepper to the food processor. Pulse until smooth. With the machine running, add the oil in a thin stream and process until emulsified. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Smalls knows you may be tempted to take shortcuts with this salad. But he asks that, at least the first time you make it, you don’t leave anything out. Just stay the course. As you prepare this salad, keep in mind the chef’s own words, “Once you’ve mastered the recipe, you’ll be equipped to branch out and make it your own,” he says. “Think of the salad as life in a bowl—you’ve got to learn the rules, then break them.”

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Audubon Zoo & Aquarium Awarded Spots Reader’s Choice Awards

After tallying the votes, Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and Audubon Zoo are winners of the USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice travel award contest.

As learned from a  My New Orleans press release, this year, the Aquarium held tightly to its 3rd place ranking from 2019, and Audubon Zoo moved up from its 9th placing in 2019 to 6th place. The 20 total nominees were hand-picked by a panel of travel experts, and nearly all are accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).

The USA TODAY’s 10Best begins with the following sentiment: “Someday, we’ll all be ready to pack our suitcases again and head out on our next adventures. In the meantime, we’ll keep supporting the places that inspire us.”

Recently, Audubon Zoo reopened on June 3, 2020, following a nearly three-month hiatus period, and Audubon Aquarium of the Americas reopened on July 16, 2020, following a four-month closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After following State and City public health directives, Audubon is reopening its family of parks and museums following a phased approach that strictly limits attendance and programming. Advance tickets to the Zoo and Aquarium are now required and can be reserved here.

All 20 aquariums nominated by the USA TODAY ranking are highly-visited establishments, and the list creators have great respect for them. “Aquariums put us face to fin with aquatic life from the world’s oceans, lakes and waterways in a fun and educational setting. The best aquariums also play a vital role in animal conservation by taking part in rescue efforts and advocating for the environmental health of our oceans. These 20 aquariums, nearly all accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and nominated by a panel of 10Best experts, represent the best in North America for their high quality exhibits and visitor interactions.”

Ron Forman, Audubon Nature Institute President and CEO had this to say about the rankings: “We’re thrilled to be honored by the most meaningful judges we could ask for—our guests. The impact of the COVID-19 crisis has been devastating to non-profit, accredited zoos and aquariums across the country, including Audubon’s, so receiving this recognition of our value to our community and the nation as we work to fully reopen to the public means so much to all of Audubon’s staff and supporters.”

In a similar line of thinking, Zoos are composed of internal and majority- external habitats, so the pandemic hit them differently, but our appreciation for Zoological parks didn’t waiver. “North America is home to hundreds of zoological parks, including more than 200 facilities accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Short of heading out into the world’s wild places, nothing beats a visit to the zoo to foster an appreciation for the striking animal diversity of our planet. We asked a panel of travel experts to nominate their favorite North American AZA-accredited zoos – facilities that excel in the fields of animal care and enrichment, while also facilitating meaningful interactions between animals and human visitors.”

For information on Audubon Zoo and Audubon Aquarium’s hours of operations and current guidelines for visiting, you can visit their site.

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ULL Grad Student Research Earns National Accolades

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Tuscaloosa Marine Shale Laboratory grad students are earning national recognition this summer, as learned by a recent university press release.

Recently, a research paper written and presented by grad students, Cristina Ruse and Jamal Ahmadov from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette has won national accolades, including second place in the Society of Petrophysicists and Well Log Analysts’ International Student Paper Competition held in June.

Both grad students, Ruse and Ahmadov, are pursuing graduate degrees in petroleum engineering and working as research assistants in the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale Laboratory, a  multidisciplinary consortium of geologists, petroleum engineers, geophysicists and economic development experts from UL Lafayette and four other institutions. In addition to UL Lafayette, the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale Laboratory includes researchers from New Mexico’s Los Alamos National Lab, the Missouri University of Science and Technology, the University of Oklahoma, and the University of Southern Mississippi.

Researchers involved in the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale Laboratory are studying how to best recover the substantial bounty of oil and gas that is offered by its namesake. The entire Tuscaloosa Marine Shale touches 28 total parishes in south and central Louisiana and several southwesten Mississippi counties. Portions of the formation are 15,000 feet (2.9 miles) beneath the surface with the entire shale containing an estimated 7 billion barrels of light, sweet crude oil. Though, due to the sheer size, depth, and frequently unstable geology, this play– the name the energy industry gives an area where oil and gas exist – is among the most expensive places in the country to drill.

Enter: grad students, Ruse and Ahmadov, who in their paper suggest using machine learning to predict the formation’s geomechanical properties. Ruse said knowing these properties is essential to hydraulic fracturing, one of the methods by which the oil and gas can be extracted. Machine-learning algorithms use statistics to find patterns in large amounts of data. They provide an alternative to other analytical tools, Ruse explained. “Many of the tedious calculations associated with these analytical methods can be eliminated by using the machine-learning model,” that she and Ahmadov propose in their paper.

In Early 2018 the lab’s creation was funded by a $9.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and several energy companies. The consortium is headed by Dr. Mehdi Mokhtari, an associate professor in UL Lafayette’s Department of Petroleum Engineering. The grant funding the lab’s creation is part of an initiative by the Energy Department’s Office of Fossil Energy to examine unconventional oil and gas plays.

The nonprofit Society of Petrophysicists and Well Log Analysts was founded in 1959. Its annual symposium enables students to present research findings and offers scholarship opportunities.

ULL grad student, Ruse received SPWLA scholarships in 2018, 2019 and again this year with Ahmadov being a two-time recipient, in both 2019 and 2020. Also among this year’s scholarship recipients from UL Lafayette were Asiman Saidzade, a petroleum engineering graduate student who’s also a research assistant in the Tuscaloosa lab, and Shelby J. Stewart, an MBA student and the lab’s research coordinator.

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Celebrate Anything With Nachos Supreme

Nachos have officially been canonized in Mexican, Tex-Mex, and American cuisine for their casual, yet tasty nature. Always aesthetically and culinarily-appetizing, a plate of nachos is equally enjoyable as a game day snack, bowling alley platter, or picnic snack tray, so make your next event spectacular with Delish’s Nachos Supreme recipe.

The following recipe is foolproof, expected to be delicious, but the preparer is free to mix and match with your favorite ingredients. No matter the toppings, surely, this platter of combined corn chips, veggies, and of course cheese, will be sure to please whoever partakes. The recipe takes a total of 50 minutes from conception to plating, and it’s set to serve 6-8 servings. Preparation time for this recipe is only fifteen minutes, so grab the following ingredients:

Nachos:

  • 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tbsp. taco seasoning
  • kosher salt
  • 1 (15-oz.) can refried beans
  • 1/4 c. water
  • 1 large bag tortilla chips
  • 2 c. shredded cheddar
  • 2 c. Shredded Monterey jack
  • 1 (15-oz.) can black beans, drained
  • 1/2 c. pickled jalapeños

Topping:

  • 1 large tomato, diced
  • 1 avocado, diced
  • 1/4 c. thinly sliced green onions
  • 1/4 c. fresh cilantro leaves (optional)
  • Sour cream, for drizzling
  • Hot sauce, for drizzling

Directions for Nachos Supreme:

  1. Preheat oven to 425º and line a large baking sheet with foil. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion and cook until soft, 5 minutes, then add ground beef and cook until no longer pink, 6 minutes more. Drain fat.
  2. Add garlic and taco seasoning and season with salt. Cook until meat is well browned and slightly crispy, 5 minutes more. Add refried beans and water to skillet and stir until combined.
  3. Add half the tortilla chips and top with beef-bean mixture, half the cheese, half the black beans, and half the pickled jalapeños. Repeat one more layer.
  4. Bake until cheese is melty, 15 minutes.
  5. Scatter with tomato, avocado, green onions, and cilantro. Drizzle with sour cream and hot sauce and serve immediately.

Frequently-Asked Questions about Nachos:

  • Can nachos be considered healthy?
    • Of course! The nachos this particular recipe yields aren’t considered the most healthy, but substituting a hefty serving of veggies is a great step towards health-conscious nachos. Check out these Zucchini Nachos, Bell Pepper Nachos, or Cauliflower Nachos—they’re all great substitutes! 
  • Are nachos fried of Baked?
    • Nachos themselves are baked, but the corn chips are usually fried.
  • What kind of cheese is used with nachos?
    • While Monterey Jack and cheddar have their fans, your options are limitless, as long as the cheese melts! 
  • Do you put salsa on nachos before cooking?

It’s certainly not recommended, as any ingredients you want to retain freshness and crunch should be added after the nachos go into the oven. Herbs, greens, tomatoes, fresh salsa, avocado, and guacamole are not good when served warm.

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Unforgettable Southern Lakes

The ideal southerner loves iced tea, preferably a little sweet and sipped on the dock of a gorgeous summer lake, spending full days barefoot unless dinner calls for flip-flops, and they happily live life at a slower pace. Collected by Southern Living Magazine, here are a handful of can’t-miss southern lake visits to brighten up your year. Whether you crave the speed of water sports, prefer the solitude of a mountain lake, or count down the moments to the daily floating hour, you’ll find a place to dive right into some of summer’s greatest pleasures.

Lady Bird Lake, Texas

Located downstream from the large homes and powerboats of Lake Austin is the quieter, more memorable southern lake named Lady Bird Lake, which allows only non-motorized boats. Imagines as a reflection to this music-loving town, Lady Bird boasts its own venue at Auditorium Shores, a wide riverbank slope that hosts concerts. Discover Lady Bird’s hidden local secret: a side trip on the lake’s famous tributary, Barton Creek. Rent a kayak from Rowing Dock and discover the small dam that holds Barton Springs Pool.

Stonewall Jackson Lake, West Virginia

There’s not enough hours in a single day to contain the amount of fun had at this luxurious state resort set  in the middle of 2,000-acre Stonewall Jackson Lake State Park. Book a room at the lodge on the lake’s shore, cruise the waters of Stonewall Jackson Lake on a pontoon boat, or tee it up on an Arnold Palmer Signature Golf Course.

Missouri’s Table Rock Lake at Big Cedar Lodge

Started by Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris, this heavenly lodge property is located on a nearly 60,000-acre lake just outside Branson, Missouri.Big Cedar Lodge’s gentle call of the wild fills all 81 cabins, 3 lodges, 4 restaurants, and 100 boat slips. Guests can choose between cottages, cabins, and handsome hotel rooms in one of three ridge-side lodges. Access is incredibly easy―the brand-new $140-million Branson airport is just 10 miles from the lodge.

Lake Guntersville, Alabama

This quintessential southern lake experience is known as one of Alabama’s prettiest patches of fresh water―Lake Guntersville. But the small city holds a few shopping and dining surprises that could have easily been plucked from much more urban areas such as Birmingham and Huntsville. Though, you’re here for the lake and its calming qualities will ease you through this relaxing weekend.

Lake Santeetlah, North Carolina

Lake Santeetlah’s 76 miles of shoreline are mostly protected as national forest.Enjoy the silence via canoe, sea kayak or stand up paddleboard. Afterward, head to the lakeside bar and dock at Blue Waters Mountain Lodge. Editor’s tip: For lakeside camping with a few amenities–hot showers and flush toilets–Cheoah Point Campground has car campsites for $20 a night.

Lake Martin, Alabama

Known as a popular second-home lake to Birmingham and Montgomery residents, this southern lake, Lake Martin, holds a population of full-time lakeside dwellers. On the weekends, boats raft up at Chimney Rock, a prominent cliff-jumping spot near the dam, inviting you to partake.

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Louisiana Universities Partner to Deliver STEM Program to Northeast Louisiana

Three Louisiana universities are banding together to create the Louisiana STEM Pathways Consortium which allows for the delivery of the LaSTEM Pathways curricula, teacher training and so much more across the state of Louisiana, as learned from a News Star article.

The partner universities uniting for this project are the University of Louisiana Monroe, the Louisiana State University’s Gordon A. Cain Center and McNeese State University; all three will work with their regional high school systems to implement the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education approved STEM curricula created by LSU faculty.

As a partner in the Stem Pathways program, Louisiana universities in the ULM system will work with Northeast Louisiana school systems in order to provide intensive training to teachers in the high-demand field of  biomedical sciences and computing, which will enable each of the university’s four colleges to participate.

ULM’s Dean of the College of Arts, Education, and Sciences, John Pratte said of the partnership, “This is an effort across several colleges within ULM and with school districts in more than 14 parishes. It is a tremendous opportunity for ULM to partner with LSU and McNeese to provide workforce and education training.”

The LaSTEM Pathways program is aiming to provide Louisiana high school students with an opportunity to enroll in progressive sequence of up to eight standards-based projects and inquiry-based STEM courses in order to attain “industry-promulgated” credentials, university-issued certificates of course completion and/or dual enrollment credit. Students completing this pathway will graduate with either a career-tech diploma or an enhancement to their university prep diploma alongside a Silver or Gold STEM Diploma Seal.

Under Louisiana’s current approved state education funding formula, any school districts offering a BESE (Board of Elementary and Secondary Education)– approved LaSTEM Pathway course that is taught by a trained and LSU-certified teacher will receive $482 per student per course in the form of Career Tech and Career Development supplements. In the case of the LaSTEM Pathways Program, the bulk of student credentialing will be completed by LSU or ULM.

This educationally and community-rich partnership is set to reward the Louisiana universities, educators involved, and most of all the students hoping to get a “leg up” in STEM fields of employment.

LSU’s Dean of the College of Business and Social Sciences, Ron Berry, said of the venture, “four of our faculty have been training with LSU faculty this summer to prepare for their role in training regional high school teachers. We look forward to working with our secondary school partners across the region to improve STEM education through this partnership.”

Professor of Political Science and Public Administration and LaSTEM Coordinator, John Sutherlin added, “A great deal of thanks goes to Billy Dean Blackett, a board member of the Louisiana Environmental Education Commission and a longtime advocate of education and ULM. Dean helped bring all of the parties to the table, which led to this exciting and very promising partnership. His commitment to providing opportunities for young people across our region is exceptional.”

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