Emily Gautreaux, Author at Arlen "Benny" Cenac Jr

New York Strip Steak Dinner Recipe

If you’re looking for a steakhouse-caliber dinner, but you don’t have the time or energy to get out of the house, then look no further than this recipe from The Kitchn for an excellently-prepared New York Strip Steak that’s served alongside seasoned green beans and blister tomatoes. This combination of flavors is sure to become a staple in your weeknight dinners.

While delicious, this recipe is also quite easy to prepare. It’s easy enough that even on a busy weeknight you can get a delicious steak dinner on the table in no time at all. Another perk of this recipe is that you’ll be using the same pan or cast-iron skillet that you cooked your New York strip steaks in when you cook your side dishes. This practice allows for the seasoning, smokiness, and flavored gristle to be transferred from entree to side dish seamlessly.

Ingredients

2 boneless New York strip steaks (each about 12 ounces & 1 ¼-inch thick)
8 ounces of green beans
2 cloves of garlic
1 pint of grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes (approximately 10 ounces)
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ teaspoon of kosher salt, divided

Directions

You’ll want to begin this recipe by heating 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large frying pan or a cast-iron skillet. Heat the vegetable oil on the stove over medium-high heat just until the oil is beginning to smoke. Meanwhile, pat your 2 New York strip steaks completely dry with paper towels. Be sure to eliminate as much moisture as possible and then season the strip steaks all over with 1 teaspoon of your kosher salt.
Once the pan or skillet is smoking, add the steaks to the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Cook the strip steaks while flipping them every 2 minutes until the center of the steaks registers at 120ºF for medium-rare. This should take 9 to 14 minutes in total.
While your strip steaks are cooking, you will want to take some kitchen scissors and trim the stems and ends off of your 8 ounces of green beans and your 2 garlic cloves.
Once your steaks are ready, you will want to transfer them to separate plates or a clean cutting board. Top the steaks with a few grinds of the black pepper mill, if desired.
Take the same pan or skillet that you took the steak out of and empty the 8 ounces of green beans and the pint of grape or cherry tomatoes into the pan. Season the green beans and tomatoes with your remaining ½ teaspoon of kosher salt from earlier and cook the contents of the pan over medium heat until the green beans are crisp and tender and the tomatoes are blistered in spots. This should take approximately 3-4 minutes, and you should be sure to stir the contents of the pan rarely throughout.
After the tomatoes are blistered and the green beans are crisp and tender, add your garlic and cook the cloves until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Slice the steak, if desired, and serve the strip steak pieces alongside your green beans and tomatoes.

Notes:

In order to ensure that your New York strip steaks are properly cooked on the stovetop, you should take special care to not only pat the steaks completely dry but also place them in an extremely hot pan. After the steaks hit the pan surface, you should immediately turn the heat down to medium and cook the steaks for 9-14 minutes while flipping them every two minutes. You do this so that the steaks develop a crust on both sides.
Leftovers of this meal can be refrigerated, as long as they are placed in an airtight container. They will keep for up to 4 days maximum.
Other side dishes that pair nicely with this recipe are soft, buttery dinner rolls, creamed corn, and baked potatoes.

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What Beaches to Visit along Lake Michigan

The eastern shore of Lake Michigan, which stretches from Wisconsin to northern Illinois, contains some of the most beautiful and serene beaches you’ll find in the entire Upper Peninsula, and with this detailed travel guide from Travel + Leisure, you’ll be sure to enjoy miles of uninterrupted white sand beaches to your heart’s content.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Empire, Michigan

The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore consists of miles of sandy beaches, lush forests, crystal clear inland lakes, unique flora, unforgettable fauna, and mesmerizing bluffs that tower some 450 feet about Lake Michigan itself. This is truly a place that needs to be seen to be believed. There are more than 60 miles of hiking trails within the park, including several that provide access to some of the most beautiful sights in all of Michigan.

Located on the northeastern shore of Lake Michigan, this National Lakeshore encompasses a total of 71,187 acres of a diverse array of landscapes, including both the North and South Manitou Islands. Both islands, which are accessible by ferry, feature otherworldly sand dune formations, 10 miles of pebble beaches, and a beautiful grove of old-growth white cedars that date as far back as over 500 years ago.

The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore became the 50^th National Park area with a designated Wilderness area in 2014 on the 50 ^th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. The wilderness area of this National Lakeshore encompasses 32,557 acres that are both open for recreation, but it is also protected forever. The most famous feature of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is undoubtedly its namesake sand dunes, which are among the tallest on Earth. These dunes were formed over thousands of years as the wind blew sand up against the North Country Trail, and they make for an unforgettable sight on your next vacation.

Warren Dunes State Park in Sawyer, Michigan

Located only 20 miles away from the Indiana border and acting as one of the most picturesque and peaceful gateways to Southwest Michigan, Warren Dunes State Park is a breathtakingly beautiful state park that offers an abundance of activities for people of all ages, as this State Park has everything from popular hiking trails to relaxing swimming areas.

The massive dunes that are found at this State Park are one of its most engaging attractions, as visitors of the park are often seen climbing up the dunes and sand boarding down their slopes. Outside of the towering sand dunes, the beach at Warren Dunes State Park is one of the other more popular attractions at this park. Additionally, if you love hiking or biking, then you will definitely enjoy exploring some of the hiking trails available, or you can pursue theseveral picnic areas throughout the park where you can sit down with friends and family while enjoying a meal together. If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life then Warren Dunes State Park is definitely worth checking out!

Holland State Park in Holland, Michigan

Simply stated, Holland State Park is the perfect place to spend a day in Michigan this summer, as it’s less than an hour from Ann Arbor, Traverse City, and Grand Rapids, making it an excellent spot for at least a Michigan day trip. The park has so many different activities that it can keep you busy all day long; for instance, you can swim at the beach or rent a canoe or kayak to paddle around the lake. There are also bike trails throughout the park that wind through the woods and along the lakeshore.

One of the greatest attractions at Holland State Park is Tunnel Park, which is a concrete tunnel that literally cuts through a sand dune and provides easy access to Lake Michigan for swimming, sunbathing, and picnicking activities.

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Bayou Community Foundation Awards Funds to Local Nonprofits

Recently, over thirty nonprofit organizations that provide social services to the communities of Terrebonne, Lafourche, and Grand Isle were awarded grants totaling over $300,000 by the Bayou Community Foundation, according to this feature article from Houma Today.

In total, The Bayou Community Foundation (BCF) awarded $327,100 in grants to 32 nonprofit organizations that have been working diligently in the wake of Hurricane Ida to provide social services to local communities. These grants come from the Foundation’s 2022 Annual Grants Program, and the awarded grant money is used to fund the distribution of food and medicine, resources for baby supplies and parenting, housing for the homeless and women in crisis, mental health counseling, addiction recovery programs, education and job training for at-risk youth, and plenty of other services that assist residents who were most impacted after Hurricane Ida.

Henry Lafont, the President of the Bayou Community Foundation Henry Lafont spoke on the importance of awarding these grants by saying, “faced with unimaginable challenges in the wake of Hurricane Ida, nonprofit organizations are working harder and shining brighter than ever before. Today, Bayou Community Foundation celebrates the local nonprofits that work tirelessly to help the neediest among us and demonstrate the compassion and resiliency of our unique Bayou community. Thanks to the amazing generosity of our donors, BCF is delighted to fund $327,100 in grants to 32 organizations that are feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, protecting the vulnerable, and making our entire community an even better place to call home.”

This year’s awarding of $327,100 in grants adds to the grand total of $1.97 million that has been distributed across 242 grants since 2013. These grants have been awarded for the past 9 years as a part of the Foundation’s Annual Grants Program. This year, the Program received donations from many individuals, families, and businesses local to Terrebonne, Lafourche, and Jefferson Parishes, including The Callais Family Fund, The Gheens Foundation, and Chevron.

The Public Affairs Manager for Chevron’s Gulf of Mexico Business Unit, Leah Brown, spoke about the business’s donating by saying, “at Chevron, we believe in contributing to the communities where we live and work. We’re proud to support the Bayou Community Foundation and its mission to build and sustain Lafourche Parish, Terrebonne Parish, and Grand Isle. We look forward to seeing the positive impact these grants will produce in the near term, as well as what we can continue to accomplish together in the future.”

One specific nonprofit organization that received an award grant was Lifted by Love, an organization that will use its $14,000 grant to help to provide transitional housing for 25 young mothers who are aging out of foster care with their children. Lifted by Love’s executive director Amanda Oden was able to put the organization’s grant award into logistical terms by saying that the BCF “grant will support our current efforts to provide housing for mothers and their babies, and fund our new Diaper Bank to distribute diapers, wipes, and formula and fill basic baby needs that are costly and in short supply.”

In total, 32 organizations received award grants from the Bayou Community Foundation during a ceremony that was held at the Larose Civic Center in July 2022. The full list of award winners can be found here.

The Executive Director of BCF Jennifer Armand talked about the significance of the awarding ceremony, “this is truly the most wonderful day of the year for Bayou Community Foundation as we witness the power of philanthropy at work! With generous gifts to our Grants Fund and Bayou Recovery Fund, donors have opened their hearts and pocketbooks to help sustain these critical nonprofit programs and support our community on our road to recovery. We thank our grantees for their important work and our donors for making today’s grants possible. Giving makes great things happen!”

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UL Lafayette To Start Only Smart Oilfield Concentration in Nation

This upcoming fall semester, students enrolled in the College of Engineering at The University of Louisiana at Lafayette will be able to pursue the only Smart Oilfield concentration in the nation. The announcement of this ground-breaking concentration is according to a news release from the school, where courses are set to begin this fall for the new concentration.

Specifically, the Smart Oilfield concentration is a pathway from ULL’s College of Engineering that is designed for petroleum engineering majors who are preparing for a career in the oil and gas industry, one that involves an increasing reliance on ever-evolving technology for efficient, safe, and environmentally-sound and stable exploration and production.

According to the Dean of the University’s College of Engineering, Dr. Ahmed Khattab, the new Smart Oilfield concentration is the only program of its kind in the entirety of the United States of America. Dr. Khattab commented on the necessity of establishing such a concentration by saying, “its addition is part of our comprehensive plan to address conventional and renewable energy by providing cutting-edge degree programs, minors, and concentrations that augment our traditional energy base and meet industry and community needs.”

According to Dr. Khattab, the new concentration will be able to integrate the College of Engineering’s current petroleum engineering degree program’s sub-surface expertise with data analytics, machine learning, and smart drilling. The concentration will also reportedly feature a combined blend of both traditional courses and interactive labs that will focus on automation, carbon capture, coding, computational fluid dynamics, machine learning, predictive capabilities, smart drilling, statistics, and the economic feasibility of exploration in specific locations.

According to Dr. Rafael Hernandez, the Interim Department Head of the Department of Petroleum Engineering, the curriculum for the Smart Oilfield concentration was developed based on extensive, data-driven research. The concentration was created in conjunction with input from professionals who work in the oil and gas industry, an entire field that has, according to Dr. Hernandez, “undergone a significant transformation in recent years.”

Dr. Hernandez continued to underline the necessity of evolving their program by continuing to outline the Oil and Gas industry by saying, “it now relies on a system of sensors, networks, and integrated operations that generate and communicate field and data analyses to ensure more environmentally friendly, safe and cost-efficient oil exploration, production and management.”

Outside of the new Smart Oilfield concentration, ULL’s College of Engineering has added eight other concentrations in the last two years in order to address recent trends in the industry and needs in fields that have been growing faster than the national average. For instance, employment opportunities for petroleum engineers are projected to increase by 8% through 2029, and employment opportunities for engineers are projected to increase 6% through 2029, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.
According to Dr. Khattab, the total 9 concentrations that have been added by the College of Engineering have been added for a variety of well-informed reasons. Dr. Khattab said, “These are strategic additions implemented to ensure we continually give our graduates the knowledge and skills they will need for the jobs they want, and that will position them to thrive and advance in their careers.

Besides the Smart Oilfield concentration, the other 8 new concentrations are: autonomous and robotic systems; bioengineering; computer engineering; engineering management; power and sustainable energy; secure smart systems; sustainable energy systems; and water resources and environmental engineering.

According to the Department of Petroleum Engineering, the above new concentrations are made all-the-more valuable as the “UL Lafayette Petroleum Engineering (PETE) program ranks among the top in the nation and is recognized across the globe. It is the only academic program in the U.S. providing education and training for students to demonstrate compliance with the International Association of Drilling Contractors’ Well Sharp Certification, an industry-standard credential that ensures knowledge of cost and efficiency optimization and risk minimization during drilling operations.”

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Cajun-Brined Fried Chicken Recipe

If you’re looking for a delicious, easy-to-make recipe that’s guaranteed to get you in the summertime mood, then look no further than this impressive recipe for cajun-brined fried chicken from Louisiana Cookin’.

Fried chicken is a staple of American cooking, and it’s sound reasoning to expect that every Cajun chef should have a recipe for a spicy fried chicken dinner in their back pocket. Now, while frying chicken might appear to be deceptively easy to make, it can also be extremely easy to screw up, as using the wrong brine can leave your fried chicken found wanting.

Luckily, this recipe’s reliance on cajun-brining your chicken for at least 8 hours but preferably overnight is a sure-fire way to assure that your fried chicken dinner is delicious, delectable, and always on the menu.

Ingredients

1 gallon of tap water
1¼ cups of kosher salt, divided
1⅓ cups of Cajun seasoning, divided
2 3-4 pound chickens, each cut into 8 pieces
12 cups of all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons of fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper
2 quarts of whole buttermilk
½ cup of hot sauce
1 gallon of peanut oil

Directions

You’ll want to begin this recipe by brining your chicken in a large nonreactive container. To begin brining chicken, combine 1 cup salt, 1 cup Cajun seasoning, and 1 gallon of water. Stir the contents of the container until your salt dissolves and then add your 8 pieces of your 3-4 pound chickens to the water mixture. Cover it, and refrigerate your container for a minimum of 8 hours, but it’s usually best to leave it brining overnight.
The next step is to preheat your oven to 350°F. Take a broiler pan and spray it with nonstick cooking spray and then place this rack in a pan. Set this aside for later.
Then, you’ll begin whisking your remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk together your remaining 1/4 cup of salt and 1/3 cup of Cajun seasoning with your black pepper, flour, and cayenne pepper. Then, In another large bowl, combine your buttermilk and hot sauce.
When ready to dredge and begin cooking, remove your chicken from the brine and pat it dry. Then, using one of your 8 chicken pieces at a time, dredge your chicken in the flour mixture while shaking off any excess flour, dip the floured piece into the buttermilk mixture, allowing for the excess to drip off into the pan, and then dredge it in the flour mixture once more. Shake off any excess, and place the pieces onto your prepared pan.
Once finished dredging your 8 pieces, take a large Dutch oven and heat a gallon of peanut oil over medium-high heat until either a candy thermometer or a deep-fry thermometer reads a temperature of 350 °F.
Cook the chicken in batches, turning it occasionally, until each piece is golden brown on all sides. This takes about 5 to 8 minutes in total. Throughout the frying process, you might need to adjust the Dutch oven’s heat as necessary to maintain 350 °F.
After frying each piece of chicken, place it onto your prepared pan. Then, bake all pieces for about 10-12 minutes, just until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of the pieces reads at a temperature of 165 °F.

Consider serving your Cajun-Brined Fried Chicken with some delicious Apple Slaw and creamy Four-Potato Salad.These dishes will make for the perfect accompaniments, as all three feature flavorful new takes on basic, but reliable recipes.

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A Summer in Annapolis, Maryland is a Summer Done Right

Located on the Chesapeake Bay, the seaside city of Annapolis, Maryland is a destination that truly has enough entertainment, history, and features to be enjoyed by everyone, and with this handy guide to making the most out of your trip to Annapolis from Southern Living, you’re sure to make a trip to Maryland a regular feature of your summers.

Annapolis, Maryland is a gorgeous city that holds many enriching experiences in its coastline, waterfront, museums, and historic buildings, and simply put, it’s all the more enjoyable as a summer getaway. Whether you are looking to learn by visiting the city’s historic district, exploring the vibrant collection of entertainment and shops found on the waterfront, or enjoying the freshly-caught seafood at the town’s many heralded restaurants, there is something in store for everyone.

First off, if you’re looking to experience and learn about some serious American history, then look no further than Annapolis, as the streets hold more than 350 years of American history. Venture down Main Street for an obvious example of this as many of the street’s currently-operating shops and restaurants are found inside storefronts madewith 18th-century brick and mortar. Consider visiting locations with an enormous, long-storied history behind its features such as the once-thriving colonial shipping hub City Dock or the Maryland State House, which provides visitors with a self-guided understanding of Maryland’s rich and historic past.

One of the most notable locations in Annapolis is the Yard, or The United States Naval Academy campus, which sits only a short stroll away from Main Street along the junction of the Severn River and the Chesapeake Bay. Designed in the Beaux-Arts style, the Yard is a wonder to simply behold as it’s an architectural sibling to New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and Paris’s Grand Palais. Be sure to visit this important United States Military institution to pass by pass by rare historic treasures such as recovered Japanese torpedoes from World War II or the legendary “Don’t Give Up the Ship” battle flag, but most importantly, seek out The United States Naval Academy to feel the grand, significant momentum of naval history.

If you want to truly experience some of what makes Annapolis so special, then be sure to head down to the nearly 17 miles of waterfront where you can take part in sailing lessons through Annapolis Waterfront & Sailing Center or take advantage of Annapolis’ many festivals throughout the year like Annapolis Crab Feast, US Boat Shows, Bay Bridge Run, or the Spring Sailboat Show.

If you’ve never eaten a certified Maryland crab cake, you simply haven’t enjoyed great seafood, as the first time you sit down to a fresh-from-the-sea crab cake, you’ll begin to regret ever giving the time of day to the poor imitators of the dish that are out there. Annapolis summers are often synonymous with gigantic platters of steamed hard-shell crabs served with loads of Old Bay Seasoning or J.O. spice. Some of the best restaurants in Annapolis that are sure to do right by you with their delicious offerings and preparations of seafood are Boatyard Bar & Grill, Carrol’s Creek Cafe, Cantler’s Riverside Inn, Dock Street Bar & Grill,,and O’Learys Seafood Restaurant. However, if you’re looking for seafood for breakfast, then look no further than starting your mornings off right at the Iron Rooster or Miss Shirley’s Café.

For all of its long-storied history, seafood cuisine, waterfront experiences, and small-town charm, Annapolis is simply a destination that demands to be visited. No matter the reason for your trip, you’ll find plenty of reasons to salute this picturesque city on the Chesapeake Bay.

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