Author: Emily Gautreaux

Delicious, Coffee Crusted Ribs

If it’s said that good things come to those who wait, then immaculate, jaw-dropping flavor is sure to accompany this flavorful, coffee-crusted barbecued beef rib recipe courtesy of Food52.

The time spent waiting for the perfect texture and flavor with bated breath won’t be for naught, as these coffee crusted ribs fall-off-the-bone ribs certainly live up to the expectation you set hours ahead of time. Accompanied by a spice rub combination of coffee and spices, these meticulously-prepared barbecue delights are perfect for a down-south dinner party or cold evening in. Although, you might want to wake up early and prepare these for your next tailgate, where you’re certain to be the celebrated victor.

Ingredients for coffee crusted ribs:

⅓ cup of dark roast coffee beans

¼ cup black peppercorn

4 tablespoons sea salt

4 tablespoons hickory smoked sea salt

2 tablespoons smoked Spanish paprika

Olive Oil

5 pounds bone-in beef ribs (approximately 4 racks)

Dijon mustard, for serving (optional)

Recipe:

  1. Begin by preheating your oven to 500° F.
  2. Then, coarsely grind your coffee beans in a spice grinder. Grind them to about the same coarseness as you would for a French Press Grind, setting them aside afterward. Next, grind together your black peppercorn and sea salts until the largest single piece of black peppercorn is halved or quartered. Mix together the ground coffee, peppercorns, and sea salt with the smoked paprika.
  3. Lay the beef ribs atop a baking sheet and rub them with a thin coating of olive oil, followed by your spice mix. Use your hands to firmly press the spice mix into the ribs, making sure that every inch is covered and that the spice mixture is glued nicely onto the ribs. Once finished, the ribs should have a thick, “crusty” coating. Roast the racks in the 500°F oven for 10 minutes. Afterward, remove the baking sheet from the oven and lower the heat to 300° F.
  4. Transfer all of the coffee crusted ribs onto doubled-up sheets of aluminum foil, wrapping them completely. Make sure that there are no openings anywhere, and then place the entire pouch on top of a baking rack, scoring a few slits on the bottom of the pouch with a parry knife. Then, place the baking rack on top of a baking sheet to catch any drippings that fall. Afterwards, place it all in back in the oven, roasting it at 300°F for 4 hours.
  5. After 4 hours have passed, turn the heat down to 220°F, and slow roast it all for an additional 7 hours. During this time, you should feel free to check the tenderness of the ribs once or twice with a fork. If a fork cannot be easily inserted into the meat after 7 hours, turn the heat back up to 300°F and cook it for an additional 2 hours.
  6. The final product of your coffee crusted ribs should be sticky, tender, and somewhat gelatinous. A darker shade of pink should develop along the outer surface of the muscle tissue. If this is the case, sprinkle fine sea salt atop it all, and if you’d like, eat with a bit of Dijon mustard.

There’s nothing quite like slow-cooked coffee crusted ribs, as the time spent perfecting their flavor profile, texture, and sauce is never spent in vain- as long as the chef is patient.Try this unforgettable recipe today and be prepare to be rewarded after your dutiful 13 hours of preparation and cooking with sticky, fall-off-the-bone tender beef ribs that are assured to delight taste buds, impress your dinner guests, and score you some serious points at the tailgate.

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Two LSU Professors Recently Selected by NAI

Recently, the National Academy of Inventors, or NAI, elected 175 fellows including two LSU professors, as learned by a press release from Louisiana State University.

Among the 175 newly elected fellows are LSU School of Veterinary Medicine’s Pathobiological Sciences Professor and Virologist Konstantin “Gus” Kousoulas, as well as, LSU College of the Coast and Environment’s Department of Environmental Science Professor Emeritus and Ecotoxicologist Ralph Porter. Both Porter and Kousoulas have been elected as an NAI Fellow, and thus they have been bestowed the professional distinction accorded solely to academic investors.

To date, NAI fellows hold more than 42,700 issued United States patents, which have generated over 13,000 licensed technologies, companies, and the creation of more than 36 million jobs. In addition to this, revenue totaling over $2.2 trillion has been generated based on discoveries made by NAI fellows.

The Director of Louisiana State University’s Office of Innovation and Technology Commercialization, Andrew Maas,said of the incredible honor bestowed on the school’s faculty, “in the midst of the pandemic, we are watching in real-time how scientific discovery works—whether its rapidly improving tests or developing a vaccine that will save millions of lives—it’s clear how crucial innovation is to our society. Therefore, it’s an honor to recognize these experts, who are also innovators and pioneers.”

Of the NAI Fellows, Professor Konstantin Kousoulas’s research team at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine is currently working on vaccines to combat COVID-19 and other influenza viruses. Kousoulas holds 18 patents that span innovations in gene delivery, vaccines for viruses in humans and animals, and bacteria and immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer.

Professor Kousoulas previously worked on SARS-COV in 2003 as well as other coronaviruses that infect and cause substantial disease in animals, and specifically, he led USDA-funded projects that describe acute pneumonia in cattle caused by bovine coronavirus, which is a similar disease to the current COVID-19.

Also elected as an NAI fellow, Environmental Toxicologist and Professor Emeritus Ralph Porter holds eight patents himself, and they are related to the bioremediation of contaminated sediment and soil using custom microbial habitats,or bioreactors. As of now, 265 sites across the United States and 12 international sites have been remediated usingLSU biomedical patents and intellectual property developed by Porter.

Before his nearly 40-year career at LSU, Porter also notably helped shape policies and processes for the Environmental Protection Agency, but in his time at LSU, he has developed a vast library of bioremediation microbes. Such microbes have helped private companies as well as local, state, and federal agencies mitigate a variety of environmental hazards in the United States and in the international world, where they can be used to break down dangerous chemicals and pollutants such as herbicides, plastics, fuels, and pesticides.

Porter  remarked on the necessity for such work by saying, “our ability to design biofilms specifically to target certain types of hazardous waste is probably the most important of the patents developed here at LSU. We have designed reactor systems which have been used successfully in almost every state in the union and in a dozen or so countries overseas.”

In addition to the honor that is being elected as an NAI fellow, Porter is also a recipient of the George W. Goethals Medal, which is the highest technical merit award that is awarded to an engineer or scientist. The Medal is named in memory of the builder of the Panama Canal. Porter is a Louisiana native as well as an alumnus of LSU, where he received his PHD in Oceanography and Coastal Sciences in 1982 before joining the faculty at LSU in 1984.

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Retire Early and Happy in these Southern Cities

While many find the idea of retiring as early as their 40’s to be a crazy dream, Southern Living recently outlined the best cities that allow you to retire earlier and thus, happier.

According to a report by Realtor.com, the key to the sometimes lofty goal of retiring ahead of your 50th or 60th birthday is based on saving. When equipped with smart financial planning, anyone can kickback for the late-in-life second or third act with this list that’s been inspired by the principle of FIRE, or Financial Independence, Retire Early. This reliable concept was outlined in the 1992 bestseller Your Money or Your Life, which guided its readers to smarter, more proactive financial planning that saved time, money, and stress.

 Southern Living curated the following list of the American cities where aspiring early retirees can purchase an affordable home in a job market that’s robust and high-paying, which is a standard tenant that FIRE followers stand by. If you’re looking to begin preparing to live the good, easy life in your later life, then consider these top five cities in which you should start the job searching and house hunting now, so you can relax later.

Palm Bay, Florida

It might be true that it seems as though everyone retires in Florida, and if they do then it’s probably for a good reason. Enter: Palm Bay, the locale that has you move to the sunshine state now instead of later. Live your beachfront dreams in this coastal town where residents relax in the laid-back lifestyle but are also in close proximity to major employers like Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Kennedy Space Center, and Disney World. Also, despite the waterfront address you might find yourself on, know that the location comes with fairly reasonable real estate prices, with the medicum home sale price of $220k.

Beaumont, Texas

Known as the birthplace of the oil boom of the 20th Century when a well struck oil beneath the city gushed for nine days in 1901, Beaumont proves with its large, illustrious history that everything, including the house-sizes, is bigger in Texas. Today, the city has a still-thriving fuel industry that is, honestly, making its residents rich, as the city is known as being a hub of industrialization, as Beaumont aptly boasts a high percentage of lucrative jobs. If you pair this with the fact that large and-in-charge homes can often be bought for a “steal,” as the median sales price is $163k, you might just book yourself a trip to Beaumont sooner rather than later.

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Well, while it’s not the most notorious or sizable city in North Carolina like Raleigh, Durham, or Charlotte, this mid-sized city has it all, that is- in terms of its quality and cost of living. Winston-Salem’s medium home sales price averages out at the reasonable $178k, and that is in addition to nearly 20 percent of the city’s job market  being made up of high-paying, big employers. Such jobs are at the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, the Hanes Clothing Brand, and BB&T Bank, leaving you flush with cash to save and invest in your luxurious future.

Huntsville, Alabama

This city combines the notorious legacies of not only the space program but also the heavy presences of the military and tech industry, thus making this city a prime, lucrative location to set your sights on if you wish to retire early and happy. Housing prices in this city orbit around the 200k average, but there are countless, historic “fixer-uppers” that can be snagged for much less. Huntsville offers high-paying salaries to its residents, as this city, along with Cape Canaveral and Houston, serves as one of the few epicenters of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA space program.

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Six Pasta Recipes You Must Know

The tried and true champion of dinnertime is, predictably, the last-minute pasta dish, and if you can equip your mental cookbook arsenal with these traditional Italian pasta recipes from Martha Stewart, you’ll be the celebrated champion of the delicious, authentic, and classic pasta dish that wins over the entire dining room.

Now, you may be particularly familiar with how to cook up a plate of bolognese from scratch or you’re the type of shopper to pick up some seasoning, noodles, and a couple jars of sauce for a last-minute concoction. Either way, the following classic recipes should be known by every chef as they introduce variety and breadth to your cooking catalogue.

Pasta Carbonara

Let’s start small with “Old Reliable,” or Carbonara, a quick dinnertime staple that is made from 6 everyday ingredients.  Honestly, if you know how to boil water, you’re not too far away from the easily-accessible pasta recipe for carbonara, as you need only crisp some pancetta in a skillet and whisk together eggs and creme on the side while the pasta cooks in your expertly-boiled water. Once al dente, simply combine it all together, and add bacon or other pork product, such as guanciale for a truly italiana plate.

Cacio e Pepe

Keeping in line with the theme of easy preparation, a simple plate of pasta doesn’t necessarily have to be a Bolognese sauce or lasagna, because it honestly doesn’t get much simpler or back-to-basic than Cacio e Pepe. This pasta recipe hits your tongue in a delightful way, as it’s made with Grana Padano cheese, black pepper, olive oil, and just a touch of lemon. It’s the fantastically simple, completely irresistible, and quintessentially Roman dish that you’ve been craving to prepare, cook, and enjoy.

Single-Pan-Pasta

Hailing from the region of Puglia (or Apulia), Italy is this revolutionary cooking method of placing dried pasta in a skillet along with the other ingredients to gradually cook and infuse with its accompanying flavors. This ensures that your noodles get the most flavor and you don’t have to dirty half the dishes in your kitchen just to get an italian meal on the table. Top it all off with fresh basil and grated parmesan for an easy and clean-cooking supper.

Classic Lasagna

It’s truly a must-know recipe that has a variety of takes from different regions across Italy, Europe, and the world at large. This particular recipe showcases a hearty meat sauce made with ground beef and pork sausage, and that sauce is sandwiched between layers of noodles and a rich cheese filling. Additionally, if you’re looking for a little added variety, feel free to substitute the normal protein-laden faire with fresh greens and vegetables for a dish that is less filling and more fulfilling .

Penne alla Norma

Speaking of vegetables, try out this hearty vegetarian penne recipe that takes advantage of the natural flavors and textures of eggplant, tomato, and ricotta. This dish comes from the heart of Sicily, and it’s rumored to have been inspired by Sicilian composer, Vincenzo Bellini’s opera, “Norma.” This aesthetically-appealing dish pairs well with fresh basil sprinkled atop your dollop of ricotta cheese for a creamy consistency found with every stir.

Spaghetti with Sicilian Pesto

Jazz up your tired old spaghetti with pesto sauce, and this isn’t the usual Genoese pesto you may be all-too familiar with. This dish features a Sicilian take on pesto that uses toasted red pepper, fresh tomatoes, anchovies, capers, and golden raisins for a combination that is simply enlightened by its stacking of sweet, acidic, and savory flavors. The pignoli found in basil pesto are instead replaced with toasted almonds, though the Parmigiano is a constant across variants, making for a wonderfully flavorful dish.

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2021 King Cake Sales Remain Steady Despite Pandemic

While most Americans might look forward to Valentine’s Day as soon as the New Year’s festivities are finished, Louisianan’s are often found anticipating the Mardi Gras season alongside its promise of king cake, and according to a recent feature by Houma Today, 2021 is no different.

As Louisiana history goes, Mardi Gras festivities have only grown in size, popularity, and community acclaim over the past few decades, though due to  the current climate of social distancing and pandemic precautions, many in the state are left wondering what a 2021 Mardi Gras season will look like.

In the New Orleans area, as well as most other cities across the state, Mardi Gras parades have been canceled in light of the criticism received from last year’s celebrations in New Orleans. 2020 parades contributed to a drastic increase in coronavirus cases in the state. However, as many New Orleans area bakeries are realizing: people will still want to eat king cakes despite not having festive parades or elegant costume balls to attend.

One such baker is Will Samuels who has been running the King Cake Hub, a seasonal shop that offers king cakes to 15 New Orleans Bakeries, for the past three years. Samuels reports that sales have been just as good this year with him selling nearly 1,000 king cakes a day, saying, “it’s fantastic. Surpassing the numbers that I expected.”

Once known as a rather simplistic dessert in Louisiana, the classic king cake was merely composed of  a brioche ring of cake topped with purple, green, and gold frosting that represent the colors of Carnival. Nowadays bakers, chefs, and consumers from across the south have made variations of the classic confection, such as being filled with cream cheese, stuffed with berries, or packed with praline filling. Though, one constant filling remains among nearly all king cake varieties- in most cases a plastic baby. If a slice of king cake with the baby inside is served to someone, tradition dictates that they must buy “the next king cake”.

Between the start of Carnival on January 6 and Mardi Gras Tuesday, a high percentage of New Orleanian’s daily caloric intake comes from ingesting king cakes. So it’s no wonder that these southerners haven’t let the pandemic quiet their desire for this cake that many start to look forward to as early as Ash Wednesday.

With most offices being closed and countless Mardi Grad balls or parties being canceled in fear of being a potential super-spreader event, most bakeries are noticing most individual or medium-sized king cakes being sold. Baker Chaya Conrad, of Bywater Bakery, was initially prepared for a less-than-ideal king cake season, fearing that her business would be in trouble without that annual sales boost, however this season has been steady thus far, and it’s only the beginning.

Conrad reported, “it’s madness. It’s through the roof,” she said. “Thank God for king cake season,” and for the first time in her bakery’s history she is shipping her king cakes. On a recent Monday, she shipped out 200 cakes and sold over 300 from the physical store itself, which is quite comparable to last year’s 250-300 daily cake average. Conrad said, “people can’t travel to New Orleans. This is the one thing people can do for carnival.”

In addition to the Mardi Gras season, local bakeries had seen additional orders stemming from the New Orleans’ Saints playoff run earlier in 2021. Ryan Haydel’s third generation Haydel’s Bakery reportedly sees a 25% sales increase following every Saints victory, and in a year marked by uncertainty and surprises, the constant that is the New Orleans king cake is a welcome 2021 treat.

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Unforgettable Charming Southern Cities

America’s southern cities are renowned for their diverse array of cuisine, culture, and colorful landscapes.  There’s simply no better intersection of the best offerings of the South than this curated list from Southern Living, which is voted on by its readership, researched by its staff, and suggested to be enjoyed by all safe, responsible travelers to the unique American South.

Alexandria, Virginia

Located no less than a stone’s throw from our nation’s capital, the city of Alexandria is as treasured and bountiful as the famed lost library it’s named after. Maintaining its small-town, southern charm while still offering the amenities and fights of a much more expansive city, this destination will have you and those close to you forging unforgettable memories while taking in all you can along the King Street Mile. This neighborhood is as vibrant as it is aurally vivacious as it has sights consisting of centuries-old architecture, music and sounds emerging from dozens of locally and independently-owned restaurants, and quaint boutiques you won’t want to miss. To top it all off, if you’re caught lucky enough to visit in the holiday season, you’ll be illuminated beneath a canopy of twinkling lights sprinkling Virginian magic atop the charming bricken-laden sidewalks of this quaint, cozy town.

St. Petersburg, Florida

If your ideal city must have convenient beach access, then look no further than the southern city of St. Petersberg, as this paradise found along the Gulf Coast has the renowned sand-and-surf backyard of St. Pete Beach and Pass-A-Grille Beach, and the notorious white sands found at Clearwater are just a short drive away. The city limits themselves allow for a ton of entertainment such as freshly caught and stocked restaurants and unforgettable artistic sights- like the Salvador Dali Museum, housing the artist’s largest collection outside of Europe.

Chattanooga, Tennessee

While you might at first only recognize the giants of Tennessee, Memphis and Nashville, especially when it pertains to music or BBQ, get ready to think of Chattanooga when it comes to outdoor adventures. This mid-sized gateway to the riverfront is a cultural and activity magnet for any travelers who love nature as trails and landscapes that appeal to bikers, backpackers, bikers, and paddlers are found throughout the city.  Alternatively, if you’re looking to explore the southern city while you get your cardio in for the day, be sure to take in the city’s Bluff View Art District or the city’s shopping center consisting of restaurants and retail stores that house a former Civil War fort, Warehouse Row.

Greenville, South Carolina

Known as not only the midpoint between Atlanta, Georgia and Charlotte, North Carolina, Greenville is also a fast-growing, riverfront city that makes it harder to overlook annually. This small, but full city holds the amenities of a sprawling urban metropolis with its star-powered restaurants, swanky lounges, and a 32-acre green space in the center of the city. Stop by the walkable downtown expanse of the vibrant and happening Main Street for a southerly charming city with capital flair.

Richmond, Virginia

Often called the true “Capital of the South,” Richmond truly holds something for everyone within its city’s walls, and that’s easy to do when your city has been a part of over four centuries of American and pre-American history.Nowadays, there’s a hipness to the city that is noticed by visitors and locals alike who like to take advantage of the trendy boutique hotels, gorgeous nature trails, casual oyster eateries, and over 30 craft breweries. And if that’s not enough, make a point to stop into “Unhappy Hours,” a garden gathering held monthly in the city’s Edgar Allen Poe Museum in the summer and fall months.

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