The Food Networkposted a great recipe for delicious Barbecue Baby Back Ribs. It is the perfect time to clean off the grill, and hot dogs and burgers are not the only thing that it can be used for. Ribs go perfectly with any side and they are always a party pleaser. Some sides to consider are: potato salad, maple barbeque beans, fruit salad, fresh guacamole and cilantro salsa, and even a charcuterie board.
The first step to making the best baby back ribs you can is making the dry rub that will be used to marinate the ribs. The chili powder, brown sugar, and onion powder should be mixed in the mixing bowl. Add the oregano, cayenne, and 1 tablespoon of kosher salt. Top the mixture off with 1 teaspoon of black pepper. Make sure the mixture is mixed together fully. Take the large container that will be used to marinate the ribs and place the ribs inside. Take the dry rub mixture and rub both sides of the ribs. Refrigerate them; the longer they marinate the better. However, an hour will work just fine too.
The oven should be preheated to 250 degrees fahrenheit. Mix the chicken broth and apple cider vinegar in the roasting pan. Remove the baby back ribs from the refrigerator and place them in the pan. Take the foil and cover the roasting pan. The ribs need to be baked for 2 hours in the oven. Once the 2 hours are up, remove the pan from the oven and place the ribs on a platter. Take the liquid that is in the roasting pan and place it in a saucepan. Bring this to a boil and then lower the heat. It needs to be simmering. Continue to cook until half of the mixture has been reduced. Take the cup of barbecue sauce and add it to the saucepan. Turn off the heat.
The outdoor grill needs to be preheated to medium/high. Cook the ribs for around 5 minutes on each side. The point is to make sure the ribs are browned; they need to be slightly charred. Remove the ribs from the grill, cutting them between the bones. Once the ribs are cut, place them in the large bowl. Pour the sauce over the ribs and toss them in the bowl. Once they are evenly coated, serve the ribs. They are best when hot!
Set them out in a large pan with tongs for easy access. Arrange appetizers around the table and you will be the BBQ King/Queen of the neighborhood!
The Mississippi River isn’t nearly as muddy as it used to be, and that could be bad for Louisiana coastal restoration. According to a recent article written by nola.com, “A new study indicates the concentrations of sediment in the lower Mississippi River have decreased by more than half in recent decades. That’s not good for Louisiana, which depends on a constant supply of river silt, sand and mud to rebuild land on its ever-eroding, ever-sinking coast.”
Although this is devastating news for coastal restoration warriors around Louisiana, there are many who are prepared for what this new study shows. The article written by nola.com also reveals, “The Mid-Barataria and Mid-Breton diversions the state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) plans to build in Plaquemines Parish would channel sediment-rich water from the Mississippi into estuaries and bays that have been starved of sediment by the river’s levee system. The two diversions, which would cost a combined $2 billion, are expected to restore marshes lost to erosion, subsidence and sea level rise.”
For more information on the coastal restoration future for Louisiana, click here.
For more articles similar to this one, click here.
Nola.com recently released an article stating, “The PBS series “10 that Changed America” will kick off its second season at 7 p.m. Tuesday night (July 10) with “10 Streets that Changed America,” and it will include a trip down New Orleans’ Saint Charles Avenue.”
The article discusses the importance of this well-known street in New Orleans that was put into operation in 1835. St. Charles Avenue is recognized as the world’s oldest continuously operated street railway.
Nola.com recently released an article announcing, “A new smartphone app offers a digital version of the Louisiana driver’s license, allowing motorists and others an option aside from carrying a physical license”.
This is great news for those of you who happen to be in a position where you misplace your wallet, and/or ID, and possibly get pulled over, or need it for any other reason. The article states, “The digital license will be accepted by state police, but official acceptance at restaurants, bars and by the Transportation Security Administration is pending approval, according to the online portal for LA Wallet. The portal did not indicate whether local police agencies, such as the NOPD, would accept the digital licenses.”
Benny Cenac, Houma Philanthropist and CEO of Cenac Marine Services, has always been dedicated in his endeavor to providing the absolute best for children and young adults when it comes to education. It has become a natural part of his practice to donate time and funds to several different schools, charities and programs. When he came across the opportunity to assist the Stella Learning Centerin Houma, Louisiana, this was no different.
Stella Learning Center (SLC) is made up of highly skilled teachers in a positive teaching environment prepared with scientifically tested tactics that are used for instructional decision-making. SLC’s highly qualified staff works with individuals with Autism and related disorders. This school provides a program that Benny Cenac, Houma Philanthropist, feels is important to the Houma area.
When describing the growth and changes of Stella Learning Center over the years, Lead Teacher, Daisy Alviar says, “When we originally opened the center, it was the first Autism and Related Disorders Learning Center in the tri-parish area. We started out by accepting children ages 10 years and older. Our goal was to reach a population that so easily got lost in the public school system once they entered their Junior High School years. As time went on, we expanded by adding two daycare classrooms that we could use as a way of mainstreaming children and doing our best to get them ready for their elementary school years. All the while, we continued to work with young teenagers. Since, our young teenagers are now young men and women. They have begun transitioning into group homes, high school, and adult programs. We continue to offer services for families of children with Autism and Related Disorders as a public service. However, the demographics have changed from older children to a younger population. Yet, the mission remains the same: To improve the lives of individuals with autism and related disabilities through the provision of high quality, accessible educational programs designed to enhance the individuals’ opportunities to achieve their full potential.”
Some of the many donations Mr. Cenac made to Stella Learning center included two scholarships for older students, the purchase of a curriculum for Stella Learning Center’s Pre-School classroom, much needed mulch in their playground, 2 computers that will be used both for book keeping and classroom lessons as well as assistance with operational costs that help SLC continue to stay open.
Schools like SLC are few and far between although the need is great. The current protocol in most school districts is to integrate children with disabilities into mainstream classrooms. Separating kids based on ability—the old model of the special-ed classroom—is now seen as discriminatory and stigmatizing. Advocates for integration say it helps children with special needs build social skills and it develops compassion among non-disabled ones. But like so many ideas that are terrific in theory, integration is often disastrous in practice. Because of this, many children with special needs fall between the cracks once they hit junior high.
Here’s the problem: Teachers in mainstream classrooms rarely have the education or expertise to work with complex disabilities that include difficulties with behaviour. Rates of diagnoses of autism, for instance, are growing exponentially, and kids with conditions like this require very particular accommodation, including high teacher-to-student ratios, educators with extensive and specialized training, additional therapists and mental health workers, and environments designed to reduce stress.
Typically, though, integration involves simply sticking children with special needs in a regular classroom and providing them with limited and inconsistent support. Managing a busy classroom with ever-dwindling resources is demanding, and teachers are already overextended. Now imagine adding a child (or several children) who are hyper-sensitive to sound and touch, or who require one-on-one attention to decode a paragraph of text, or who are prone to explosive fits.
What’s more, research indicates that a teacher’s attitude toward integration is a huge factor in whether it will succeed or fail. Not surprisingly, a lot of teachers begrudge being assigned children with special needs—especially when they know they won’t get the resources to support those kids properly. All of this results in the exact opposite of what integration is supposed to achieve. Instead of making children with special needs feel included, they wind up feeling unwelcome and resented by both their teachers and their classmates. And instead of non-disabled children learning compassion, they end up afraid or disdainful of disabled kids.
The overuse of suspensions, expulsions and exclusions suggests that schools don’t have the funding or proficiency to meet their obligations to children with special needs. Integration—however noble the original intent—is failing both children with disabilities and their non-disabled classmates.
SLC is highly trained and knowledgeable and they know exactly what accommodations students need to succeed so that they don’t fall through the cracks. Daisy Alviar replied to the donation with gratitude by stating, “Mr. Cenac has provided us with the funds needed to continue working toward our mission.” Mr. Benny Cenac and the Cenac Team are so happy and proud to assist this amazing educational organization that has the best vision in mind for our local youth. We look forward to seeing the growth of Stella Learning Center over the years to come.
To learn more about Benny Cenac, Houma Philanthropist, and his community efforts please visit us here.
According to the Department of Education, “two Louisiana educators were surprised with the 2017-2018 Milken Educator Award, a prestigious national recognition that comes with an unrestricted check for $25,000.”
Those teachers come from Edgar Martin Middle School in Lafayette and Alice M. Harte Charter School in New Orleans.
What an amazing accomplishment give to two of our own! Congratulations to these people are changing the lives of our youth.
For more information on each of the recipients and to see a live recorded video of them receiving their awards, click here.
