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Powerpersuade
April Hamilton uses a device to prepare zucchini noodles, or zoodles, for her Zucchini Carbonara. See the recipe on PAGE 2D
BY APRIL HAMILTON | Contributing writer
A recent best friend/house guest observed me prepping dinner and said, “no zucchini for me, thanks.”
I went about my business knowing I had a win up my sleeve. I take pride in converting almost anyone into a vegetable devotee, a skill I honed teaching hundreds of kids to cook in libraries, classrooms and church kitchens. Step one: Let them have a hand in the preparation and their interest piques. Step two: Incorporate the veggies into a familiar favorite and the “I love it!” odds increase. They often come back for seconds.
First you need a Zoodler. This is a made-up word for a device that spins vegetables into spaghetti-like strands. I heard about this concept years ago and laughed it off as a fad. How is it possible for a simple countertop appliance to do such a feat?
Win over nonvegetable eaters by starting with zucchini zoodles ä See ZUCCHINI, page 2G
BY LINDA GASSENHEIMER
OODLES OF ZOODLE USES
n Toss them raw with a drizzle of olive oil, lemon juice and a sprinkle of salt and pepper for a quick side salad
n Add halved grape tomatoes, tiny mozzarella balls and a shower of fresh basil to the above, subbing balsamic vinegar for the lemon juice, for a nice caprese ‘pasta’
n Sub them in or supplement a ramen bowl
n Add them to chicken noodle soup
n Give them the olive oil, garlic and crushed red pepper treatment for a spin on the classic Spaghetti aglio e olio
n Slurp them like spaghetti
n Make this version of carbonara
n Repeat, trying out other veggies with the spiralizer treatment.
LINDA GASSENHEIMER
STAFF PHOTOS BY JAVIER GALLEGOS Zucchini Carbonara
TNS PHOTO BY LINDA GASSENHEIMER
and Tangy Pork Kabobs with Corn on the Cob
AT THE TABLE
Memories and more from 7 steak and gravy recipe
BY DEBRA TAGHEHCHIAN Contributing writer
My siblings and I were some of the first kids to get on the bus in the morning and the last to get off in the afternoon
Because our home was located on the outer edges of the school zoning area our trip was long, and we couldn’t wait to get off of the hot, bumpy bus ride at home.
Mr Bouillion, our bus driver, dropped us off at the end of our long gravel driveway, and we walked up the slight hill to our old Acadian home on the farm. After a lengthy day at school and that ride home, we were usually hungry
At about 200 feet away from the doorway, like a genie’s fingers pulling us in, the aromas of dinner drew us to the kitchen. On tonight’s menu was rice and gravy, I just knew it. There is no mistaking that delicious scent.
“Hey Momma, what are we having for supper tonight?” I asked anyway
“I made rice and gravy We have some smothered okra, corn macque choux and cabbage, too,” she replied.
Now, it might be called rice and gravy by everyone from around this southwest Louisiana area, but we all know we are talking about meat that has been browned and braised in a heavy aluminum pot or a cast-iron Dutch oven. Diced onions and bell peppers are added and sautéed. Add water, and the meat is braised until tender The meat with its gravy is then served over a bed of white rice. The cut of choice for this braise is locally referred to as “7 steak.” Its namesake comes from the bone shaped like the number seven. The cut of meat is beef shoulder steak. On our farm, we raised our own cattle for beef, and we chose younger cattle to slaughter The meat, referred to as baby beef, was slightly sweeter and more tender than heavy beef, making it the best choice for this braise.
If you are in our area and happen upon a local restaurant serving rice and gravy, just know that you are about to have a stick-to-your-ribs kind of delicious meal Along with the rice, gravy and meat, sides are usually beans, black eye peas corn or other vegetables.
My family liked to serve a simple, fresh cabbage slaw dressed lightly with vinegar and seasoned with salt and pepper along with this entrée.
I stood my ground and carried on with my normal way of making spaghetti and such and chopping vegetables the old-fashioned way before roasting or sauteing them. For a born-in-the-kitchen cooking enthusiast, I have an uncanny knack for resisting the next ‘viral’ kitchen gadget. Plus, my food truck-sized kitchen has no space for excess. When my daughter came home from college and parked all but her necessities here before setting sail for other horizons, I scanned the contents of her overstuffed kitchen bin for treasure. With equal parts reluctance and curiosity, I extracted her Veggetti Pro from the bin After teaching myself how to use the contraption, I changed my tune to believer In seconds, one zucchini becomes a serving of vegetables posing as pasta, making actual twirlable noodles from a humble squash. Pure magic. I served a heap-
ing plate to my “no thanks” houseguest and stifled my glee as he praised the dish. I suggested that certainly his wife with enviable kitchen storage has one of these spiralizers. I later confirmed this and urged her to give it a front-row seat. Whether you are trying to add more veggies to your plate or limit your traditional pasta intake for dietary reasons, I urge you to dust off the spiralizer in the back of the cabinet and employ its wizardry daily Or if you are like me and have avoided this tool, I declare it a sound investment. For less than the price of a trip to the drive-thru, you can whittle summer abundance into pure gold.
Zucchini Carbonara
Makes 4 servings. You will not miss the pasta in this dish. Twirlable green noodles are cloaked with the traditional golden sauce of pancetta, egg and lots of Parmesan. Add some crusty bread on the side. 4 large-ish zucchini 1 tablespoon olive oil 4 ounces diced pancetta, raw
bacon or guanciale 1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, whisked together in a glass measuring cup 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided use ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper
1. Rinse the zucchini and trim off the ends. Position the zucchini one by one into
the spiralizer, cutting in half if necessary to fit the length of the machine. Crank out the noodles into a pie plate or shallow baking dish.
2. Continue until you have spiraled all the zucchini. (It will look like way too much but will quickly cook down into 4 servings).
3. Using a fork, stir 2⁄3 cup of the Parmesan into the egg mixture and add the salt and pepper and mix again.
4. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add
7. The gravy should not be too watery Cook to reduce to a gravy that will coat the rice.
the zucchini in batches to cook one thick layer at a time.
5. Stir with tongs to wilt the zucchini to al dente. When each batch is done, lift it out with tongs into a waiting colander placed on a deep plate to catch the liquid. Each batch will cook in a few minutes.
6. Cook the pancetta in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until browned Add the cooked zucchini and use tongs to combine and heat through.
7. Turn the burner off and slowly pour the egg-cheese mixture into the zucchini mixture, turning constantly with tongs to coat the noodles with the sauce. The heat from the pan will cook the egg into a creamy sauce.
8. Divide among 4 bowls, sprinkle each with extra Parmesan and serve with crusty bread if desired.
Note in a traditional preparation of this dish, some of the starchy pasta water is added back in to make the sauce. Since the zoodles do not absorb any of the sauce, be sure to strain off the liquid after sauteing.
PHOTO BY DEBRA TAGHEHCHIAN
STAFF PHOTO BY JAVIER GALLEGOS
Zucchini Carbonara
TNS PHOTO BY LINDA GASSENHEIMER
Sunny Chicken Pasta Salad
‘Tailored Tiger Closet’ helps students gain professional attire
LSU Career Center seeks
BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer
The transition from a college wardrobe to a work wardrobe can be a challenge for many university students In some cases, the individual is from out of state. Other times, they have limited finances. Regardless of the reason some college students need help dressing up their closet to a professional level.
In the fall of 2024, the LSU Olinde Career Center opened the Tailored Tiger Closet for students pursuing any LSU degree whether undergraduate, graduate or doctorate — to use as a resource for job interviews, career fairs or even internships.
On the third floor of the LSU Union, at the end of a serpentine hall, sits the closet’s micro-boutique and a dressing room. The layout feels like the tiniest mall department store possible.
Last school year from 20242025, The Tailored Tiger Closet served 438 students with personal shopping experiences and free professional clothing. From August to May 1,250 articles of clothing were given out to students.
The road to Project Tailored Tiger
In 2022, LSU Student Body President Lizzie Shaw proposed the idea of a professional clothing closet to the vice president of Student Affairs, Jeremiah Shinn, who then asked around for a department to sponsor the closet.
That fall, the Olinde Career Center took on the sponsorship role, and the following year, LSU Student Government successfully proposed the career closet to the Student Sustainability Fund to cover the start-up costs. By spring and summer 2024, the Career Center and Student Government located the location in the Union, renovated the space to reflect a boutique style and collected clothing donations.
“When we were in the creation of it, it was very important to our staff, and just in general, that students felt good in the experience,
said Jesse Downs the director of the Olinde Career Center “The dignity of students in this process was something at the core of this.”
Upon entry the Tailored Tiger Professional Clothing Closet looks like a well-curated boutique with uniform hangers, clear divisions of garment style, visible sizing and clean organization. The lighting and clothing rods are simple and evoke a mall department store more than a secondhand shop.
On the opposite wall, a size guide for men and women, a mirror and a measuring tape are available for shoppers.
Liv Tees, a mass communication senior and career center student worker, has managed the closet since its opening in September 2024. Students make oneon-one appointments with Tees for a consultation and personal shopping experience
“I can kind of get the vibe of when they want help and when they don’t want help,” Tees said.
“People don’t always know their own size especially with women’s clothing, so it’s best to just try everything.”
Students are allowed to select four garments to keep per semester choosing from full suits blazers, sport coats, slacks, buttondown shirts, ties, skirts, blouses, pants, dresses and jackets.
Downs said the Tailored Tiger Closet’s goal is for people to be authentic in who they are and confident in their clothes.
“We know our students are really talented, and they’ve got great skills, and they’re highly marketable, but they don’t always have the confidence in that,” Downs said. “So some of it is as simple as when you when you look good, you feel good. And for some students, it’s not as much about looking good as it is fitting in to the work environment.”
Downs and Tees sort all of the donations, and they choose what they will keep and what they will donate to the Purple Cow, a local thrift store in Baton Rouge Tees maintains the inventory, selects the pieces for the closet, steams the clothes and even sometimes mends small repairs or missing buttons in an Olinde
Career Center office room a couple of floors down from the actual closet.
“I find that students, when they come in and see that they get to take this clothing home for free and some of them are really nice brands from people who are well established in law firms or business — they are so happy,” Tees said. “Maybe they’ll remember, ‘I got my first internship, and I wore a suit from Tailored Tiger, and that’s how I got it.’”
How to contribute
The Tailored Tiger Closet accepts gently used business professional items, which must be cleaned and free of damage, stains, tears, etc. Requested garments include:
n Business suits
n Dress pants
n Button-up shirts
n Blouses n Dresses
n Skirts
n Ties and belts.
Those who would like to contribute items may drop off donations at the Career Center Main Office, 158 Student Union, on LSU’s campus. Monetary donations can be made to the Ashley Grant Career Closet Fund through the LSU Foundation. Grant, a LSU College of Agriculture employee, established a pop-up career closet for ag students. She was instrumental in the early planning days of the Olinde Career Center closet. Grant helped guide the Career
Center team in their planning and preparation for the Tailored Tiger Closet. When she unexpectedly died in February 2024, her family set up this fund in her memory
This fall, the Career Center will host seven recruiting events, including the Fall Career Expo on Sept. 10, which should bring over 200 companies to campus LSU students will need to be outfitted in their best professional attire for these events, and the Tailored Tiger Closet is ready for it.
For more information, visit lsu. edu/career/dress-for-success. php.
Email Joy Holden at joy.holden@ theadvocate.com.
STAFF PHOTO BY APRIL BUFFINGTON
Jesse Downs, director of the LSU Olinde Career Center, right, and student worker Liv Tees stand inside Tailored Tiger Closet recently in the Student Union at LSU.