What I'm Snacking On: Maple Caramel Corn


I am a total sucker for a good cookbook. In fact, I think the majority of the books I borrow from the library these days are cookbooks -- there are just so many good ones to check out! (Pun intended.) And I have to admit I like to test-drive a cookbook before deciding if I should purchase a copy for my personal library -- which is probably a good thing since I already have an entire bookcase devoted to cookbooks.

Yeah, I might have a bit of a problem. But, I suppose of all the vices out there, a cookbook addiction really isn't too terrible. My latest find is The Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods You can Stop Buying & Start Making by Alana Cherlina. From the title alone, I knew this cookbook would be right up my alley. And it absolutely is. The photos are gorgeous, the recipes are clear and not at all intimidating, and  the author begins each recipe with a charming story. What's not to like?

After paging though the book (while trying not to drool on the pages, if I'm being brutally honest), I decided that the first recipe I'd try would be maple popcorn. We are popcorn fiends around this house, though we typically go with simple butter and salt toppings for our air-popped or stove-popped popcorn. I haven't made caramel corn in a while, and with the maple syrup season just completed, I figured now was a good time to put some of that sweet arboreal nectar to use. (Not that I really need an excuse to use maple syrup, but I digress...)

This maple caramel corn is quite simple to make and tastes delicious. It's not cloyingly sweet as some caramel corns can be, and the maple caramel topping adds just the right amount of crunchiness to the popcorn. Long story short, we gobbled down this sweet snack within about 12 hours. And eight of those hours were spent sleeping. I think it's about time to make another batch...



Maple Caramel Corn (printer-friendly version)
makes about 9 cups

1/2 cup unsalted butter; plus additional to butter bowl and baking dish
1/2 cup unpopped popcorn
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 cup raw sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Butter a 9" x 13" baking dish and a large bowl.
2. Pop the popcorn using your favorite method. (I used an air popper.) Place the popcorn in the buttered bowl. (If using an air popper, don't pop directly into the buttered bowl, otherwise you may have to fish out the unpopped kernels, as I had to.)
3. In a medium sauce pot, melt the butter with the maple syrup, sugar, and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat and allow it to cook, without stirring, for five minutes. After five minutes, carefully add in the baking soda and vanilla and stir to combine -- the mixture will steam and foam up.
4. Carefully pour about one cup of the sugar mixture over the popcorn and stir to coat. Add in the remaining sugar mixture and stir again, ensuring that all the popcorn is evenly coated.
5. Transfer the popcorn into the buttered baking dish.
6. Bake for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before transferring into an airtight container. The maple caramel corn can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to three weeks (good luck making it last that long without eating it!), or frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to six months.

(lightly adapted from a recipe in The Homemade Pantry by Alana Chernila)



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What I'm Drinking: Blood Orange Old Fashioned


The Old Fashioned is the cocktail of choice up here in the Northwoods. (I most often order mine sweet with brandy.) Rather than use the typically-called for sugar cube and muddled orange, I've subbed in blood orange simple syrup to make this cocktail extra-special.

Blood Orange Old Fashioned (printer-friendly version)
makes one cocktail

3 ounces bourbon or brandy
1 ounce blood orange simple syrup
several dashes of Angostura bitters
club soda
blood orange peel garnish

1. Stir together the bourbon, blood orange simple syrup, and bitters.
2. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice, top with a splash of club soda.
3. Garnish with a blood orange peel and serve.
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Made From Scratch: Blood Orange Simple Syrup, Two Ways


Winter still has its icy grips on us here in the Northwoods. After last Thursday's 11-inch snowstorm, yesterday we awoke to a ground covered in a light blanket of snow and heavy snowflakes falling from the sky. Luckily, the warm temperatures from earlier in the week meant that no snow accumulated. Hopefully sunnier skies and warmer temperatures are in our future, as we have started planning for our summer garden and took a field trip down to a garden center in Stevens Point last night to purchase some seeds that will hopefully turn into a late-summer bounty of fresh vegetables. A girl can dream, right?

Let's see if some fresh citrus from warmer climes can help me shake off my long-winter's funk. I recently picked up a number of gorgeous blood oranges from our local natural foods store and set to work figuring out what I could do with them.


My first thought was to make a blood orange marmalade, but alas, I think we need to sharpen our knives before taking on such a project that requires thin, precise slices. So, instead I turned my thoughts to the blood orange juice and decided to make a blood orange simple syrup. And because I like to make things complicated, I opted to do two versions -- one plain and one spiced.


The red-to-almost-purple flesh of these oranges makes for a brightly-hued simple syrup -- which in turn makes it an ideal addition to a cocktail recipe. In addition to its use in cocktails (I'll post one recipe later today), you could also use this sweet citrus syrup to flavor plain yogurt, or, if reduced down even further, I bet it would make a fabulous topping for ice cream or a batch of pancakes. Mmmm, I think I need to try those ideas out immediately!

Blood Orange Simple Syrup (printer-friendly version)
makes about 2 cups

1 cup filtered water
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup freshly squeezed blood orange juice, strained

1. Add the water and sugar to a medium sauce pot. Stir until most, if not all, of the sugar is dissolved in the water.
2. Stir in the blood orange juice.
3. Place the pot on the stove and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
4. Once the mixture begins to boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until reduced and slightly thickened.
5. Allow the syrup to cool completely.
8. Pour the cooled syrup into an airtight container. The refrigerated blood orange simple syrup should last up to two weeks.

Spiced Blood Orange Simple Syrup
makes about 1 cup

1/2 cup filtered water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed blood orange juice, strained
3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
3 star anise blades
2 whole cloves
2 whole allspice
1 cinnamon stick

1. Add the water and sugar to a medium sauce pot. Stir until most, if not all, of the sugar is dissolved in the water.
2. Stir in the blood orange juice. Add in the cardamom, star anise, cloves, allspice, and cinnamon stick.
3. Place the pot on the stove and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
4. Once the mixture begins to boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until reduced and slightly thickened.
5. After 10 minutes, remove the saucepot from the burner and let sit for an additional 10 minutes.
6. Strain the syrup through a fine sieve. Discard the spices.
7. Allow the spiced blood orange syrup to cool completely.
8. Pour the cooled syrup into an airtight container. The refrigerated spiced blood orange simple syrup should last up to two weeks.

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What's For Dinner: Pasta with Spicy Ground Turkey and Broccoli



After a day of eating plenty of Easter candy (what is it about those mini hard-shelled chocolate Cadbury eggs that makes them so enticing? Whatever it is, I just can't quit 'em.), I was looking for something a bit on the healthier side for dinner. Enter in pasta with spicy ground turkey and broccoli. I've made a pasta dish similar to this before; in previous versions I've used soy crumbles or pork sausage. In order to lighten this dish up a bit, I used ground white turkey meat for this iteration. The addition of fennel seed, sage, oregano, and herbes de Provence makes this dish anything but bland. Feel free to play around with the amount of crushed red pepper flakes you use to adjust the recipe to your preferred level of spiciness.

Pasta with Spicy Ground Turkey and Broccoli (printer-friendly version)
makes four servings

3 cups fresh broccoli florets
3 cups regular or gluten-free pasta (orechiete, gemelli, or caserecce (what I used) are all good options)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound organic ground turkey
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/4 teaspoon herbes de Provence
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
fresh ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add in the broccoli florets and cook for 1 minute. Use a slotted spoon to remove the broccoli from the water, place in a container, and set aside.
2. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook it according to the manufacturer's directions.
3. While the pasta is cooking, heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the turkey, fennel seed, rubbed sage, herbes de Provence, oregano, and crushed red pepper. Cook, using a wooden spoon to break up the turkey, until the turkey is browned, 6-8 minutes. Add in the garlic and saute until fragrant, 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add the cooked pasta and broccoli to the pasta and stir to combine. Stir in the grated Parmesan. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil before serving.

(adapted from this Real Simple recipe)

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What's For Dinner: Slow Cooker Spicy Red Lentils




This week brought a winter storm warning along with over six inches of snow. Middle of April or not, winter still hasn't had its final say up here in the Northwoods. That's what I get for dreaming of long bike rides, a garden full of growing vegetables, and summer nights spent around a bonfire roasting s'mores. Le sigh.

The return of cold weather (Was it really in the 50s last week? Did I really see bare grass?) led to the return of my slow cooker as well. A hearty dinner of spicy red lentils helped to take a bit of the wintry chill away and comfort my return-of-winter-weather blues. You could eat the spicy lentils on their own, or serve them over rice, as I did.

Slow Cooker Spicy Red Lentils (printer-friendly version)
makes 8-10 servings

2 cups red lentils, rinsed
10 ounces fresh baby spinach
1 15-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 white onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish

1. Add all the ingredients except the lemon juice and cilantro to the bowl of a slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-7 hours (or high for 3-4 hours). Right before serving, stir in the lemon juice and chopped cilantro.
2. Serve plain or over the grain of your choice, such as jasmine rice. Garnish with additional chopped cilantro.

(adapted from this Our Best Bites recipe)


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What's For Breakfast: Gluten-Free Buttermilk Pancakes


Growing up, pancakes were traditionally the Saturday morning breakfast-of-choice as my Dad wielded his spatula over a sizzling griddle. So, it goes without saying that pancakes are often found on the weekend breakfast menu at our house. This week, I decided to try out my gluten-free all-purpose flour mix in a buttermilk pancake recipe, and it did not disappoint. Topped with a pat of butter and a quite-generous drizzle of pure maple syrup, these buttermilk pancakes are certain to satisfy.

Gluten-Free Buttermilk Pancakes (printer-friendly version)
makes 12-14 pancakes

2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour mix
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups low-fat cultured buttermilk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon unsalted butter for the skillet/griddle

1. Preheat an electric skillet or griddle to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and sea salt.
3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, buttermilk, and (cooled) melted butter.
5. Pour the liquid ingredients into the well in the dry ingredients. Stir vigorously to combine.
6. Melt about 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter on the preheated skillet. Use a 1/4-cup measure to pour the batter onto the skillet. (You should be able to fit about four pancakes per batch.) Flip the pancakes when bubbles form on top.
7. Cook for an additional minute or two, or until the other side is lightly browned. Remove the pancakes from the skillet and place on a plate.
8. Put the plate in a oven set at around 200 degrees (or in a warming drawer) to keep the pancakes warm while you make the rest of the batch.
9. Serve with pure maple syrup add additional pats of butter.



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What's Baking: Gluten-Free Very Berry Muffins


I couldn't let the week end without posting another muffin recipe. Well, I could ... but I baked these muffins ... and ate a good portion of them ... so it would really be rude of me not to share, right? This week's gluten-free muffin is full of fresh berry flavor. I used a mix of blackberries and raspberries in my version, but blueberries would work just as well (unfortunately, they're not well-priced at the moment -- I can't wait for summer's bounty of berries).


Gluten-Free Very Berry Muffins (printer-friendly version)
makes 8 muffins

3/4 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour mix
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup ground flaxseeds
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1/2 cup organic skim milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup halved fresh raspberries
3/4 cup quartered fresh blackberries
1-2 teaspoons cinnamon-sugar, for sprinkling

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a muffin tin with 8 paper liners and set aside.
2. In an electric mixer bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, sugar, ground flaxseeds, salt, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, xanthan gum, and lemon zest.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, egg, milk, and vanilla extract.
4. Using an electric mixer, slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then beat at medium speed until the batter thickens slightly. Carefully fold in the berries.
5. Use a scoop or large spoon to distribute the batter into the prepped muffin cups. The muffin cups should be almost completely full. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with cinnamon sugar.
6. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the muffin tin for 10 minutes, then remove from the tin and let cool completely on a wire rack. Muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, or wrapped and placed in a freezer bag to freeze for longer storage.



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What's For Lunch: Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables and a Honey Lime Vinaigrette


A few weeks ago, D and I headed to Minneapolis to celebrate my birthday. We were starving when we arrived, so, after a quick Yelp search, we headed to The Local, an Irish pub located just around the corner from our hotel. D ordered a quinoa salad, while I went with the more traditional black bean burger ... oops. At least we paired our meals with a Guinness (him) and Big Ginger (2 Gingers Irish Whiskey and ginger ale) (me). Long story short, though my black bean burger was good, D won the ordering award with his delicious quinoa salad. Their version included crispy tofu, roasted sweet potatoes, bell peppers, capers, basil, spinach, and avocado tossed with a lime vinaigrette. My version includes several of the same flavors, with a few tweaks here and there.


This quinoa dish works well served hot, warm, or cold. It also works with or without the dressing, though the honey lime vinaigrette definitely adds a bit of zing. If you have a fresh avocado on hand, I highly recommend adding in some cubed avocado to each serving. Oh man, it's sooo good! Now I kind of wish it was lunchtime so I could eat this right now!

Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables (printer-friendly version)
makes 6-8 servings

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 red bell pepper, cubed
1/2 green bell pepper, cubed
1 small red onion, cubed
4 whole garlic cloves, peeled
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed if necessary
2 cups filtered water

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, add together the chopped sweet potatoes, bell peppers, onion, garlic cloves, cumin, pepper, salt, and olive oil. Toss to combine, evenly coating the vegetables in the oil and spice mixture.
3. Place the vegetables in a single layer on the prepped baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes, then flip the vegetables over, and roast for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven.
4. While the vegetables are roasting, prepare the quinoa. Add the quinoa and water to a medium sauce pot. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until all the water has been absorbed and the grains are transparent.
5. Add the roasted vegetables and quinoa to a serving bowl. Add dressing (see recipe below) to taste, then toss to combine.


Honey Lime Vinaigrette
makes about 1/2 cup

1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 teaspoon honey
pinch fine sea salt
pinch cayenne pepper
large pinch chili powder

1. Add all the ingredients to a small mason jar with a lid. Cover, and shake vigorously to combine the ingredients. Season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.




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What's For Dinner: Chicken Tortilla Soup


Now that we know how to make baked tortilla strips, we should probably put our new skills to use by making a batch of chicken tortilla soup, right? Chicken soups are my go-to recipes whenever I have leftover baked chicken in the fridge. Using already-baked chicken helps to cut down on the total cooking time for this soup, too.

You can control the spiciness of this chicken tortilla soup by adding in more or less chili powder; if you crave even heat, add in a pinch or two of ground cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes. Once the soup is made, the fun really begins as you can go as wild and crazy as you want with garnishes. I opted to stay simple with my bowl of soup by just adding in some cubed avocado. Because, really, does it get any better than fresh avocado? Not in my world.


Chicken Tortilla Soup (printer-friendly version)
makes 6-8 servings

2-3 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup diced onion (1/2 large onion)
1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (10-ounce can) tomatoes and green chilies (I used Rotel)
32 ounces (4 cups) low-sodium organic chicken stock
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup diced cooked boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 can black beans, drained
1 cup frozen corn kernels
baked tortilla strips

Options for garnishes:
Plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
diced avocado (my fave!)
shredded cheese
fresh cilantro, chopped

1. Add the olive oil to the bottom of a Dutch oven or large stock pot and heat over medium-high heat. Add the onion and peppers and saute until softened and the lightly browned, 3-5 minutes.
2. Stir in the garlic and spices, and saute until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add in the tomatoes and green chilies, chicken stock, and tomato paste and stir to combine.
3. Stir in the diced chicken and black beans and bring the soup to a boil. Then, reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
4. Five minutes before serving, stir in the frozen corn kernels.
5. Ladle the soup into bowls, add a few tortilla strips to each serving, and then garnish to your heart's desire.

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What's Baking: Apple Cinnamon Granola


Another day, another granola recipe. I would say that I have officially switched from hot oatmeal to my standard warmer weather breakfast of yogurt + granola, but IT IS CURRENTLY SNOWING OUTSIDE. There's nothing more enjoyable than a spring "winter storm." (Yeah, that's most definitely sarcasm.) I think we're predicted to get 5-7 inches but I haven't checked outside to see how much has accumulated thus far. To be honest, I kind of don't want to know. Every time I get excited about bare pavement (and being able to run outside again without fear of slipping on snow or ice) we seem to get another pile of said ice and snow. One of these days spring will actually arrive, right? (No, please, reassure me that springtime will actually arrive!)

Although I'm still in love with my banana nut granola, I wanted to change things up, so I went with apple cinnamon flavors this time around. The benefit of using applesauce is that it helps to make clumpy granola without having to add much additional fat. Given that I like to drown my yogurt in granola, a lower-fat granola is probably a good thing in my world. In addition, I added in an egg white to both help with the clump factor (because, let's face it, clumps are the best part of granola!) and add in some additional protein content.


Apple Cinnamon Granola (printer-friendly version)
makes about 5 cups

3 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt
3/4 cup applesauce (I used homemade applesauce, which I pureed to a smooth texture)
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon walnut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg white (or 3 tablespoons of packaged egg whites)

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the oats, sunflower seeds, walnuts, almonds, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.
3. In a small sauce pot, stir together the applesauce, honey, brown sugar, walnut oil, and vanilla extract. Heat over medium heat until it just comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and let cool.
4. Once cooled, stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until evenly moistened. Stir in the egg white.
4. Spread the granola onto the prepped baking sheet into an even layer. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, until golden brown.
5. Let the granola cool in the pan completely before spooning into an airtight container to store.

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What I'm Snacking On: Easy Baked Tortilla Chips


Whenever I buy corn tortillas at the store, it seems my options are limited to either the ginormous bag or the extra-grande ginormous bag of tortillas. And, with just two in our household, even though we eat a Mexican-inspired meal quite often, we never seem to finish off that package of tortillas before they start to go stale. So, in lieu of wasting a pile of tortillas, I made a batch of baked tortilla strips and chips. The strips are a perfect adornment to salads, and of course, chips are the perfect vehicle for shoveling -- er, I mean, daintily scooping -- salsa or guacamole into your mouth.

I fully recognize that this is totally one of those "semi-homemade" recipes -- and, of course, if you have the time and ingredients, you could always start with made-from-scratch corn tortillas. But when the clock is ticking, and those packaged corn tortillas are starting to go a little crispy, making these strips or chips is the way to go.

Baked Tortilla Strips and Chips (printer-friendly version)
makes about 3 chips or 8 strips per tortilla

soft corn tortillas
1 tablespoon olive oil
sea salt [optional]

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place a wire rack on top of the foil.
2. For tortilla strips, stack the tortillas together, then use a sharp knife to cut the tortillas into half, then into 1/2-inch strips.
3. For tortilla chips, use a small circle cookie cutter to cut the tortillas into rounds. You should be able to get about 3 circles per tortilla. (Two will be perfectly-shaped, the third will be slightly wonky.)
4. Place the strips or rounds on the wire rack. Brush both sides of each strip or round with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt if using.
5. Bake in the oven for 8 minutes, flipping the tortilla strips or chips halfway through the baking time. Keep your eye on the tortillas at the end of the baking period, as they can go from golden to super-brown in a matter of seconds.
6. Remove from the oven and let cool. Store any extras in an airtight container at room temperature.



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