All about my adventures with cooking, crafts, and travel
It’s S’mores Week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A few years ago my blogging bestie, Amanda from Fake Ginger, and I had a S’mores Week. We each shared 5 great s’mores recipes, such as Amanda’s Microwaved S’mores Turtles and my S’mores Cinnamon Rolls. OMG, they were all so good!
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Bring on the Puffle!!!!! The Epic Puffle!!!
I am devoting the month of August to the Puffle for my yummy #WaffleWednesday posts.
What’s a puffle?!!?!
It’s a stuffed waffle that is made with puff pastry. YEP!!
It is crunchy, buttery, sweet, and damn delicious.
It actually reminds me of a Pillsbury Toaster Strudel. Oh man, those are the jam. They were my favorite breakfast treat. And it was such a treat to have them in the house. They were pretty pricey for a weekday breakfast that was basically junk food. But they are so good. Did you do designs on your pastry with that teeny tiny icing packet? Or spread it evenly all over the top? I would spread the icing evenly so I knew every bite would have some yummy icing. Bliss.
Well, I swear that these puffles will remind you of them and they will zap you right back to your childhood as you stared at the toaster willing it to pop out faster.
Puffles are so easy to make! I love it.
They do take some time to plan for as you have to let the puff pastry dough come to room temperature. The package that I used took about 40 minutes. But that’s not to bad… get up, yank it out of the freezer and slap it on the counter, start your coffee maker, take the dog out, flip on the news and enjoy a cup of coffee. Ta-da! It’s ready!!!
From there, it’s so easy. It’s even so nice that you don’t mess up bowls and such, like when you make a normal waffle batter.
The peanut butter and jelly is a fun filling. It’s a classic combo. The saltiness from the peanut butter just goes so well with the sweetness of the jelly.
I suggest using a creamy peanut butter and a great jam. You deserve it. I used the delightful Blueberry Ginger Conserve from Nervous Nellies Jams and Jellies from Maine. It’s a super cute shop to visit and their jams and chutneys are incredible. I highly suggest ordering some. At the least, pick your favorite jam to use in this puffle.
You’ll love the puffle. It’s a breakfast game changer.
Makes 8 waffles
Ingredients
Process
Adapted from epicurious
I am documenting my THIRD Whole30 journey to help me see how far I’ve come from my first Whole30 (Feb 2015), my second (April 2015), to now! Plus, I don’t want to fall into any food ruts. Hopefully this will keep me inspired through the whole process. I’m looking forward to the transformation in how I approach food, cook with it, and enjoy it. Check out all my Whole30 related posts HERE from why I did each previous Whole30, why I am doing this one, and all my food diaries.
Thursday, July 23rd 2015
The day started of really well but ended poorly. My back and ribs started to really hurt, so much so that it was hard to breathe. And my stomach that was iffy on Wednesday night was really bad on Thursday and I ended up with a fever. I just wanted to lay down and eat fritos, but I just stayed on program. Ugh, it stinks when you feel so badly.
Breakfast
Coconut Water
I had this while on the bus into work. So refreshing, perfect for hot summer days.
Banana and a peach
The coconut water sorta filled me up for a bit so I hate this fruit at work. Not ideal to not have protein but it was just one of those days when we had to get out of the house and I didn’t have time to cook anything. Boo
Lunch
Pork Cutlet with sauteed baby zucchini and broccolini
I ate this during our fashion show meeting. It was good but I was blah about it. I feel like I’m hating zucchini now.
Dinner
A peach and some iced tea (which I spilled on the sofa…)
I was feeling really, really lousy.
I did something to my back and chest, or whatever, and was hurting all over. I couldn’t pin-point what I did so I jsut turned to trusty Google and entered in my symptoms, which resulted in Kidney Stones. yay! Ultimately, I think I just happened to hurt my back/chest/ribs and had a stomach bug (which I later learned was going around the office), which gave me my lovely 101.7 fever.
So I had no appetite and just laid on the sofa starting from 6.30. I just ate the peach just to have something in my stomach so the Tylenol I took wouldn’t make my feel sicker on an empty stomach.
Activity
8,324 Steps
Didn’t hit my 10K step goal but considering how I barely moved after 6.30 I’m not too disappointed. Well, I am but whatever.
Hydration
Not so great as I felt so gross that drinking water or juice or ice tea made me feel so gross
Friday, July 25th, 2015
TGIF!!!!
The day started with me still feeling super crummy but I started to feel better in the afternoon, thankfully.
Breakfast
Starting to feel better so I ate some of this breakfast. I made the potatoes how my dad does so that was comforting, in a nostalgic sort of way.
Lunch
Chicken Thigh with baked potato and green beans. Lots of Franks Red Hot
And then I felt poorly again. Boo!
I really didn’t want to eat lunch. I just wanted to eat a banana and to drink some coffee. So gross. I ate some of everything but basically forced myself to do so.
Dinner
Sauteed fish over spiced cauliflower rice with fresh mango salsa and grilled shishito peppers
I had been thinking about this dinner all week!
Thankfully I got over whatever was making me feel so horrible and felt good enough to eat this awesome dinner. Plus, it was so nice to just sit outside with Price for dinner. So relaxing.
The mango salsa… yes!!!!!
Activity
10,887 Steps
went to Market Basket with Autumn after getting her from daycare so that gave me a nice boost in steps as we walked all around the large grocery store. Unfortunately, she ate all the yummy goods I couldn’t eat, like bread, cheese, and yogurt. Ha!
Hydration
Did a lot better today than yesterday as I was feeling better.
Saturday July 25th, 2015
A busy Saturday at home. We had so much to do in the morning around the house and then a house warming party in the afternoon.
Price flubbed and had a drink Evan’s. While disappointing that he stopped Whole30, I understand it. It’s our 3rd Whole30 in just 5/6 months. Our of the last 173 days, 65 of them have been doing the program. While we feel good doing it, it’s still a bit draining.
Breakfast
Some freshly squeezed OJ (Autumn had some too!) and potatoes and an over-easy egg
Autumn and I went shopping at Haymarket, like usual. Autumn had a big croissant and I shared some juice with her. Then when we got home Price and I had some potato and eggs, a basic repeat of the day prior.
Sadly, Price cut his finger on the mandoline when he cut the potatoes. Ouch!
Lunch
Homemade Chicken Salad
I made chicken salad with the chickens that I roasted the night before. (Made stock with it too!). I love chicken salad! I had it with some endive that I used as a scoop.
Dinner
Spaghetti Squash with Rao’s Arrabbiata Sauce
Super quick and simple. I didn’t really feel like cooking after going to Evan’s housewarming party (no foods to eat!) so I just had Price cut the squash in half for me, I scraped out the seeds, and microwaved it ( I think 9-10 minutes for each half). Then I pour the jarred sauce on top. The squash was hot enough that I didn’t even need to warm up the sauce. Perfect.
*I like using Rao’s or Victoria’s sauces as there are several that are compliant, including Rao’s Marinara Sauce, Rao’s Roasted Garlic Sauce, and Rao’s Tomato Basil Sauce.
Activity/Steps
7,352 Steps.
Bummed we didn’t do much walking today but some weekends are like that. Busy at home but not much walking or getting around. At least it was a good day.
Hydration
I did well today. We even brought seltzer to Evan’s house to make sure we had something to drink.
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Stay tuned for more of my Whole30 food diaries!
Summer is in full swing and I am loving it. But it’s speeding by too quickly. It’s almost August. Do you hear that noise? It’s mean groaning!! Ugh!!!
I mean, as much as I love the upcoming Autumn with its crunchy leaves, apple cider donuts, and corduroy, I am trying to avoid thinking about it so I stay in the land of rosé, grilling, and flip flops.
To me the scariest part is how we have not accomplished much on our Boston Bucket List. I shared our list earlier in the year when I announced that we will be moving to Tampa next Spring. We have to get to work! There are so many places to visit and things to eat!!
At least I know we will get a bunch of things done this August as we are vacationing on The Cape for a week. So we can visit The Cape Cod Potato Chip Factory and splash around on the beaches. Aside from that, I just can’t wait for the time off to hang with my family. I already have started to compile my list of goodies to make.
And of course I am packing my waffle iron!!
I’ve jumped from the breakfast and dessert waffle to the lunch waffle.
You can’t deny that Buffalo Chicken Wings aren’t a favorite for people. They are hot and spicy. And you just love how the blue cheese dip cools off those heated bites. Buffalo Chicken anything always rocks.
Making this Buffalo Chicken Waffle Sandwich really combines the best of both worlds. You can the heat from the chicken, rich tanginess from the dressing that helps cool off the heat and the crunch from the waffle.
I used a basic complete pancake mix that I jazzed up with some cornmeal for some extra flavor and crunch. The egg and oil that I added adds flavor as well.
I used my Toastmaster Rotating Waffle Maker by Select Brands. I swear it makes the best Belgian Waffles. I’ve used it to make so many waffles Sour Cream Waffles with Peach Compote and Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream, Banana’s Foster Waffles, Chili Topped Cornbread Waffles, The Best Buttermilk Waffles, and these Cherry Crisp Waffles.
So yeah, I like it! It’s easy to use, easy to clean, and cooks evenly. The flip helps the batter get in the deep ridges, signature to Belgian Waffles. And its such a simple task you can do it with 1 hand.
And I love it so much and I want you to as well, so I’m giving one of these Toastmaster Rotating Waffle Maker by Select Brands away!!! Check out how to enter below!!!
I think all sandwiches should be made with waffles. You should give it a try, I swear you will be a convert!
Makes 2 Sandwiches
Ingredients
For the Waffle Sandwich
For the Sandwich
Process
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While I received the waffle maker from Select Brands in order to develop recipes, all opinions are my own.
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And now the GIVEWAY!!!!
I have another awesome giveaway from Select Brands!! We’re partnering up this year and I’m so excited about it!
We want you to be able to make awesome Belgian Waffles with their Toastmaster Rotating Waffle Maker (Retail Value $25). You just have to enjoy stacks for those beautiful, golden waffles with deep ridges that perfectly capture butter and syrup. Pure perfection!
Follow the instructions HERE!!
Giveaway open to US residents and runs through 8/6/15.
I am documenting my THIRD Whole30 journey to help me see how far I’ve come from my first Whole30 (Feb 2015), my second (April 2015), to now! Plus, I don’t want to fall into any food ruts. Hopefully this will keep me inspired through the whole process. I’m looking forward to the transformation in how I approach food, cook with it, and enjoy it. Check out all my Whole30 related posts HERE from why I did each previous Whole30, why I am doing this one, and all my food diaries.
Monday July 20th, 2015
A great first day of our THIRD(!) Whole30! It went smoothly. It’s nerve-wracking to dive into this again but it feels so good too. I’m excited to do it again.
Breakfast
2 slices of homemade bacon, 1 over-easy egg, 1/4 of a sliced avocado, Brussels sprouts
A little bit of this, a little bit of that. It was good and satisfying….
This post is long over due!
Price and I did our first Whole30 back in February and then did another in April. I’ve been meaning to share our results, but I was kinda busy (err wedding, work deadlines, life in general, etc, etc!!!).
It was another great experience. It was nice to accomplish it together again too. Although it’s more than losing weight, we both lost more weight in the process, which was nice for our wedding that was 6 weeks away. We felt great which was awesome too!
So without further ado… The Results!!
My After… I lost 4.7 pounds during that month and was feeling great!! It meant I hit the 65 pound weight loss mark from my pre-pregnancy weight. Woohoo!
But it was more than that. I was feeling good as I was sleeping well, eating well, staying hydrated, and being active.
My overall progress from when we kicked things off on February 2nd
I am really happy that the eating habits that I have picked up along the way while doing the Whole30 program. It has taught me a lot about foods I tend to reach food, what cravings to avoid, and what will make me continue to feel good throughout the day.
Because we love it and have no self control!
While we were on our way up to Maine for the 4th of July, we stopped off at Sonic where we promptly ordered our favorite mega drinks (P- Dr Pepper with a shot of vanilla, N- Sugar Free Lime Rickey) and delightfully fried foods. Yes, this was vacation and we were on the road so it was a grand treat but we knew we were going to have a weekend of eating and drinking ahead of us. And then we were afraid we would treat every weekend or occasion as another grand excuse to eat and drink ourselves silly.
That can totally work for some people, but not for us. (hello, lapsed gym membership!) So as we shoved tots and onion rings into our mouths we said we would do another round of Whole30 so we could stay on track this summer.
Price has an upcoming wedding he is in on August 22nd, so he would like to fit into the suit… duh! And I have an awesome week long stay on the Cape with my family, which I know will just mean food, food, and more food. yay!!!
We are both looking forward to our things, but wanted to watch what we ate before then so we could enjoy them. Beers, S’mores, and all!
So we are started our 3rd Whole30 journey again on Monday July 20th!
Let’s kick all that off with the dreaded Before Photos!
I maintained my weight since April so there really isn’t a big change from those after photos and these before photos.
I have just cracked into the healthy BMI range (24.7). Yay! Yay? Truthfully, I think it’s a crock of shit. I comfortably wear size 2/4 jeans (old navy & gap), wear a 32B bra, and everything is a size small now with the exception of a few mediums because I want a looser fit for the style of the top. Whatever.
My biggest obstacle is now having to tighten up. Arms, Legs, Abs, ALL OF IT. ugh. But I’ll get there, or maybe I won’t. At least I’m feeling great now.
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You can read all about my different Whole30 journeys and be sure to stay tuned to my upcoming logs where I will be sharing my yummy food and how I’m feeling during this process!
So, I joined Snapchat.
I am still confused by it. I think I have figured out how to use it. I just don’t understand why. It’s kinda like Instagram but with disappearing pictures that have a 24 hour time limit. It just seems like random bits and pieces of things. Which I guess I get. It’s kinda like IG but even less serious. I dunno. It just makes me feel old. ha!!
That being said… BE MY FRIEND!!!!! I’m having fun sharing random pictures and videos of my exiting/boring/quick/slow/dull/colorful life. I’m at: iamahoneybee!!!
Anyway, I have a major thing for peaches in the summer.
I just can’t get enough of them. When I as pregnant they were the thing I craved all summer. I would eat several a day. I could right poetry about peaches. Maybe I could start with a haiku. 5-7-5. I dunno. Whatever, I’d just get distracted eating another peach.
So,I think these might just be my favorite waffles so far. For serious.
The waffles are packed full of flavor with the sour cream and the spices I added. Then they are topped off with a warm boozy peach compote. Oh, the combination of bourbon and peach is amazing. Then there is a big dollop of vanilla bean whipped cream. You can’t go wrong with whipped cream. And this one is loaded with vanilla.
I was thinking about these ever since I saw them on Brunch with Bobby, but I wanted to rework them after I ad made the Banana’s Foster Waffles. I think it worked out really well!
One thing to note about these waffles is that they are not that crisp. I love waffles with a crunchy, crisp surface, but I got over that with these as I really loved that they had so much flavor. It’s the sour cream and the nutmeg and ginger. It all worked together with the peaches and the whipped cream. However, if you are adamant about not having fluffy waffles and you need a crisp one then I suggest making the Best Buttermilk Waffles and just using milk instead of the buttermilk and adding in the nutmeg and ginger.
These will be your next summer time breakfast favorite!
Makes 8 waffles, 4 servings
Ingredients
For the Waffles
For the Bourbon Peach Compote
For the whipped cream
Process
Waffles inspired by Bobby Flay
Okay, summer, can you please get hot?!?!?
I’ve been anxiously waiting for it to get hot here in Boston. Sure, it’s been in the 80’s but it has not yet hit 90 yet. Every day they show a chart on the local news that shows the number of days above 90 for the past few years and this year has a big fat ‘0’ next to it. It breaks my heart.
I live for the hot sticky days. It just feels so great to step outside to hot humid weather. Like when I travel to Florida and the doors open up at the airport and it feels like a big slap to my face. It just makes me feel alive when my skin gets prickly from the heat.
So while it’s not as hot as I’d like, I’m still enjoying the summer. We have been grilling a lot, playing around in the kiddie pool, and just sitting out enjoying the nice days and nights. My neighbors do as well. It’s so nice to see families enjoy it together with kids running around before and after their BBQ dinners. In fact, our neighbors were recently enjoying the cool summer nighttime breezes with some friends when I brought them over a big platter of these Banana’s Foster Waffles. That’s just how I roll!
Banana’s Foster was originally invented at Brennan’s Vieux Carré Restaurant located on Bourbon Street, across from The Old Absinthe House in the 1950’s. (Side note- Price and I believe that the best Bloody Mary is from The Old Absinthe House in NOLA. GET ONE!!!) It was a solution to excess bananas that they had in stock. Brilliant.
It’s a great combination of ripe bananas, butter, sugar, cinnamon, and booze. It’s sickly sweet. It’s sticky sweet. It’s perfection.
And I, of course, dumped all that syrupy banana goodness on of a big old scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, which was happily melting on a warm waffle.
I kept it simple stupid when I approached the waffle as I just used a mix and added some cinnamon to it amp up that flavor that’s in the Banana’s Foster syrupy goodness. Don’t get me wrong, Bisquick is great but the Belgiuan Waffle Mix from Krusteaz is AWESOME. It is airy and has a great sweet flavor to it. Their Buttermilk Pancake Mix is also great, but I wanted to use something on the sweeter side as it’s for dessert.
When you make Banana’s Foster the rum should flame up… FLAMBE! But as I don’t have a gas range mine didn’t. I tried to get it to catch with a flame, but by the time I lit it the booze was already cooking off. Hey, I tried! So no worries if your flambe is a dud, it will still be great!
I don’t tattle if you make this awesome dessert for breakfast. You know what they say, well, what do they say?
Makes 6 – 7″ wide round waffles
Ingredients
For the waffles
For the bananas
For serving
Process
Banana’s Foster recipe adapted from Brennan’s New Orleans Restaurant
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While I received product from Krusteaz for recipe development, all opinions are my own
This recipe is a perfect example of ‘do as I say, not as I do’…
Well, not exactly.
You see, the recipe part is fine. But when you look at my process pictures you might notice how slapped down a piece of parchment on the baking sheet. Well, I didn’t properly cover the baking sheet when I did that. Nope, I should have ripped off another big ass piece of parchment to cover the ENTIRE baking sheet. If you don’t then the juices will make a mad dash to the edge of the parchment and hop onto the baking sheet. And that lovely, sugary syrup will toil and boil on your baking sheet and cement itself on there.
So, cover the ENTIRE baking sheet with a big ass piece of parchment so you won’t have to throw out your baking sheet like how I had to throw out mine. Okay, so I probably could have scrubbed with all my might to get the cemented on syrup off but 1) I have no time for that crap 2) I probably would have just scraped off the non-stick coating making the pan just about useless.
Anyway, the strawberries are incredible. They are juicy, full-bodied, and down right scrumptious. The combination of the strawberries, sugar, lemon, and bourbon all work so well together. The sugar makes the strawberries even sweeter and helps make the best syrup ever. The lemon makes all to pop and enhances the sweetness too. And the bourbon… well, the bourbon just makes them all the better to the 10th power.
The concentrated flavor in the mushy berries are perfect for topping a cup of yogurt, bowl of oatmeal, slice of toast, adding to smoothies or milkshakes, piling on a scoop of ice cream, or layering in parfaits. And, of course, awesome for piling on pancakes or waffles. Yep, you’re damn right I was gonna say waffles. #WaffleWednesday
I used vanilla sugar, which is just sugar that has been infused with scraped vanilla beans. I have a big ‘ol container of this that I use in tea or things like this. But plain granulated sugar is just as fine as well. And if you have a vanilla bean lying around then scrape that and add it to the while mess of ingredients when you are mixing them up.
You’ll love these strawberries. I insist that when you have the chance stock up on this beautifully ripe summertime fruit when you have the chance. Fill your cart up and then make loads and loads of roasted strawberries. They won’t last long in the baking sheet or in your fridge.
These strawberries will change your life. I swear. Now, do as I say!
Makes 1/2 Cup
Ingredients
Process
As a blogger I’m always thinking about the next recipe, the next idea, the next post.
In doing so I create a lot of drafts.
…
Ugh, technology kills me at times. It really does.
As soon as I walk up to our IT guys I just apologize. I usually come bug them with a silly problem, which, thankfully, can be fixed quickly. But it feels so silly bugging them about it. Like I couldn’t get into a program last week and I went over to one of the guys asking for help. I sit back down and go to open the program and say ‘I’ve tried it open this like 4 times and it won’t and I keep getting a pop up…’ and that was when it opened up perfectly. He just shrugged his shoulders and walked away. Typical.
I had a moment at home like that, which is exactly why this post is getting posted a week later than I planned! Bummer! I was getting warnings when I was trying to download the pictures off my SD card to edit them about copying them without properties. WHAT? Well, it still seemed to work as I could download them and edit them in. But then they won’t upload to WordPress. And I was literally trying to do this as I was packing up the car last week to go to Maine. After swearing like a sailor, I shut the laptop, swore some more, and just had to blow off posting last week for #WaffleWednesday. So annoying!!!!!!!
And guess what, I open up wordpress again to mess around with the post when we get back and all the photos I tried to load in where in. Just magically appearing now. Sigh…
Anyway, this is the closest I get to making a 30 minute meal.
I am no Rachel Ray. I really admire her idea of 30 minute meals and how she (and her team) have created some wonderful 30 minute meals. I’ve tried plenty. There are some that I can totally do in 30 minutes and then there are others that take 35-40 minutes. Sometimes I’m just slow.
But with this dinner you I bet you can whip it up in about 30 minutes. I swear!
Start off by preheating your waffle iron. The veggies are quick to chop and then you just dump in the a pot to soften. Add the meat to brown. Between breaking it up and it browning, mix the cornbread batter together and start to make the cornbread waffles. While they are baking up continue on with the chili by smooshing the chili to a side and cooking the tomato paste for minute. Then dump in the beans, canned tomatoes, and spices to wrap it up and let it do its thing until you are done making your cornbread waffles. Done and done!
The best thing about this is how the waffle iron makes the cornbread have a nice crisp texture. It’s like how the best part of lasagna is the crunchy edge pieces. The crisp cornbread texture is right on the money!
And the second best thing is smothering that waffle with quick, delicious chili. Such a good dinner.
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
For the Chili
For the Cornbread Waffles
Optional Chili Toppings
Process
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While I received product from Krusteaz for recipe development, all opinions are my own
You’ve Got Mail.
If it was 1998 my phone would be SCREAMING at me right now.
You see, I tried to really disconnect this July 4th vacation. We went up to Price’s mom’s house in Maine on Wednesday night and just got back tonight (Monday night, as I write this while watching The Bachelorette). In that time I finished a book and read another, worked on my tan, drank some refreshing wine, and ate way to much food. Hello food baby. So bad, but so good, no?
Aside from some IG and a bit of FB checking I was really disconnected. I didn’t turn on either laptop I brought. I didn’t check Twitter. There is no TV in the the house. Well, there is but there is no antennae so you can’t actually watch it. ha! But, I mainly took an email break. And it felt so good. I’m dreading check it again, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do. At least it was a nice break.
I think we should all unsubscribe from all out junkie email alerts. Who’s with me! Let’s do it! I’ll start… ready go.
Anyway, this cake is something you need to subscribe to. What? Ugh, I’m tired and I am making no sense. Just make and enjoy this cake. For real.
I love zucchini bread so I knew I would love this Double Chocolate Zucchini Bundt. Yes! And then I trashed it up with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. And then sprinkles. Sprinkles make it so pretty. And the zucchini makes it healthy. Totes.
I struggle with getting bundts out of their pans. It kills me when I mess it up. But I was actually successful this time. But then I covered it all up with frosting. Go figure! But if you mess up your bundt just remember that you can cover up any mess with the yummy frosting. No one has to know! shh!!
Wish me luck tomorrow when I really 100% connect to real life again and check my oodles and oodles of email. Ugh!
Makes 1 10″ bundt cake
Ingredients
For the cake
For the frosting
Sprinkles
Process
Cake adapted from Parsley, Sage & Sweet, Frosting by I am a Honey Bee
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