Category Archives: Food

Simple Pleasures.

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“Welcome home, dear Friday!  My, how I’ve missed you.”

Life happens.  Sometimes it’s good.  Sometimes a little less than good.  It has been an odd week full of unexpected circumstances that have driven me to a great deal of reflection.  And furthermore, I am replete with exhaustion.

However, amid the bedlam, I count the smiles:

1.  My sweet little darling (who is barely 2) was positively beside herself when she discovered “robots” near the doorway of the grocery store and carried on a whole conversation with the red one.  They were actually an army of newspaper vending machines, but upon a second glance, I could actually see how she arrived at that conclusion.  Wow.  Perspective changes everything.

2.  I finally convinced my daughters to give away their monstrous Barbie castle.  (This is probably my greatest achievement of the whole year.)

3.  My husband begged and pleaded with me to let him buy more coffee to replace the awful coffee I bought last week.  My frugal side finally gave in and I was pleasantly surprised when he brought home Cameron’s Chocolate Caramel Brownie coffee!!!  SUPER AMAZING!

(Back story:  I decided to give Seattle’s Best another whirl since they changed their packaging.  I’m not sure what kind of logic would suggest that a prettier bag could work that kind of magic on coffee, but alas it was all for naught.  Still not impressed.)

Ordinarily, I’m not a microwave-y sort of person, but this easy treat is definitely worth breaking with my traditions.  Everyone deserves chocolate once in awhile and so I leave you with this…

5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

4 T. flour
4 T. sugar
2 T. cocoa
1 egg
3 T. milk
3 T. oil
3 T. chocolate chips (optional)
Splash of vanilla
1 large coffee mug

1. Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well.

2. Add egg and mix thoroughly.

3. Pour in milk and oil and mix well.

4. Add chocolate chips and vanilla and mix.

5. Place mug in microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts (high).
   (Cake will rise over top of mug)

6. Cool. Tip onto plate. Frost, if desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar, or drizzle with powdered sugar icing.

“Hello weekend! Let’s be friends.”

This recipe and others are available on my Recipes page.

“Turn your back on sin; do something good.
Embrace peace—don’t let it get away!”
Psalm 34.14 (The Message)

A-Tisket, A-Tasket.

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“…A green and yellow basket.

I wrote a letter to my love,
And on the way I dropped it.”

I am prone to wonder, what exactly is “a-tisket, a-tasket?”  What do they do and where would I find them?  I am certain these answers will not easily be found at the bottom of my coffee cup.  Of course, it wouldn’t hurt to try, but I digress…

I am particularly interested in the mention of “green and yellow,”  colors I happen to be rather fond of.  I find it pleasantly fitting that today also happens to be the NFL season-opener for my precious Green Bay Packers!!!

There is hardly anything better than football in the fall… except for maybe coffee. 

With three lovely daughters and a smokin’ hot wife, my dear husband is completely besieged by estrogen about 94% of the time.  I’ll admit there are days it must be pretty hard to be male around here, what with all the tea parties and the princess movies and the pink.   However… I must remind my hubby that it could be much worse.  God saw fit to give him a wife that is possibly even more fanatical about football than he is.  Our favorite family activity is watching football together, and yes, we have been known to rearrange our schedule for a football game or two.

When it comes to watching the game, my hubby insists on what we like to affectionately call, “football food.”  (I know.  Brilliant title.)

Tonight’s season opener demands something extra-specially good.  So what’s on the menu? 

Garlic-Toasted Subs

Italian or French bread  (We like Italian because it’s softer.)
Butter
Garlic salt
Italian seasoning
Black Pepper
Turkey, sliced for sandwiches
Italian blend of cheese, shredded or sliced Provolone cheese
Onion, sliced
Black olives
Tomatoes, sliced
Lettuce or Spinach

1.  Slice bread in half, as for making sub sandwiches.  Spread each with butter.  Sprinkle with garlic salt, Italian seasoning and black pepper, to taste.  Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 3 minutes.  Remove from oven.

2.  Top one side with sliced turkey.  On the other side, add in the order listed:  Shredded Italian blend cheese, onion, and black olives.  Bake for about 5 minutes more or until hot and cheese is melted.  Add tomato and lettuce or spinach and voila!!!  Better than Subway. 

We like to serve up these sandwiches with a bowl of fresh fruit and carrot sticks.

Now go enjoy the game… but don’t forget the coffee! 

Finding Fall.

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Fall.  I love everything about it.  Everything.  The colors.  The crisp air.  The football.  I know that for all technical purposes fall has not yet arrived, but given the brisk morning temps so far this week, who could tell?

I love the palpable sense of change in the air of a cool autumn morning.  Pregnant with hope. Knowing that all things will soon grind to a halt, lying dormant for the duration of the chill, with the security of springing to life in due season. 

I love wrapping myself in a warm sweater and frolicking with my girls in the legions of leaves lowered by my beloved trees.  I love coming home to the aroma of a simmering crock pot and relishing every warm, inviting bite.  I love settling in with my sweetheart on a cool, dark night and reading a book together by the soft light of the living room lamp. 

I.  Adore.  Fall.

These autumnal conditions have also left me craving one of my mother’s most enduring confectionary creations:  Harvest Bars.

Harvest Bars
4 eggs
2 c. pumpkin
2 tsp. baking powder
2 c. sugar
2 c. flour
½ c. chopped English walnuts (optional)
1 c. oil
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon (heaping)

1. Beat eggs slightly. Add all remaining ingredients. Beat until well-mixed.

2. Spread in 13 x 9 cake pan (greased). Bake at 350 degrees for 25 – 30 minutes. Let cool. Ice with vanilla butter cream frosting. Top with nuts.

So go ahead.  Pour another cup of coffee and enjoy a warm slice of heaven, reveling in the changes to come.

“O my soul, bless God! God, my God, how great you are!
beautifully, gloriously robed,
Dressed up in sunshine,
and all heaven stretched out for your tent.
You built your palace on the ocean deeps,
made a chariot out of clouds and took off on wind-wings.”
Psalm 104.1-3 (The Message)

Check out my “Recipes” page where you can find this recipe along with others in a downloadable .pdf format. I am adding something new everyday so check back often for more good stuff!

Sweet celebration.

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Labor Day.  A recognition of those who labor… by not working.  A day off for most, unless you are mom in which case there will never truly be a day off. 

Sophia Loren once said, “When you are a mother you are never really alone in your thoughts.  A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.” 

Applying my super math skills, I suppose that means I must think in quadruple.  Once each for me and my three little girls.  Now that is labor.  No wonder my life requires such profuse amounts of coffee! 

(Yesterday, I woke up late, skipped my coffee and consequently caught myself applying lip gloss to my lashes.  True story.  Whose bright idea was it to make the lip gloss tube so strikingly simliar to the mascara anyway???)

So let’s do something easy.  Something non-laborious in honor of this beautiful Labor Day.  (And since it’s officially a holiday we won’t bother to count calories either!)

My girls will be squealing with delight when they smell this delicious treat coming from the kitchen!  It’s a favorite at our house and so easy, I could not mess it up even without a cup of coffee.

Bread Machine Cinnamon Bread

1 c. water
2 T. butter or margarine, softened
3 c. flour
3 T. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. bread machine yeast
3/4 c. raisins (optional)

1.  Measure carefully, placing all ingredients except raisins in bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer.  (Add raisins at the Raisin/Nut signal or 5-10 minutes before last kneading cycle ends.)

2.  Select Sweet or Basic/White cycle.  Use Medium or Light color.  Remove baked bread from pan and cool on wire rack.

Bonus Tip:  After baking, drizzle warm bread with a simple powdered sugar glaze (1 1/2 c. powdered sugar + 2 T. water or milk). Let cool. Tastes just like a glazed cinnamon twist from the bakery!

Makes 1 loaf (1 1/2 lb) 12 slices

NOTE:  You can download a printable copy of this recipe by visiting the “Recipes” tab at the top of the page.  (I am working on uploading all my recipes previously posted in this format so check back often for new ideas!)

Good News.

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Several weeks ago, I read an article on CNN telling me I would soon be paying more for my coffee.  Boo. 

Today, I read an article on CNN telling me I will soon be paying less.  I sincerely hope the latter is true. 

Regardless, you simply cannot put a price on good coffee. 

“Coffee smells like freshly ground heaven.” ~Jessi Lane Adams

Lunch Much?

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First day of school. 

Which also means time for creative lunch ideas.  I imagine that lots of kiddos are like mine with their ever-changing palates and tastes.  On Monday, good ol’ PB&J reigns supreme, but by Wednesday it’s so last year. 

Sandwiches don’t usually cut it around here. 

So what’s a mom to do?  Get clever.

Coffee ingested.
Mental faculties primed.
Creativity sequence initiated.
All systems go…

Investing in good divided lunch containers that fit in my girls’ lunch boxes has infinitely expanded our lunch options. 

(Note:  Some of these suggestions do include peanut butter and I know, I know… a lot of schools have varying policies on this now.  We love our PB around here, so always check out your school rules first.) 

DIY Lunchables
My girls are always begging me for the pre-packaged Lunchables.  They are usually expensive, not to mention highly processed and full of sodium.  It’s super easy (and less expensive) to put together your own version.  I include lean meat (like chicken or turkey), my girls’ favorite cheeses and whole grain crackers.  For a fun twist, I sometimes include mozzarella or provolone with low-fat turkey pepperoni.  (If using a single divided lunch container, be sure to place crackers in a zipper baggie to keep them fresh.)

Think Outside of the Bread Box
It is easy to think about a sandwich and conjure up an image of various goodies between two slices of bread.  But stuff the same old boring ingredients into one of these alternatives to reinvent it:

Whole grain tortilla (rolled up like a wrap)
Pita Bread
Croissant
Mini bagel
Whole grain hamburger bun
Flatbread rounds (like Arnold’s Sandwich Thins… like a bun… but flatter)

This trick works for almost anything, PB& J, tuna, deli meat, chicken salad, etc. 

We especially like to spruce up the PB&J by substituting honey for jelly and adding banana slices and chocolate chips.  Yum!  (We use natural peanut butter without the extra sugar so I don’t feel too guilty about adding in the sweet stuff.)

Fruit & Cheese Platter
Sometimes, my kids are just downright finicky about their meat.  And most days, I’d rather pick my battles and save the scuffle for something that really matters.  So cheese is always a great alternative.  Pair protein with fruit and I’ve got a pretty good thing going.  Cube or slice the cheese and include various fruits like melon, blueberries, strawberries, or grapes.  Apple slices are great for dipping in peanut butter!  Include whole-grain crackers and the meal is complete.  For another fun twist, cut bamboo skewers to a size that will fit in the lunchbox and make fruit & cheese kabobs!

Pasta, Please
A good cold pasta salad is always a hit for my sweet girls!  I like to use the garden rotini or Wacky Mac for the pasta because the colors and shapes make it interesting for the kids.  Toss with lots of veggies like shredded carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, black olives and grape tomatoes.  Add grated parmesan cheese or shredded cheddar, a lean meat (like grilled chicken) and toss with a light dressing (we like to use Zesty Italian or Tuscan House Italian from Kraft). 

“Lettuce” Eat!
My girls are almost always good for a crisp salad.  Start with dark greens and add shredded cheese, lean meat, chopped hard-boiled egg, shredded carrots, and grape tomatoes.  Pack dressing in a small separate container and add just before eating to keep salad fresh.

Sumptuous Sides
Most of these things are available singly packaged, but I like to save money by packaging them myself in small reusable containers.

Fruit cups (no sugar added)
Applesauce in various flavors (no sugar added)
Nuts or seeds (if allergy appropriate)
Raw veggies (like carrot sticks, sugar snap peas or celery)
Fruit (apple, banana, peach, plum, etc.)
Cheese sticks (available in lots of varieties)
Yogurt

Drink Dilemma
Personally, I think it’s pretty hard to beat water.  After all, it makes up more than 70% of our bodies and most of us don’t drink nearly enough of it.  I use a reusable water bottle and fill it with filtered water from home.  But on occasion, I include one of these:

Juice box (100%, of course)
Aseptic milk carton like Horizon Organic (like a juice box and shelf stable so it requires no refrigeration until after opening)

Fun Factor
Let’s face it.  Kids like to play with their food. (Alright, who am I kidding?  I still like to play with my own food!)  Include dips and dressings for dunking.  Pack things they can stack and mix themselves.  Use cookie cutters to cut fun shapes (cheese, sandwiches, fruit, etc.) 

Taming the Temp
Always, always, always include an ice pack in the lunch box.

There have been recent news reports that 99% (and that’s not a typo) of school lunches are not kept appropriately cold enough to be safe to eat by lunchtime. (I will admit that I was somewhat shocked to hear that a startling amount of parents do not include an ice pack and expect an insulated lunch bag to do the job on it’s own. Yikes.) 

So there you have it.  Class is dismissed.  Enjoy!

And to appease everyone who is thinking… don’t you homeschool???  The short answer is “yes,” however my girls “brown bag” it once a week to meet with their supervising teacher, while mommy sips her coffee in the peace and quiet I am afforded once (and if I’m lucky, twice) each week. 

Snacky.

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I love lots of things.  One of those things is food.  Good food.  Not preservative-laden drek with heaven-knows-what fillers. 

My favorite snack (that I don’t have to feel guilty about later) is this:

1 Cracked Pepper & Olive Oil Triscuit + 1 small slice of Provolone cheese + 1/2 cherry or grape tomato

Repeat about 4 times or so.  🙂

It kind of tastes like this:

Yes.  Like the 4th of July in my mouth. 

I love the Triscuits especially because of their commitment to quality ingredients.  The list is short and I can pronounce all of them.  Generally speaking, that’s a good sign.

Mozzarella cheese is also a good choice, but at our house, we are fiercely devoted to Provolone.

Also pairs well with coffee, but then again… what doesn’t???

Big Breakfast.

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It’s Saturday.  And that can mean only one thing:  Big Breakfast.  It is the one day of the week that I put my whole heart into my favorite meal of the day. 

Growing up, my mother was master of the morning meal.  She believed in good hot food to start the day.  If I wanted cold cereal, I had to beg.  (Seriously, how awesomely backward does that sound?)  Volleyball practice at 7:00 am?  Mom was up at 6:00 am, taking breakfast orders.  Show Choir contest bus leaving at 5:00 am?  Mom was cooking at 4:00 am.  No matter what, we always had hot breakfast.  It is with deep fondness that I recall the aromas and visions of my mother’s breakfast table. 

Pancakes.
Biscuits and gravy. 
Cinnamon rolls. 
Grilled cheese sandwiches.
Eggs fixed every-which-way-we wanted and toast.
And so on…

I am not as entirely amazing as my mother, but I still love to give my stellar family the best possible start to their day.  And this morning was definitely BIG BREAKFAST day.  Pancakes, sausage, blueberries, milk, and of course, coffee.  I admit that I haven’t quite mastered Mom’s pancakes (with those delightfully crispy, buttery edges), but they are still pretty darn good… and so easy. 

I only burned one today (which is definitely good for me) and the smoke alarm didn’t even go off!  (Which may actually be a bad thing.  Mental note:  check smoke alarm batteries later.  Okay, not-so-mental note, but anyway…).  Flipping hotcakes, supervising the syrup bottle, and keeping stickiness confined to the table can be a smidgen distracting.  On pancake day especially, I wouldn’t mind having a couple of extra arms.

I usually double or triple the recipe and freeze the leftover pancakes.  If I am careful to make them the right size, I can pop them into the toaster like an Eggo waffle and eat homemade pancakes all week!  And since I’ve got kids, there is nothing better than using a pizza cutter to quickly cut pancakes into bite-size pieces to get them on the plate in a hurry (because there is nothing worse than cold, floppy pancake).

I make my own pancake mix and store it in an air-tight container in the cupboard.  Most mixes available in the store contain unhealthy additives and hydrogenated oils, so this is a better alternative.  To make a whole-wheat version, substitute whole-wheat flour for white flour, and brown sugar for the white sugar.

Enjoy!

Pancake Mix

7 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. baking powder
1 T. plus 1 tsp. salt
2/3 c. sugar

1.  Combine ingredients in a large bowl.  Stir to mix thoroughly.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature.  Makes about 8 1/2 c. mix.

Pancakes (from Pancake Mix)

1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 c. milk
2 T. butter, melted or 2 T. cooking oil
1 1/4 c. Pancake Mix

1.  In mixing bowl, combine egg, milk and butter.  Add Pancake Mix and mix until dry ingredients are just moistened.  Batter should be slightly lumpy.  If batter seems a little thin, add more mix.  Makes about 7 standard-size pancakes.  Double or triple as needed.

Not-So-Extreme Couponing.

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So I get it.  I have seen the show.  I have heard the banter.  I have tried to get into it.  Like really tried.  And I have been found wanting.  Perhaps I am missing something.  Am I intrigued?  Wholeheartedly.  Who wouldn’t be interested in saving money? 

My husband would be the first to accuse me of being a frugalista and on occasion, a hoarder.  But I argue that there is a very fine line between frugalista and hoarder!  (I’ve seen that show, too, and it ain’t pretty.  In my defense, I only save something if I already have a specific purpose in mind for the not-so-distant future, but as I so often do… I digress.)

Here is my take on the hoopla:

Priority number one.  It is more important to me for my family to eat freshly prepared, healthy meals than to serve cheap (or even free) food that is processed.  According to my hubby (who probably got it from someone else), “you invest in what you believe in.”  I believe in good health for my family so food quality is not something I take lightly.  In light of soaring medical and insurance costs, I choose to do everything I can to prevent future health issues (and expenses!) for my family. 

That said, in my quest for coupons, I am finding that many of them are for highly processed foods that I wouldn’t normally buy or personal products that I do not like or someone in my family has an allergy to.  I have been buying paper after paper, and clipped coupons until I was cuckoo.  Extreme savings?  Hardly.  More like moderate savings and let me further explain why.

I am frugal.  I love to save money and I have been doing just that for years.  Before extreme couponing.  I have already explained that I like to serve freshly prepared food for my family for health reasons, but there’s more!  Its cheaper!!!  Its not difficult to prepare a better-than-restaurant quality meal for pennies.  Here are the ways I am saving money:

1.  Plan ahead.  I never go to the store without a plan of attack.  I plan a 2 week menu, taking all meals into account, including breakfast, lunch and snacks.  Piggyback meals, if you can (for example, cooking all the ground meat you need on Monday for use throughout the week).  I do plan meals based around what is on sale at my local grocery store.  I’ll be posting more about menu planning next week.

After preparing a menu (which can be reused in the future!), the next logical step is to make your list. 

And here is where I start to save money.

I make my coupons work for me, I don’t work for them.  I NEVER make a list from my coupons.  This only tempts me to buy things I don’t need or won’t use.  I am not saving money if I do either of these things.  After I know what I need (because of that handy-dandy list I just made), I look to see if I have a coupon for that item.  I do keep my coupons in a small organizer.  I don’t usually buy a paper, but I collect coupons that come to me other ways like through the mail or from the store dispensers.  I like to print coupons right from my computer.  Sometimes if I know I need salad dressing, I’ll opt to buy a different brand because I have a coupon for it. 

In other cases, however, there are certain brands that we really like or have to use because of allergies that are more expensive.  For those kinds of things, I look online at the manufacturer websites.  For example, my insanely picky 2-year-old (I am honestly surprised that she even grows) loves V-8 Fusion juice which I never deny her because I’m just thrilled that she will get servings of vegetables and fruit!  Its also quite expensive, but I can usually find a coupon to print from the manufacturer’s website.

There are several coupon websites worth perusing for coupons.  I love being able to only print the coupons that I will actually use.  I am sure there other really great ones (feel free to fill me in!), but here’s what I use:

www.redplum.com
www.smartsource.com
www.coolsavings.com

The following sites show match-up deals for coupons and grocery stores, saving you time.

www.cuckooforcoupondeals.com/ 
This one doesn’t have my favorite store on it, but it does include Target, Whole Foods and Walmart

www.thegrocerygame.com
This one has a 1 month free trial and then the cost is $10 for 2 months.  Its far superior to anything else I have found and if you’re serious about saving money, this website has a lot to offer for minimal cost.

2.  Take a calculator and pay in cash.  I tally everything up as I go.  Yes, perhaps I am old-fashioned and use my hot-pink calculator, but most phones these days include a calculator.  No excuses.  🙂  Paying in cash leaves me no option but to stay on budget! 

3.  Shop the perimeter of the store.  Stores stock most of the processed junk (which is usually more expensive) right in the middle of the store.  All the fresh produce, dairy products, eggs, meat, etc are on the perimeter.  Most of what you need is right there!  I always start with these things when I do my shopping.

4.  Buy the basics.  Seriously, if I’ve got flour, sugar, salt, butter, eggs, baking powder, and baking soda, I can whip up any manner of things in no time.  Throw some ingredients in the bread machine for fresh bread at dinnertime or whip up piping hot pancakes for breakfast (I have a great recipe for pancake mix you can have ready and stored ahead of time!). 

5.  Prepare.  Go ahead and make all that yummy stuff you planned ahead for!  Raw, basic ingredients are so much cheaper (and healthier) than their processed counterparts.  We save so much money by making our own granola bars (see breakfast bars on the recipes page), chex mix, bread, rolls, cookies, salad mixes (how hard is it to wash and cut lettuce?)… everything really.  There will definitely be more to come on this.  I’ll be sharing some of my favorite (and easy!) recipes.

This frugalista is just as busy as everybody else… trust me.  Scratch cooking and meal planning doesn’t have to take a lot of time.  I spend 30 minutes max on my list and meal planning.  (Once you’ve got your menus and lists made you can copy and reuse them).  More to come on how I make it all work for our family!

Coffee break!  Starbucks Espresso Roast… mmmmmm…..

To market, to market…

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to buy all kinds of things I’ve never heard of!!!

One of my favorite summertime activities is visiting our local farmer’s market.  Its a Saturday morning ritual for me and my girls while my tech-nerdy hubby (Love you, Sweetie!) peruses the farm and country store next door in which we like to pretend like we belong.   (I am quite sure that the employees are staring at us, knowing we are city kids despite living in this small town for nearly 4 years and I am never sure I am appopriately dressed… like maybe I should be in overalls or something.  But I digress.)

Of course, there are the usual things I pick up like tomatoes, onions, potatoes and so on and so forth.  However, there is usually at least one curious item that I know nothing about and I am always eager to try new things.  I’ll try almost anything once… almost.  If I can’t find anything new, I love striking up a conversation with the growers to find out their favorite recipes or ways to use their favorite produce. 

So my farmer’s market find for the week (and new best friend!)…

Garlic Scapes! 

In case you need a visual, here’s a photo:

I bought some fresh garlic from this vendor and couldn’t help but notice these green gangly things nearby.  I just had to ask.  Apparently garlic scapes are the tops of the garlic plant that will go to seed, but when cut off like this… they are a delectable addition for LOTS of things!  They can be used much like a green onions or chives.  The scapes are highly aromatic and have a slightly milder flavor than garlic.  I googled garlic scapes and legions of recipes leaped onto my screen (yes, they were that awesome… leaped!).  I am especially interested in sauteeing these babies up in butter and adding some mushrooms… yet to happen, maybe tonight!
I decided to add some chopped garlic scapes to one of my favorite recipes, Veggie Lasagna, and the results were supertastic (yes, results this amazing deserve a made-up word)!  So here’s the recipe (which thanks to my good friend, Teena, has pretty much been a staple at our house for years!):

Veggie Lasagna
(Low-fat)

1 28 oz. spaghetti sauce (any flavor)  (I like mushroom sauce, of course!)
6 lasagna noodles (cooked or the oven-ready kind)
1 15 oz. container fat-free cottage or ricotta cheese
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed dry)
½ – 1 c. shredded carrots
1 c. sliced mushrooms
1/2 c. chopped tomatoes
2 chopped garlic scapes (optional, but amazingly amazing!)

1. Mix cottage cheese with spinach and carrots. Set aside. Grease 13 x 9 inch pan.

2. In pan, spread 1 c. spaghetti sauce. Then place 3 lasagna noodles. Next, spread cottage cheese mixture, then, veggies, then spaghetti sauce, then 1 c. mozzarella cheese. Repeat, except wait to add the top layer of mozzarella cheese during the last 10 minutes of baking time.

3. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour.

(Great recipe to freeze for later!!!)