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To watch this video recipe click HERE!
To go to the Spooky Rice balls recipe go HERE!

Here is my last Halloween recipe for this year! I hope you like it! Mini BBQ Meatloaves and Spooky Rice Balls! Super easy to make and delicious!

Makes 6-8 mini 5x3 meatloaves
Ingredients:

20 oz ground meat (any kind)
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup grated onions
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce plus extra for garnish
1/2 tablespoon black pepper and salt
1/2 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
5-8 5x3 mini meatloaf pans
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375ºF

Combine ground meat with the carrots and the onions,mix together and add the egg and combine thoroughly. Add the breadcrumbs a little at a time and combine until all the ingredients are well incorporated.

Add 2/3 of a cup of BBQ sauce, (you can add more sauce if you feel like the meat is too dry),mix together and season with 1/2 tablespoon of each ground black pepper and salt plus 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil, combine thoroughly and that's about it.

Spray your mini pans with cooking spray and fill them halfway with the meat mixture. Spoon a little more of the BBQ sauce on top, spread it evenly and bake at 375º for about 30-40 minutes or until completely cooked.



Garnish the mini loaves with a cross made of BBQ sauce

To watch this video Recipe please click HERE!

Hi everyone!Today, I'm bringing you another Halloween recipe! Spooky Rice Balls, they are super easy to make and can be prepare the day before!!!

Makes 12-15 balls
Ingredients:

1 cup white rice (short-grained or sushi rice are a better option, but it does work with long grain rice.)
1 cup tomato sauce
2 minced garlic cloves
1 tablespoon dry chopped onion
1 tablespoon chicken bullion
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 large Ziploc bag or plastic wrap

TO GARNISH:
Black olives
1 1/2 in. pieces green bell pepper (1 piece per ball)
1 in. pieces red bell pepper (1 piece per ball)

---OPTIONAL----
To fill the rice balls
3 slices bacon
1 sausage link
3 tablespoon minced onion


I recommend you cook the rice the day/night before.

Soak the rice in hot water for about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Saute the garlic in 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil for 3 minutes, or until the garlic becomes transparent. Add in the rice and season with the dry onion and the chicken bullion stir fry for about 3-4 minutes or until the rice becomes translucent.
Add in the tomato sauce, cook for about 2 minutes. Add in 1 1/2 cups of the chicken broth
and 1/2 of water stir together, cover with a lid and let it cook on low heat for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until the rice is cooked.

We want this rice to be really sticky, so feel free to add more liquid if needed!

OPTIONAL
---To make the filling---

In a small pan I cook the bacon and sausage for about 4 minutes or until slightly brown. Add 3 tablespoon of minced onion and season with a pinch of black pepper and crushed red pepper. Cook for 2 more minutes. Set aside to cool.


If you cooked the rice the day before, sprinkle it with 3 tablespoons of water and heat it in the microwave for about 40 seconds.



Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the rice on to the bag
spread it evenly, and top it with a about 2 teaspoons of
the filling.








Wrap everything into a ball and that's how you make your rice balls!

Continue to repeat these steps until you are done with all the rice.
 




 To garnish:
 Top the ball with a 1 1/2 inch piece of green bell pepper

Use black olive to form the eyes, (any shape you like)
(the rice is super sticky so the olive should stick to it. If they don't stick, dip the olives in water or soy sauce, and that would do the trick.)




The mouth will be a small piece of red bell pepper and that's it!

Enjoy!

Happy Halloween!!!

To watch t his video recipe please click HERE!

Hi everyone!

Today's recipe is super easy, very healthy and beyond delicious! I just made this yesterday and I had to upload it right away! I have like 8 more recipes in line to be edited, but this one couldn't wait! I hope you like it as much as I did!

Makes 8 skewers
Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts
18 medium-large mushrooms (any kind)
18 grape tomatoes (or any other small tomato)
1/2 a large onion cut in chunks
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
crushed red pepper to taste
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
wooden skewers (8)

Preparation:

Soak wooden skewers in warm water for at least 20 minutes before using.
Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Season the chicken with the zest of one lemon
1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary,the chopped garlic, 1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper, 1/2 tablespoon salt, the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of extra Virgin Olive oil. Add crushed red pepper to taste. Combine everything, make sure every piece of chicken is well seasoned and refrigerate for about 5 minutes while we prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Season the tomatoes and onions with 1/2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt and ground black pepper, also add crushed red pepper to taste. Stir together and set aside for a minute.

Clean the mushrooms with a wet paper towel or a clean wet kitchen towel. Season the mushrooms with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and the rest of the rosemary, also add in a 1/4 of a tablespoon of each, salt and ground black pepper. Add crushed red pepper if desired. Make sure every mushroom is well coated with the oil and the seasoning.

And that's all the preparation work. Now we are ready to build the Kebabs.  Build your kebabs any way you want them.

My Kebab has 9 layers, the first one is onions, followed by a mushroom, a piece of chicken, a tomato, another piece of chicken, one more mushroom, more onion, another piece of chicken and finally topped with another tomato.

But feel free to build your Kebab any way you want, you can add as many layers as you like!

Bake at 400ºF for 12-15 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked!
or

Grill for about 3-4 minutes on each side!

I served my Kebabs over white rice! And that's it, enjoy!

To watch this video recipe click HERE!

Makes 2 dozens.
Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
3 sticks unsalted butter, soften
1/2 teaspoon salt
Bakers semi sweet baking chocolate squares (4), melted (for the nails)
Almonds (for nails optional)
Strawberry preserves or marmalade for garnish

Combine flour and salt, mix well and set aside

In an electric mixer,cream the butter at medium speed, blend until smooth and creamy,
scrape down the sides if you need to. Reduce the speed and slowly add the powdered sugar
blend until well combined. Add the vanilla extract, continue to blend for 1 more minute.

Reduce the speed to the lowest and slowly add in the flour. Blend until all the ingredients come together. Do not over mix.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF


Grab about 1 tablespoon of the dough and roll it with your hands to form a finger shaped cookie. If you are using almonds as finger nails, press down the almond into one end of the cookie.

 If you are making the nails with the same dough, form the nail using a toothpick.

Make the nails big and chunky, they are witch fingers, they don't have to be pretty at all.





Fingers are not straight, to give the impression of knuckles, squeeze the cookie bellow the nail, and squeeze again near the end. For a more finger-like appearance make some marks onto the cookie below the finger nail and near the end.



Bake at 350ºF for about 15-18 minutes or until slightly golden brown.

Let the cookies cool a little bit.

Melt the chocolate squares. (instructions are in the back of the package)




Using a small knife, cover the finger nails with the melted chocolate. Repeat this step until done.


Dip the end of cookie in the strawberry marmalade for a bloody presentation.

To watch this Video Recipe click HERE!!
I got this idea from a magazine picture. however I didn't read the magazine, so I don't know what kind of ingredients/products to make this. I'm just recreating the picture I saw. I'm using ingredients I already have in my pantry-refrigerator.

Ingredients:

1 package Pillsbury refrigerated Grands Biscuits (You can use pizza dough if you prefer son)
1 Jar Prego Italian Sausage and Garlic Pasta Sauce
String Cheese (I used cheese slices cut in very thin strips)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Black olives for garnish

Preheat oven to 400ºF

Combine the olive oil with the Italian seasoning and garlic powder, mix well, and set aside.

Flatten up the biscuits,press them down with your hands, a plate or a rolling pin.
Once all the biscuits are flat, brush them with the garlic oil.
Using a fork, poke each circle to prevent them from rising. Bake at 400°F for 5 minutes just to brown them a little bit.

If they do end up rising in the oven, just press them down with a plate.

Spoon the tomato sauce over each circle. Add as much or as little as you want.

Slice the black olives in half to make the eyes. Place the eyes wherever you want them to be. Add the cheese bellow and above the eyes. Add as much cheese as you like.

And that's it, bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
*********
Another great alternative for this tomato and cheese mini pizzas is a "Mollete". A Mollete is a Spanish, (also Mexican) appetizer made with a garlicky bread topped with beans and cheese. Very simple and delicious.

Ingredients:

Pillsbury refrigerated Grands Biscuits
Seasoned oil (the one with made with the olive oil, garlic and Italian seasoning)
Shredded cheese (any kind)
1 can black beans
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon of olive oil
String cheese for garnish
Black olives for garnish

Season the beans with the salt, garlic powder, dry oregano and ground cumin. Add in the Olive oil and blend until smooth. (add water if needed)

Flatten up the biscuits, just like we did for the mini pizzas, brush them with the season olive oil and poke each circle with a fork. Sprinkle with cheese and bake at 400ºF for 5 minutes. Just to brown a little bit.

Spoon the bean mixture over the melted cheese and garnish with string cheese, place the cheese in a spider web design. Top the web with a whole black olive. Slice a second olive into strips to make the spider legs and that's it, bake for 10 minutes or until the beans are warm and the cheese has melted. Drizzle or brush with a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil. Enjoy!

To Watch this Video Recipe please click HERE!

Hi Everyone! I hope you are all doing great!

Today's recipe is another Mexican Dish! I know two in a row? Well, I am Mexican after all and I love Mexican food! Anyway, today's recipe is Chicken Fajitas!


Ingredients:

4 large chicken breasts
1 white onion
1 red onion
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
2 jalapeño peppers
2 limes
1 lemon
1/3 cup fresh cilantro
3 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon dry oregano
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1/4 tablespoon ground cumin
flour or corn tortillas
1-2 avocados for garnish (1 is enough for 2 persons)
lime wedges for garnish
more cilantro for garnish

Mince the garlic place in a big plastic bowl (big enough to marinate the chicken)
Slice 1 jalapeno pepper (lengthwise), remove the seeds and mince 1 half of the pepper, combine in the same bowl with the mince garlic.

Slice the rest of the jalapeno in thin strips, also slice the second jalapeno, place in another large container.

Finely chopped the cilantro and mix it in the same bowl with the minced garlic and jalapeno, cut the lime and lemon in half, and add the juices to the garlic mixture, also add in 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with 1/2 tablespoon of each salt, ground black pepper and dry oregano also add a 1/4 of a tablespoon of ground cumin. Stir all together, give it a taste, add more seasoning if needed.

Slightly cut the chicken breasts, Do NOT cut all the way through, just cut enough so the marinate can get into the whole breasts, and not only on the surface.
(If you prefer, you can cut the chicken in thin strips, Fajitas are usually served on a tortilla, so to serve the fajitas we will eventually cut the breast in thin strips.)

Marinate the chicken in garlic mixture for about 30 minutes, longer if you have time. The flavors will only get better by the minute. The longer you marinate, the better it will taste.

Slice the rest of the ingredients. Cut the onions in half and then into 1/4 inch slices.
Also slice the bell peppers, lengthwise, remove the seeds and veins, and slice into 1/4 inch slices.

Combine all the vegetable in a large bowl, and marinate with the juice of 1 lime plus 1 1/2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, season with 1/2 tablespoon of each: Salt, ground black pepper and dry oregano. Mix everything together and refrigerate until ready to use. (for aobut 15 minutes or until the chicken is ready to be cooked.)

Preheat the oven to 400ºF, 20 minutes before baking the fajitas.

This recipe is great for grilling so if you have a grill, grill the chicken for about 4-6 minutes on each side. Grill the vegetable until they become somewhat tender.

I'm going to be baking my chicken at 400°F for about 15 or until the chicken is cooked.
Bake the peppers for about 12-15 minutes.

Let the chicken rest for about 5 minutes before you slice it. Heat up the tortillas and you are ready to eat! You can serve with corn tortillas or flour tortillas, serve with avocado, garnish with fresh cilantro and lime wedges.

If you prefer, you can serve the whole chicken breast over a bed of bell peppers and a side of white rice, garnish with avocado, lime wedges fresh cilantro.

And that's it! Enjoy!

To watch this video recipe please click HERE!

Hi everyone!
Today's recipe is one of my favorite Mexican dishes, Green Enchiladas or as we call them in Spanish "Enchiladas Suizas", which means Swiss Enchiladas, according to an article I read somewhere, Swiss immigrants in Mexico were the ones who came up with the idea of baking this dish to get the cheese to melt, creating a beautiful white bed of cheesy goodness over the enchiladas, that's why we call this dish Enchiladas Suizas.

Serves4-5
Makes 15
Ingredients:

For the green salsa:
1 lb. Tomatillos
4 jalapeno peppers (more or less if you want)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

For the Enchiladas:
2 (20oz) chicken breasts cooked and shredded=(2 1/2 cups of shredded chicken)
1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Corn Tortillas (3 per person)
Vegetable oil for frying
Green onions for garnish
Salsa Verde (ingredients above or if you prefer, buy your favorite brand)

Simmer the chicken in salted boiling water for about 15 minutes or until cooked.
(if you have any leftover chicken, feel free to use that instead.)

To make the salsa:
In a large skillet, heat up 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sauté the tomatillos, jalapeno peppers, onion and garlic for about 10 minutes or until the jalapenos and tomatillos have become tender. Cover the pan if you want to to speed up the cooking process.

Transfer everything to a blender, season with salt and ground black pepper to taste. Add in the fresh cilantro, 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice and about 1/4 cup of water, blend everything until well blended and smooth.

In a sauce pan, heat up 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, add in the salsa and bring to a boil. If the salsa is too thick,feel free to add more water. Check the seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed. Bring to a boil. Let it cool a bit.

To make the enchiladas:
Heat up about 1/4 cup of vegetable oil, fry the tortillas, for about 10-15 seconds on each side, just to warm them up. Keep on frying the tortillas until you are done.

To build the enchiladas dip the fried tortillas in the Salsa verde, make sure the salsa is coating both sides of the tortilla. (this is supposed to be a quick dip, do not let the tortillas in the salsa for a long time, or they will become soggy.

Fill the tortilla with the chicken and roll into a taco. Keep on repeating these steps until you are done.

1.- Dip in the salsa
2.- Fill with the chicken
3.- Roll into a taco

Once you are done, spoon some of the green salsa over the enchiladas, sprinkle some of the shredded mozzarella cheese on top and bake for about 6-8 minutes at 400° or until the cheese is completely melted

If you prefer, you can microwave for about 40 seconds instead.

Serve with rice and a small salad, or with rice and beans. Drizzle with more salsa verde, garnish with more cheese and green onions.

 And that's it. Enjoy!


To watch this video recipe please click HERE!

Hi Everyone!
Today's recipe is another meatless dish! Spinach and Potato Cakes, super easy and delicious! They are great as an appetizer, side dish or even a main dish. Perfect for lunch or dinner! I hope you like it!


Ingredients:

1 lb. red potatoes (or any other potato)
10 oz.frozen spinach
1/2 cup shredded cheese (you can add up to 1 cup for richer cheesy texture)
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon fresh baby dill
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup milk (or 1/3 cup heavy cream for creamier texture)

Preheat the oven to 400°F

Cut the potatoes in big chunks. Simmer the potatoes in salted boiling water for about 10 minutes or until the potatoes are completely cooked. Add the garlic clove to the boiling water. Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them and put them back
in the same pan, also keep the garlic. Mash the potatoes and garlic together.

Season the potatoes with salt and ground black pepper to taste, and about 1 teaspoon of each ground cumin and garlic powder. Taste for flavor and add more salt, pepper, garlic and cumin if needed. If you want to add some heat to this dish, feel free to add a dash of
Tabasco sauce or Shirasha Japanese hot sauce. Also mix in the fresh rosemary and baby dill.

Stir everything together, and add the rest of the ingredients: corn meal, cheese and also add in the milk a little at a time. Continue to stir and add the rest of the milk plus 2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil or if you prefer you can replace the olive oil with 3 tablespoons of melted butter, for rich buttery flavor.

The potato mixture shouldn't be too wet, or to dry, we want the consistency of somewhat dry mash potatoes, if you feel it is too dry, add a little more milk or heavy creamy and if you feel it is too wet feel free to add more cheese or some extra corn meal. (cheese is better)

Drain the spinach, give it a big squeeze to remove as much of the liquid as you can.  Stir spinach and potato mixture together, taste for flavor and add more seasoning if needed.

For easy cleaning don't forget to line your baking sheet with foil and spray it with cooking spray to prevent the cakes from sticking to it. Make your cakes or patties as big or as small as you want.

Bake them at 400°F for about 12-15 minutes or until golden brown

These cakes are perfect as an appetizer, a side dish or even a main dish.
I served mine on a bed of baby greens and tomato wedges. You can serve these with rice or pasta, to dress them up a little bit, drizzle with tomato sauce, gravy, Ragu or any other pasta sauce.

To watch this video recipe click HERE
Hey everyone!

Today's recipes is a super easy Spicy Burger with Jalapeno Mayonnaise! I hope you like it!


Ingredients for the patty:

20 oz ground meat (any kind you like)
1/4 cup red onions
1/4 cup fresh parsley
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon dry rosemary
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 minced jalapeno pepper in Escabeche sauce (pickled can of jalapenos)
1 tablespoon of the escabeche sauce


Ingredients for the Jalapeno mayonnaise

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon escabeche sauce from the jalapenos
1-2 minced jalapenos

Ingredients to serve/garnish the patties.

Sandwich thins or any other kind of hamburger bun you like
bacon slices
cheese slices
red onion slices
tomato slices
more jalapenos in escabeche sauce (optional)


Preparation:

Jalapeno Mayonnaise:

Combine a 1/4 of a cup of mayo with a tablespoon of each: Dijon mustard and escabeche sauce
plus 1-2 minced jalapeno peppers. Season with a pinch of ground black pepper and 1/2 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce. Mix well and refrigerate until ready to use.

Onion Slices:
Drizzle the onions with 2 tablespoons of escabeche juice and season with salt and ground black pepper, let the onions marinate in the sauce for about 10-15 minutes while you prepare the patties.

To make the parties:
Combine the ground meat with the red onion and fresh parsley, season with half a tablespoon of each: rosemary, ground black pepper and salt. Also mix in 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce and 2 tablespoon of olive oil plus 1 tablespoon of the Jalapeno juice/sauce, also add 1 minced jalapeno pepper.

Using a fork or with your hands combine all the ingredients together. Do not over mix.
Divide the meat mixture into 4-6 equal size section to make the patties.

For easy cleaning line your baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray to prevent he patties from sticking to it.

Make the patties slightly bigger than the bread/bun you will be using. They will shrink slightly in the oven.

Drizzle about 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce over each patty. Spread the sauce evenly. Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until the patties are cooked. (1 inch to 1 1/2in patties. Bigger patties will take longer to cook 20-30 min.) (If you have time, refrigerate the patties before cooking for about 30 minutes. OPTIONAL)

Also bake the bacon and the onion slices at the same temperature with the patties for about 8-10 minutes or until the bacon is slightly brown and crisp.

If you prefer, these patties can be grilled, or pan fried, for about 6-7 minutes on each side.

Toast the bread very slightly just to add a nice crunch to it. Slice it in half and spread each half with the jalapeno mayonnaise. Start building your burger.

Mine has a layer of lettuce, followed by a patty, a cheese slice,topped by a second patty drizzled with more mayonnaise, followed by the onions, tomatoes and finally the bacon.



Add french fries to complete the dish and that's it enjoy!!


To watch this video recipe click HERE!

Hi everyone, today's recipe is a super easy Spaghetti and Meatballs!
I hope you like it! This is they kind of food I like to eat when I'm feeling down! I am not Italian, but I love comfort food and there is nothing more comforting than a big plate of Spaghetti and meatballs! Enjoy!

Serves 4-6
Ingredients:

20 oz (1.25 lbs)  Ground meat(I used turkey, feel free to use any kind of ground meat you like)
3 bacon slices
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1/3 cup of fresh parsley plus a little more for garnish
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 egg
1 package of spaghetti (1/2 the package is enough for 2-3 servings)
1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce.( I love Prego Chunky Combo)
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
crushed red pepper
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
2/3 cup white wine
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

In a large pan, heat up 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and cook the bacon until brown. Remove from the pan, let it cool and chop into small pieces.

Combine the ground meat with the garlic, thyme, parsley and green onions. To the meat mixture, also also add in the flour and the breadcrumbs. Combine all the ingredients with a fork, and season with 2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
1 teaspoons of salt add in the egg, mix again with a fork and finally add 1 tablespoon of each olive oil and Worcestershire sauce, also add in the chopped bacon, stir all together to make sure all the ingredients are incorporated.

Make the meatballs. Grab some of the meat mixture with your hands and roll it into ball.
keep on reaping this step until you are done with the meat. (Make the balls as big or as small as you prefer.)

In the same pan where you cook the bacon, on medium heat, add 1 more tablespoon of oil, cook the meatballs for about 3-4 minutes on each side or until they become slightly brown.

Once the balls are brown on all sides, add in the white wine and cook until the wine reduces to half. Once the wine is reduced, add in the pasta sauce and 1 cup of water, (add more water if the sauce is too thick). Stir and taste the flavor, add more salt and ground black pepper if needed. (Add Italian seasoning if you prefer.) Reduce the heat to low, put on the lid on and cook until the sauce starts to boil. (for about 10 minutes)

Cook the spaghetti in salted boiling water, with 2 garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves and a little bit of olive oil. Cook until al dente. Drain and set aside...

To keep the pasta nice and warm, heat up your plate in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes.

Serve the Meatballs and sauce over the spaghetti. Garnish with fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese.

If you prefer, stir the pasta with the meatballs and sauce in the same pan.
Garnish with fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese and serve.

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