Something super easy but a little fancier than cookies.  My grandkids could definitely make this and the best part is – it only takes 15-20 minutes! They are going to be so proud of themselves!

With only four ingredients, plus the shell, it also will make for almost no mess.  That’s my kind of recipe to make with kids who can sometimes be mess in the kitchen!

And even if you don’t make this with any kids, it still is a great dessert to bring for family get togethers, potlucks or parties.  I remember making five of these one night for a friend’s party and it took me less than 2 hours.  She was so grateful and impressed!

If you don’t care for cherries, you can substitute them for canned blueberries, strawberries or blackberries.  Super yum!

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Easy Cherry Cheesecake Recipe

Course Dessert

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 6 -8

Author This Grandma Is Fun

Ingredients

• 1 frozen 8" baked pie shell
• 3 oz cream cheese
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 medium sized cool whip
• 1 can cherry pie filling refrigerated or other pie filling of your choice - blueberry, strawberry etc.

Instructions

• Bake pie shell according to package instructions. Let cool
• While cooling, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar and cool whip together.
• Fold into cooled pie shell
• Top with cherry filling.
• Chill

I can’t wait to try this with my grandkids and I hope you enjoy it too!

The post Easy Cherry Cheesecake Recipe appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

I’m back again with a fun recipe for a cherry cheesecake dip that is absolutely addictive like crazy. I also made these adorable little cinnamon pie dippers so you can dunk in style.

I have to admit I’m a total sucker for anything made with cherry pie filling. I shared a recipe for Cherry Bars a couple of months ago. They were such a big hit with my family and my readers as well.

This time I wanted to try a cherry cheesecake recipe that was a little different than I typically make mine. So I jumped right in and got carried away with the whole idea, as I often do.

One recipe wasn’t enough, I figured since this is so easy I’d also share a really fun and easy idea for pie dippers too. These are something I love making when I make sweet dips.

It’s so simple to make, you basically just use store bought pie dough and use cookie cutters to cut shapes. You can also use a pastry wheel to make long strips as well.

You could say it’s as easy as pie. But that just wouldn’t be punny at all. I know, I know. I couldn’t resist.

When picking out shapes be careful to pick something appropriate. I made some bunny shaped dippers thinking how cute they would be so close to Easter. Well, when you dunk the bunny in cherry dip it’s not a good look. At all. It’s a bit horrifying. Just don’t do it. Trust me.

Even hearts were questionable when dunking in this. But I rolled with it. I made hearts, strips, bunnies and squares. I personally liked the hearts and the longer strips the best. We’re not double dunkers here so the hearts worked awesome for my ocd about germs. One dunk and you’re done.

I think I demolished about half of this all my myself. I was noshing them as I took photos. The funny part is I take photos for the blogs by my front window. So I was literally standing on top of my kitchen table shoving cheesecake dip into my face. My poor neighbors. They must think I’m completely nuts.

Luckily I’m a pretty free spirit and I don’t worry too much about what people think. What I do care about is scrumptious food. I am one of those cooks who is constantly tasting as I go along to ensure the flavor is perfect. Always taste as you experiment. It’s so important.

I chose to try The MOMager’s Cherry Cheesecake Dip for my post this month. I make my version without cool whip but I was super excited to try this version. I figured it would be super light and fluffy. I was not disappointed.

I hope you love this one as much as we did. I honestly could not stop noshing on it. At one point I just grabbed a spoon and went at it like it was dinner. I wasn’t kidding when I said I love cherry pie filling. It’s a serious addiction at this point.

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Cherry Cheesecake Dip with Cinnamon Pie Dippers

Course Dessert

Author Kim Beaulieu of Cravings of a Lunatic

Ingredients

For the Cinnamon Pie Dippers:

• 1 package of pillsbury pie dough
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon milk
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

For the Cherry Cheesecake Dip:

• 8 ounces of cream cheese softened
• 1 L Cool Whip
• 198 grams Marshmallow Fluff
• 540 ml cherry pie filling
• 2 tablespoons graham crumbs

Instructions

For the Cinnamon Pie Dippers:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
• Roll out both pie crusts on a lightly floured surface.
• In a small bowl whisk together the egg and milk till smooth and light in colour. Brush on the top side of each pie round. Then sprinkle both the cinnamon and nutmeg over top. Use more or less depending on your own taste.
• Use small cookie cutters to cut shapes, or use a pastry wheel to cut strips or squares, about the size of a small cracker or cookie. Place each shape on the cookie sheets about 1/2 inch apart. They do not spread like cookies so you can place them fairly close together. Place in the oven and bake for about 8 to 12 minutes, depending on the size of your shapes. Smaller will cook for less time, larger ones will cook for a longer time.
• Remove from oven and cool on a baking rack.

For the Cherry Cheesecake Dip:

• Place the softened cream cheese in a stand mixer and using the whisk attachment mix until it's fluffy and smooth. Now add the cool whip and fluff to the mixer and whip on high until thoroughly combined.
• Pour the cheesecake mixture into a pie dish and smooth out.
• Pour the cherry pie filling over top and spread out evenly.
• Sprinkle some graham crumbs over top.
• Chill for an hour if you have enough patience to wait to munch on this.
• Serve with a big old cherry loving smile!

Notes

Cherry Cheesecake Dip adapted from The MOMager
Cinnamon Pie Dippers from Cravings of a Lunatic

This amazing post has been shared with Living Well Spending Less and Tatertots and Jello.

The post Cherry Cheesecake Dip with Cinnamon Pie Dippers appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

You can’t go wrong with cherry jello. It is super easy to make, red-colored, wiggly, sweet, and full of fruit. Everyone will love it!

Where did the name of the recipe come from?

Do you have recipes in your recipe files that have funny names? There are the names of just a few of mine! Mississippi Sin Dip, Million Dollar Spaghetti and White Trash Bars.

The recipe that I am sharing today is another one of those recipes. “The Most Wonderful Cherry Jello You Will Ever Eat in Your Life”. How can you resist something with a name like that?

Actually, I got this recipe from a friend of mine over 25 years ago. We were at a party where everyone was supposed to bring something, and this is the jello she brought. 

As I was in line getting my plate of food, a man was ahead of me who was on his second round. He turned to me and told me that he wanted to come back to get some more of this cherry jello, and he wanted to know what it was called because it was the most wonderful cherry jello he had ever eaten in his life.

Then, I asked my friend about the name of her recipe. She smiled and told me how it was called. You guessed it. In fact, it was called The Most Wonderful Cherry Jello You Will Ever Eat in Your Life. 

Honestly, I wasn’t expecting any other name. I told her about the man in front of me, and we had a great laugh!

Since then, it became a family staple while my kids were growing up, and to this day, it is still my son’s favorite jello side dish. It calls for cherry pie filling, which almost turns it into a dessert, and the whipped topping isn’t just Cool Whip and adds a decadent creamy topping.

Why you will love this recipe?

Surely, I have to admit. It is not a recipe for cherry jello you expect. There are some secret ingredients added. It is where the magic happens. And every outstanding dessert has its secret ingredients. Once you try it, you will never want to make it any other way. 

With pineapples, instant vanilla pudding, and cherry pie filling, you just can’t go wrong. It is a spectacular experience for your taste buds!

This recipe is:

• gluten-free
• fruity
• kids-friendly
• low-calorie
• with natural sweeteners

Frankly, I had no idea that cherries and pineapples go that well together. But when I tried this jello, it made perfect sense. In my opinion, the instant vanilla pudding gives it a creamy feeling, and the chunks of pineapples add this mouth-watering effect. 

All these natural fruit sweeteners are full of a range of healthy nutrients. In fact, it is a great way to add more vitamins and minerals to your diet.

It is low-calorie, too. How amazing is this! No crust or base that would add more calories. Just fruit, instant vanilla pudding, milk, and cool whip.

If you prefer, add some sweetener. But don’t make it oversweet. The fruit taste is more noticeable when there is a little bit of sourness. At least, this is how I prefer to make my cherry jello.  

Print

The Most Wonderful Cherry Jello You Will Ever Eat in Your Life

Course Salad

Author Made From Pinterest

Ingredients

• 1 6 oz pkg cherry jello
• 1 large can crushed pineapple do not drain
• 1 can Comstock Red Ruby Cherry pie filling or other Cherry Pie Filling
• 1 3 oz pkg instant vanilla pudding
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups Cool Whip

Instructions

• Combine cherry gelatin with 2 cups of boiling water. OMIT 2 cups cold
• water as directed on the package. Add crushed pineapple with juice and cherry pie filling.
• Pour into 9x13 pan
• Chill.

Topping

• Combine pudding with 1 cup milk and beat. Let set for 1-2 minutes until slightly thick.
• Add Cool Whip and mix well.
• Spread on top of the chilled cherry jello.
• Refrigerate until ready to serve.

How to use The most wonderful jello you will ever have in your life recipe?

This dessert is perfect for any occasion. From family dinners to grandkids’ birthday parties, this recipe is a must! What I love about it is that you can use it for a lot of other desserts. Get creative in the kitchen to make the taste you crave!

What is a party without jello? It is the ultimate party food to make in glasses, served with some whipped cream on top. Or serve it on a plate and make it finger food. 

If you are planning a cookout or a family dinner? It may take a little bit of your time, but it is worth it. 

You can use this cherry jello in:

• cherry pie
• no-bake jello pie
• cobbler
• crumble
• pannacotta
• vegan raw cake
• tart
• fruit tartlets
• layered Christmas jello
• layered rainbow jello
• cherry jello cups
• parfaits

Make the recipe super healthy

With cherries and pineapples added to the recipe, it is already healthy. But you can substitute some of the products to lower the calories even more.

Are you going vegan? In this recipe, you will see some animal products. Surely, you can easily substitute them and make the recipe vegan-friendly. 

Indeed, there are pineapples added to the recipe. It makes it a little bit different and makes the taste much more versatile. I told you, it is not ordinary cherry jello at all. 

Use some whipped coconut cream on top. Make the dessert with plant-based products only to make it healthier and guilt-free. 

If you prefer your dessert sweeter. For example, add some zero-calorie sweetener instead of sugar, such as stevia or erythritol. 

Cook with your grandkids

Are you looking for a recipe to prepare together with your grandkids? After all, it’s always a good idea to use cooking as a time to bond, and spend quality family time. They will want to help you with this one. What is more, it is easy, and there is nothing that can go wrong. Your grandkids will love the process and the result, too! 

First of all, they will be interested to see how to make their jello. I will give you another idea of how to spark curiosity even more! Pick some silicone molds with different animals or other funny characters. Fill them up with the cherry jello and let them eat it after that. Store them in the fridge for a few hours to set. It is going to be a healthy fruity wiggly treat, indeed. 

Bring some Jello to your party

Are you hosting a party? This cherry jello recipe can save the day! And it will make the preparation less stressful, too. 

It appears that a tropical theme party can’t go without jello. For instance, top it with a cocktail cherry and a piece of pineapple for a more summer feeling.

Besides, whether you are going to a Halloween party or a grandkids’ birthday party, jello is a great way to bring some tasty treats to the table. 

It is perfect for:

• Tropical theme party
• Christmas party
• Halloween party
• Birthday party
• Family reunion
• Cookout
• BBQ backyard party
• Picnic
• Cherry theme party

Without a doubt, it is easy to make, affordable, and healthy treat. You can prepare a batch of jello and serve it as a welcome drink if you are hosting the party.

You can easily change the appearance of the jello and decorate it according to the party theme. 

Are you going to a family reunion? Then, make a large batch of the most wonderful jello you will ever have in your life! 

Are you hosting a family Christmas dinner? The red color is traditional for this time of the year. It creates the festive and holiday feeling we all love! Make this cherry jello recipe and sprinkle it with coconut flakes on top to add some snowy mood. 

Or are you planning Valentine’s day party? No problem. Just use a heart-shaped pan and prepare the jello in this shape.

What types of fruit should you use?

In the recipe, we use canned cherries and pineapples. Actually, you can choose frozen if you prefer. 

Feel free to use any other fruit you like. Moreover, it is going to be amazing with strawberries and raspberries. 

However, to make it a different color, you can use peaches, mango, or blueberries. 

Kids-friendly recipe

Clearly, not only the grandkids, but adults love jello, too. It is so much fun. It is that tasty and inexpensive to prepare, that we can’t resist it. Moreover, I make jello for every occasion possible. And everyone enjoys it!

Generally speaking, we know that grandkids love eating food with bright colors and jello is one of them. Especially, cherry jello has an amazing red color! Serve it in small glasses with a decoration of fresh fruit and your grandkids will love it! 

Undoubtedly, you should bring jello to your next party. Surely, not an ordinary one, but the most wonderful jello you will ever have in your life!

How to store The most wonderful cherry jello you will ever eat in your life?

If you have any leftovers, consider yourself lucky, of course. Store the cherry jello in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. 

Avoid freezing the jello. 

How to serve the Cherry jello?

In the recipe, we use whipped cream to top the jello. You can use ice cream of your choice or vegan yogurt. 

Certainly, experiment to find what is the best flavor combo for you!

In conclusion

In short, satisfy your sweet tooth with this guilt-free jello treat. 

It is perfect for any occasion. Cherries and whipped cream come together for the ultimate fruit dessert! Offer this low-calorie delicious treat to your grandkids and make them happy. 

Last but not least, I hope that you try it and that maybe you too will think that it’s the most wonderful cherry jelly you have ever eaten in your life! It is worth every bite.

Did you like this tasty cherry jello recipe? We’d love for you to check out some of our other great recipes like these!

• Easy Cherry Cheesecake Recipe
• Cherry Cheesecake Dip With Cinnamon Pie Dippers
• Cherry Bars
• 25 Mouth-Watering Campfire Desserts
• Jello Stars Recipe

The post The Most Wonderful Cherry Jello You Will Ever Eat in Your Life appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

I love keeping cherry pie filling on hand at all times. Typically I keep a couple of extras in my pantry in case the “mood” strikes.

The mood strikes pretty often.

Especially in winter when I can’t get fresh cherries.

We live in Ontario, just across the border from Michigan. If you know anything about cherries you know Michigan is one of the best places for fresh cherries. So the bar is set high when it comes to how cherries taste.

If you can find a good canned, or jarred, cherry pie filling for the off-season then life is good. You can still get your sweet cherry fix throughout the colder months. Which is crucial for a gal like me.

Once or twice a month I like to whip up something cherrytastic. I just love cherry treats, whether it’s bars, or No Bake Cherry Cheesecakes, Toasted Coconut and Cherry Hand Pies, or Cherry Danish Dessert. It gives me that sweet fix I need to keep me happy until cherry season hits.

This was a dessert I kept seeing on Pinterest. Obviously I had to try it out. There are many versions of it out there. I have actually pinned a few different ones.

For the purpose of this post I used Taste of Home’s version, but tweaked it just a wee bit. I also really love Deliciously Sprinkled’s version, and have pinned that a few times as well.

You will see Cherry Bars or Cherry Kuchen Bars all over Pinterest and the net. Lots of bloggers have versions of them. Why? Because they are SO amazing.

These are super easy to make. They look absolutely beautiful so they are perfect for when you have guests over. They would also be fabulous to bring to showers or potlucks.

So whip up a batch today. Whether you call them Cherry Bars, Cherry Pie Bars or Cherry Kuchen Bars, these will be a huge hit with anyone who tries them.

I could barely keep my hands off them while taking photos. They are irresistible. I hope you become as obsessed with cherries as I am.

Enjoy and make sure you follow my obsessive antics on Pinterest!

Kim – Cravings of a Lunatic

Print

Cherry Bars

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 24 large or 36 small

Author Cravings of a Lunatic

Ingredients

Bar recipe:

• 1 cup butter softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon almond extract original calls for 1 tsp vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon almond
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon I prefer Roasted Saigon Cinnamon (original calls for no spices)
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg original calls for no spices
• 1 can cherry pie filling original calls for 2 cans

Glaze recipe:

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon almond extract original calls for 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1/2 tsp almond
• 2 to 3 tablespoons milk

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Spray a pan with non-stick spray. You can use a 15 x 10 inch pan (sheet pan) or a 9 x 13 casserole dish. You just won't get the straight edges with the pan I used. Things like that don't rattle this girl.
• In a large bowl combine the butter, sugar, and salt. Cream them together until light and fluffy. I used my stand mixer with my paddle attachment.
• Now add the eggs, one at a time, mixing really well after each addition.
• Add the extract, mix again.
• Now gradually add the flour, mix on low while adding until it's all combined. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg, mix briefly by hand.
• Pour about 3 cups of the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth it out.
• Now take spoonfuls of the cherry pie filling and drop them randomly over the batter.
• Smooth as best you can.
• Now take the remaining batter and drop spoonfuls of it randomly over the pie filling portion.
• Bake in preheated oven for about 30 to 35 minutes, you want the top golden brown.
• Remove the dish from the oven and allow to cool completely.
• In in a small bowl mix the confectioners' sugar, extract and milk.
• Start with 2 tablespoons of milk, then adjust by adding more until you get the desired consistency for your glaze. Now drizzle the glaze over the bars. You can do it neatly, or messy.
• Matters little in the grand scheme of things.
• Serve with a big old cherry loving smile.

 If you like this recipe, you are going to LOVE these!

Toasted Coconut and Cherry Hand Pies

Cherry Almond Macaroon Pie 

Cherry Cobbler Pizza

This amazing post can also be found on Whipperberry!

The post Cherry Bars appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

Mom and Dad weren’t so happy either.

But a lot of it was Tracy’s (the middle sister’s) fault for teaching me “the trick”. Only I can’t really, solidly put full blame on her for teaching me, because I learned it from her by eavesdropping. That is what little sisters do when they are shooed out of the room so big sisters can talk to their friends about things little sisters should not hear. That is how I learned how to fake a phone call.

Tracy and her friend were talking about how to use a service provided by the phone company to get out of…”stuff”. Whatever “stuff” you wanted to get out of. The service was intended to check and see if your phone line was working properly.

But if you were just a little bit devious, you could totally play it to your advantage. For those of you younger readers who are getting ideas, this technique is too old for you. It doesn’t work anymore. You are going to have to come up with your own tricks. Or better yet, stay honest.

The “stuff” I wanted to get out of was my piano lessons. When I started piano lessons, I had great intentions of becoming an amazing musician. I fancied composing, and envisioned my riches. Imagine my disappointment when I found out that virtuosos of the caliber I was aiming for practiced a lot.

Like all the time. Apparently they love to practice. It was shocking, really. And it sounded like work. Work I was not willing to do. I was so counting on natural talent to carry me through. Only, I wasn’t as naturally talented as I would have liked.

And that wasn’t my only problem.

There was the secretary at the middle school whose beautiful, long, perfectly shaped fingernails I envied. Oh how I wanted long fingernails like that. They were so chic and cool.

Mrs. Travers was very clear about her short nail policy. Pianists who are worth anything musically do not click when they play. Not only that, she was very strict about proper finger curvature, and so nails must be quite short, because when your hands were curved properly, even a little bit of length to your nails would make the offending sound.

So when I heard about the trick, I knew I had found the perfect solution. The trick worked like this. You pick up the phone and dial 1-1-9-9-1-1, wait to hear a ring, and hang up. Then, if your phone line was working properly, your phone would ring. Are you starting to see where I am going?

I wait until the day of my lesson. I watch for Mom to be in hearing distance, but out the line of sight, so she can hear, but can’t see what I am doing. I dial 1-1-9-9-1-1, wait for the ring and hang up. When the phone rings, I answer.

“Hello? Hi Mrs. Travers. Uh huh. Okay, I will tell her.”

“Mom! That was Mrs. Travers. She said to tell you she has to cancel my piano lesson today.”

At the end of the month I learned a little lesson. I know I should tell you I learned a moral lesson about honesty, and eventually I did, but what I learned first had a little more to do with economics. Turns out Mrs. Travers had a policy.

It was that if she cancelled, we did not owe her for the lesson. But if we cancelled the lesson, well, that was another story. At the end of the month, with three cancelled lessons supposedly to our credit, Mom wrote out the check. Three cancelled lessons should have clued Mom in, yes? Mrs. Travers informed Mom she had not written the check out for the full amount. Mom and Mrs. Travers had a little talk, and between the two of them, they managed to piece together my little deception.

And nobody was happy about it.

In the end, my parents were tired of the fight to get me to practice. They figured if I didn’t want to go to lessons that bad, forget the lessons. I got punished, to be sure. But in the end, I got what I wanted, whic was the chance to grow out my fingernails like the my 8th grade school secretary. I had been collecting bottles of paint in anticipation.

After weeks of careful, delicate nail filing and painting with strengthening nail polish I found out the horrible truth. I have the thinnest, weakest nails on the planet. Sometimes, when I run my hand through my hair, a strand of hair will cut through one of my nails! I have never been able to grow beautiful long nails like the uber cool school secretary.

So now, I have short nails. AND I can’t play the piano! At least can make a mean cookie. You think my using the word mean in this way is meant to say that these cookies are wicked good. They are. But that is not all that I mean. Take a close look at the cookie in the photo above and you will see what I am talking about.

Do you see it? The dried fruit eyes with the white chip nose? Over the left eye, did you find the raised eyebrow? How about the crack in the cookie? Does it look like it is jeering to you? I swear that cookie is downright snarky looking. I think it is mocking me, my short fingernails, and my inability to play the piano.

So you want to know what I did about it?

I bit its head off.

And it tasted so good.

This red, white and blue cookie tastes so amazing, the Founding Fathers would be proud to eat it. With oatmeal, white chips, dried cranberries and blueberries, this is the perfect all American cookie for every patriotic holiday.

These Revolution Cookies are so good you won’t want to wait for a holiday to make them. Make them now. But if you gain a few pounds because of them, don’t bite my head off!

Eat another cookie instead.

Print

Revolution Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup softened butter
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 2 1/2 cup flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon water
• 1 cups white chips
• 1 cups dried fruit of your choice dried cranberries, cherries, blueberries are my favorites

Instructions

• Cream together butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugars. Add vanilla, and eggs and beat until well blended.
• Combine oats, flour, salt and baking soda. Slowly add 1/2 of the dry ingredients to butter mixture until combined. Mix in teaspoon of water and then the remaining dry ingredients.
• Stir in chips and dried fruit.
• Using medium cookie scoop, or generous spoonful drop on parchment or Silpat lined cookie sheet.
• Bake at 325 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Here are a few other “don’t miss” recipes we have made lately:

Ritz Rolo Sandwich Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownie TrufflesPeanut Butter Chocolate Cheerios Chunks

This post is linked to: Cornerstone Confessions, Homestories A to Z, Carolyn’s Homework, Funky Polka Dot Giraffe, Cupcakes and Crinoline, Sugar Bee Crafts, Mandy’s Recipe Box, LadyBug Blessings, Chef in Training, Memories by the Mile, Hun, What’s For Dinner?, The Recipe Critic, The Pint Sized Baker, Making the World Cuter,  Lines Across, Ninth Street Notions, Artsy Fartsy Mama, Keeping it Simple Crafts, DIY Showoff, Keeping it Simple Crafts, Living Well Spending Less, Lil’Luna, Fluster Buster, Nap Time Creations, Sugar Bee Crafts

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