Missed the other parts? Find them here: Check out Part 1 Part 2 is here. Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20   Dear Diary, It’s me, Jessica. Daniel, Savannah, and several others had set up fires back and to the far side of the barrier.  Over the fires, they had large pots of boiling water.  They were sitting on logs with medical shears and knives, cutting a pile of bed sheets into strips for bandages. It must have been a lesson learned from the Battle of Four Corners.  They would then boil to sterilize the bandages and let them cool in other clean pots.   Jack walked along the barrier, passing the word for everyone to check their reloads, to “make ready,” and not to waste ammunition on machine gun nests unless they had a good, clean shot.  He gave words of reassurance, even making jokes to ease the tension in the air.  Several began to joke back with him or to others around them.   Then, Rae started it in her rich, Southern voice,   “I admit, at first, I was afraid; I was petrified.”  It was the opening song line from that football movie we had line danced to, I Will Survive. I joined in. Surprisingly, so did Sean. Then others across the barrier.   Savannah got up from her log and began to line dance.   Rae and I both hopped out behind our positions and synced with Savannah.  So did Sean and a few others.   Jack facepalmed, but I could see his shoulders shaking with laughter.   It may not have been a battle hymn, but it was Four Corners.   The sharp bark of a short burst from the machine gun on the hill ended our song and dance routine as we jumped back into our positions.   The mobile machine gun nests were on the move.  Under the weight of the heavy wood and the plate steel, the men pushing from the rear slowly advanced them toward the barrier.  When they were about a hundred yards, the nests stopped, and the machine guns opened fire with a roar.  There were two medium machine guns in each nest.  Each gun fired alternative long bursts all along the barrier.  Bullets slammed into the barrier, and the metal structure of the vehicles that made up the barrier ripped through the air just above our heads as we took cover.   We heard a long burst from our own machine gun, along with single shots from the marksmen.  The men who pushed the mobile machine gun nests tried to run back to their lines, but a few of them got cut down; the rest stopped and ran back to take cover behind the nests.   Behind the cult’s wagon lines, a pole was raised with two flags on it.  The upper one was red, and the lower one was white.  The machine gun nests paused.  All four guns pulled back into the nests.   In the sudden deafening silence, Sean asked, “What are they doing?” “Swapping out barrels,” Jack responded.  “Loading fresh belts.”  Jack shouted to the barrier’s left and right, “Stand ready!”   The barrels of the machine guns reappeared.  All four guns fired in longer bursts all along the barrier.  No one could return a shot without a real chance of getting shot in the head.  From their wagon line, a dozen or so men shot at our machine gun position at rapid fire, pinning them down.   Two groups of four riders from each side of their wagon line came around, under the cover of the machine guns, and rode right between them.  Their horses easily jumped over our defensive trenches.  Grappling hooks were tossed over the wooden panels Jack and the others had installed during the night.  The hooks rode up on our side of the wood, once they topped the panels and the riders “set” them.  A moment later, the panels were ripped down.   Those of us who saw what happened cried out in alarm.   “It’s okay,” Jack shouted.  “They did the work for us!”  He then turned, facing South, and shouted, “Send them!  Send them!” Others who took cover along the North Road, passed the word down the line.   The machine gun nests continued to fire as their riders returned to their lines.  Once again, they paused to swap out barrels and reload fresh belts.   Jack nodded to no one, stepped out into the now empty space where the wooden panels stood a few moments ago, aimed a rifle with a grenade launcher underneath the barrel at one of the machine gun nests, and fired a grenade.  While Jack had the most experience with a grenade launcher, it fell just short and impacted under the front of the mobile machine gun nest.  The result was still devastating.  The explosion flipped over the entire nest ten feet in the air, landing just behind where it was.  The men taking cover behind the nest who were not killed in the explosion were crushed as it crashed down on top of them.  The nest box collapsed under its own weight and the effects of gravity.   Jack noted the grenade’s impact and stepped back behind the barrier, adjusting to the grenade launcher sights and reloading all in one swift movement.  He then stepped back into the open space as he shouldered the rifle.  The barrels of the machine guns reappeared.  Jack took the shot. This time, the grenade struck the nest just below the gun slot, and the whole front end was destroyed.  The force of the explosion launched the nest back several feet, killing some of the men taking cover behind it and maiming others.   Everyone on both sides was in shock as to what just happened.  No one moved, no one said anything.   Then I felt it before I heard it.  The ground was rumbling.  What sounded like thunder in the distance grew closer.  I turned to look.  Mr. Miller, Mrs. Miller, Billy, Janet, and Justin were driving what had to be one hundred head of cattle up the North road toward the barrier at a run.   It was a stampede.  As they approached the barrier, the cattle saw the opening where the wooden panels had been and funneled themselves through, past the defensive trenches and toward the cult’s wagon line.  With no opening, the cattle stampede straight through.  Some of the wagons were overturned.  Others were tossed to one side only to be thrown again by other cattle.  Some men on their line tried to shoot the cattle.  They died first, either under an upturned wagon or under 1,200 pounds of hooves.  Others turned and tried to flee, only to get run down.  The two smaller tents were razed.  One-half of the big tent came down.  The horses that pulled the wagons, feeling, hearing, and seeing the oncoming stampede, all pulled on their picket lines at the same time, northward and ripped the anchors for the picket lines out.  The horses ran away in a panic.   It was absolute chaos. “Yeah,” Jack said aloud, watching from the open space in the barrier, rifle butt on his one hip, the sound of the stampede receding in the distance.   “That turned out better than I planned.” Entry two Jack passed the word for everyone to maintain their positions and keep watch.  He called for a “damage” report.  Despite the machine gun fire, no one on the barrier was hurt or killed.  Aside from Jack, no one on the barrier even got a chance to return fire.  The positions on the hillside were the only ones who did.  Two of the marksmen on the hill took hits but were not serious.  Jack simply said, “We got lucky.” We could see some movement.  A few undamaged wagons were attached to the rider’s horses and turned away from their line.  After an hour, Jack turned to me, held out the binoculars, nodded toward the hillside, and said, “Check it out.  Take your time.  Make sure of what you see.” “On it, Jack.” I did not bother to low crawl this time but sprinted up to the hillside position.  After about thirty minutes of watching through the binoculars, I returned to report. “I did not see any movement.  A number of bodies on the ground, likely more under the overturned wagons or in the tents.  A few dead horses and cows.” Jack nodded.  After a moment, he called up three teams to recon the situation.  One to each side of the road, one up the middle.   Jack lead the middle team, I was at his one side, my rifle at “the ready,” as was the rest of the team.   The remaining wagons were in various conditions of destruction.  Some could be salvaged.  Others were firewood.  As I reported, there were some dead men under the wagons.  There were many more between their line and the tents.   Jack stopped and stood over one body.   I only recognized him by his clothing.  The head and body had been smashed so many times by the stampede, driving the body nearly flush with the ground. It was their military tactician. We found other bodies in similar condition.  Those that were not absolutely crushed clearly had severe head wounds they died of or were twisted and mangled in impossible positions. One of those bodies twisted and mangled into impossible positions was Sarah.  I knelt down over her.  I reached out to turn her over but stopped myself.  I did not want to see what was left of her face.  I pulled my hand back. Diary, I did not feel happy, glad, or triumphant at that moment.  We had won, with no losses.  But kneeling over her body, I could only feel sad for her.  For what she must have endured under the life in the cult.  Being used as a spy.  Only to die like this.   Entry three After our sweep, we found only the dead.  The cult’s survivors had taken what they could with the remaining wagons and left.  Reverend Ishmael’s body was not among the dead.  Thankfully, neither were the other two spies, Samuel and Abigail.   We took the horses and cows that died and would have our own celebration after we had a funeral pyre for their dead.  By our count, thirty-four of the cult members died – mostly men but a few women too. While many ate well, drank, sang, and danced, I sat down next to Billy with a plate of steak and roasted vegetables.  I knew I was hungry but did not feel it.   Billy was kind enough to notice my mood.  He told me of how Jack talked with his father, then staged the fake revelation in front of the spies, and he and his dad would actually go to the East to find one of the loose herds of cattle to bring them in for the stampede.  Billy noted one, maybe two calvings, and those loose herds would become completely wild.  They would be like the wild water buffalo of South Africa or the Bison of the American Great Plains.   I realized he was trying to change the subject and reached out with one hand to his and said, “Thank you.” I then changed the subject myself and talked about how I enjoyed teaching reading to my students and marksmanship.   Diary, Billy, and I ate our dinner, talked, and laughed.  We even danced later around the fires.  In the quiet moments, I could not help but think of Sarah. Entry four Diary, it appears our house is now the central square of the neighborhood.   With Dad’s open invitation to use his outdoor oven and stove, people were constantly coming over to bake bread, cook a meal, or smoke meat.  Dad built a large wooden table eight feet long by five feet wide. People would roll out their bread into loaves on either side of the table while chatting.   Mom thoroughly enjoyed having people over to talk to.  Some would bring bags of tea for hot or cold drinks.  Others would make a little extra of their breakfast or lunch to share.   HAM Guy would come by occasionally to give us the latest news he heard on the radio nets.  Someone would always give him a plate of food or a loaf of bread in exchange. Several groups were now declaring themselves as the new federal government, each with their own president.  Each is promising to rebuild and restore America to its former self.  A few announced their own separate nations entirely. There were a few coalitions and one New England confederacy.  HAM Guy gave a snort at the irony of a New England “confederacy.”  And one guy has pronounced himself as the King of New America.   The HAM guy in the city reported there is a flu going around.  He says it does not seem too bad but people with young children and the elderly are keeping away from others as a precaution.  The gang that Jack went to the city to trade for antibiotics has established their “turf” from other gangs.  There is an occasional fight between gangs, but things are mostly peaceful.  They cannot afford a prolonged war and they do have to trade with each other sometimes. Our HAM Guy made a connection with a woman claiming to be from Ireland.  According to her, the UK and the EU have collapsed into general chaos.  Most of them still have power but there is a lot of fighting in the streets.  Gangs with weapons have overpowered local governments and have taken over entire towns and cities in countries with strict gun control laws.  There were un-verified accounts of ethnic cleansing of all kinds.  She also said there was a war going on but no one seems to know who is fighting who or where.  As far as she knows, Iceland and Greenland are the only countries completely unscathed.  She heard reports that America was having its own civil war. HAM Guy just shrugged his shoulders and said he would try to keep in touch with her. There is rancher up north HAM Guy was talking to on the radio nets even before the power went out. He reported they already had snow.  It is a good two or three weeks early for them.  He was lucky he had a good summer and leftover hay from the previous year to keep his herds fed, but he thought he would have to either cull part of his herd or let them go wild.  Culling the herd, there was no market to send them to.  He, his family, all the ranch hands, and their families could not eat that much beef without it going bad.  Wild seemed the better idea. A guy down in Texas reported at first, after the power went out, the Mexican drug cartels came across the border en masse and tried to take over entire regions.  Control corridors for their drug trade.  Then the Texas National Guard showed up and would shoot anyone and everyone who could not prove they were Americans.  With tanks, APCs, helicopters, and troop numbers, the drug cartels were quickly out-gunned and out-manned.  But HAM Guy said, “Here is the real kicker.  With the power out and all our infrastructure down, the drug cartels no longer had access to their market.  There is no means to sell to their buyers.  Their buyers no longer had access to money.  And it didn’t take long until money had no meaning.  Everyone was fighting over things like food and fuel.  They left.  There was no profit in it.  Then, they found themselves in the same situation as we were in Mexico.  No power.  Suddenly, things got real local, real fast.” The guy in Texas even said there were reports of green card holders crossing back into Mexico as they felt it was safer there than in America.   Diary, how messed up is that? About 1stMarineJarHead 1stMarineJarHead is not only a former Marine, but also a former EMT-B, Wilderness EMT (courtesy of NOLS), and volunteer firefighter. He currently resides in the great white (i.e. snowy) Northeast with his wife and dogs. He raises chickens, rabbits, goats, occasionally hogs, cows and sometimes ducks. He grows various veggies and has a weird fondness for rutabagas. He enjoys reading, writing, cooking from scratch, making charcuterie, target shooting, and is currently expanding his woodworking skills. The post Dear Diary, It’s Me, Jessica: Part 21 appeared first on The Organic Prepper.

It was an age where science promised so much, but did these promises extend to life beyond the grave?

This content is for members only. Visit the site and log in/register to read. The post Khamar-Daban Incident: Russia’s Other ‘Dyatlov Pass’ That Few Know About appeared first on Anomalien.com.

Los Angeles Times columnist LZ Granderson joined PBS News Hour on Friday to attack his paper’s “extremely frustrating” decision not to endorse Kamala Harris in the presidential election. New York Times counterpart and alleged conservative counterweight David Brooks agreed, saying the Times and Washington Post’s similar decision “hurt the integrity of the paper.” Host Geoff Bennett asked Granderson, “What does all of this signal to you, the moves by the owners of the L.A. Times and the Washington Post to not endorse in this race?”     Granderson replied, “Well, as you noted, I'm an op-ed columnist for Los Angeles Times. And so I need to be careful with my verbiage here, so I don't find myself on the unemployment line. But I will say this: I am extremely disappointed.” He further claimed, “Given what I have been reporting and writing over the years, certainly over the last couple of years, and what I have been reading in our own newspaper, I did not think that an endorsement was going to be something that was going to be controversial.” Granderson also claimed, “As a journalist and as a professor of journalism, this is extremely frustrating and disappointing and does not meet the moment that the nation is at right now.” Brooks agreed, but first gave a history lesson, “We used to have yellow journalism in this country, where we had the owners really running the papers as personal ideological fiefdoms. We crawled away from that over decades and decades, and that was hard-earned independence for journalists, that there's a Chinese wall between the business side of the paper and the editorial side of the paper. And I think that Chinese wall is valuable to the integrity of our publications.” He then lamented, “And when it seems like the owner is interfering with editorial decisions, then you have smashed the wall, you have hurt the integrity of the paper, and you may be trying to avoid retribution from Donald Trump, but at the cost of some level of integrity for your publication.” Bennett then asked if any of this actually matters, “Are presidential endorsements by newspapers or newspaper editorial boards, are they necessary or effective these days?” Brooks admitted they are not, “but it's the principle of creating the — creating this idea of editorial independence.” “Independence” is a funny word choice. With the exception of a non-endorsement in 1988, the Post has exclusively endorsed Democrats since 1976. The L.A. Times, meanwhile, went from 1976-2004 without a single endorsement and since has endorsed only Democrats. Brooks’s New York Times hasn’t endorsed a Republican since Dwight Eisenhower in 1956. It's more accurate to say Democrats feel a sense of entitlement to own major newspapers' editorial sections. Brooks did concede, “Everybody has their own opinion already. And, frankly, it's not a mystery which candidate the Washington Post actually supports.” As Bennett started to wrap things up, Granderson interrupted in order to get in some closing thoughts, “It's very frustrating as a journalist to work for a publication that won't endorse someone when one of the candidates wants to arrest you for doing your job. It's frustrating.” Clearly such rhetoric is so hyperbolic, even the top brass at the L.A. Times and Washington Post find it to be, literally, unbelievable. Here is a transcript for the October 25 show: PBS News Hour 10/25/2024 7:51 PM ET GEOFF BENNETT: In the time that remains, I want to discuss the news about the news, namely the landscape around the newspaper editorial board presidential endorsements, in this case, the non-endorsements. LZ, what is all of this signal to you, the moves by the owners of the L.A. Times and the Washington Post to not endorse in this race? LZ GRANDERSON: Well, as you noted, I'm an op-ed columnist for Los Angeles Times. And so I need to be careful with my verbiage here, so I don't find myself on the unemployment line. But I will say this: I am extremely disappointed. I have been covering national politics for 20 years, starting with Bush v. Gore. Every newspaper I have worked at had endorsed. And so, given what I have been reporting and writing over the years, certainly over the last couple of years, and what I have been reading in our own newspaper, I did not think that an endorsement was going to be something that was going to be controversial. I don't know the background of the decisions of both the Times, as well as the Washington Post. I would just say, as a journalist and as a professor of journalism, this is extremely frustrating and disappointing and does not meet the moment that the nation is at right now. BENNETT: David, how do you see it? DAVID BROOKS: Pretty much the same way. Most journalists will probably see the same thing. We used to have yellow journalism in this country, where we had the owners really running the papers as personal ideological fiefdoms. We crawled away from that over decades and decades, and that was hard-earned independence for journalists, that there's a Chinese wall between the business side of the paper and the editorial side of the paper. And I think that Chinese wall is valuable to the integrity of our publications. And when it seems like the owner is interfering with editorial decisions, then you have smashed the wall, you have hurt the integrity of the paper, and you may be trying to avoid retribution from Donald Trump, but at the cost of some level of integrity for your publication. BENNETT: David, in your view, are presidential endorsements by newspapers or newspaper editorial boards, are they necessary or effective these days? BROOKS: No, but it's the principle of creating the — creating this idea of editorial independence. I think Sewell Chan said it earlier in the program, that I think state and local and judgeship, those kind of editorial endorsements are tremendously powerful. I know I follow, frankly, the Washington Post editorial choices on a lot of local races, because I basically trust their judgment. But on a presidential race, everybody has their own opinion already. And, frankly, it's not a mystery which candidate the Washington Post actually supports. BENNETT: David Brooks… GRANDERSON: It's very frustrating to me. If I just may— BENNETT: Sure. GRANDERSON: -- it's very frustrating as a journalist to work for a publication that won't endorse someone when one of the candidates wants to arrest you for doing your job. It's frustrating. BROOKS: Absolutely.

Futuristic sci-fi survival game The Forever Winter might appear like an extraction looter shooter at first, but its terrifying, war-torn world makes it a much more tense and demanding experience than likes of Once Human or Escape From Tarkov. Attempting to eke out existence in the shadow of rival factions clashing with their titanic battle machines, even firing a single shot is a risk, and it’s all you and your friends can do to stay alive. In a new developer blog, Fun Dog Studios covers some of the community’s biggest questions as it looks to what’s coming next. Continue reading Grimdark sci-fi survival game The Forever Winter plans more futuristic weapons MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best horror games, Best co-op games, Best survival games

Bait & Switch Alert! Here's What Happens When a Crowd Comes for Beyoncé but Gets Kamala Harris

Biscoff Cupcakes are the most delicious semi-homemade dessert! Made from yellow cake mix, filled with Biscoff cookie butter and topped with a creamy homemade Biscoff buttercream frosting! DECADENTLY EASY CUPCAKES Are you a fan of cookie butter (a.k.a. Biscoff cookie butter). If you have never tried this delicious stuff, you are missing out! It used to be you could just get the cookies, then Biscoff took it a step further and created cookie butter (it has the texture of peanut butter) and it tastes just like the lightly spiced cookie! Lots of other brands make it now. Stores have created their own version. Trader Joe’s has a yummy version as well. For this recipe we take a boxed yellow cake mix and turn it into sweet, soft Biscoff flavored cupcakes with a creamy surprise filling. No one will ever know these started with a cake mix! FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:  What is cookie butter? It is made from finely ground Biscoff cookies (also called Speculoos cookies) along with other ingredients like flour and butter and sugar. It has the texture of peanut butter but it is sweeter. Biscoff (speculoos) cookies are a lightly spiced cookie and have a very unique taste. I’d like to describe them similar to gingerbread but they just are their own category and not like gingerbread. Think more caramel flavored. Where of I find cookie butter in the grocery store? As I said earlier, you can buy the name brand cookie butter called Biscoff. You may see it named “Cookie Butter” or “Speculoos Cookie Butter”. You can generally find it where the peanut butter and other nut butters are located. You may even find it where to condiments are located. My Kroger has a display of it in the bakery section. How do I keep the cookie butter from sticking to the measuring up? This is what I do for sticky ingredients like honey and peanut butter. Spray your measuring cup with a little nonstick cooking spray before measuring. The cookie butter will slide right out! Can I turn these cupcakes into a cake? Yes. This can be made in a 9×13-inch cake pan. Just use the baking times that are on the back of your cake mix box. For the filling part, treat this like a poke cake recipe, use the end of a wooden spoon to poke some holes in the cake once baked to pour the melted cookie butter in and then once the cake has completely cooled, you can add the homemade buttercream frosting. I’m worried these will be too rich or sweet, what can I do? This is a slightly decadent cupcake, I like cookie butter but what if you need to cut the sweetness a bit, here is what I would suggest. You can certainly forgo coring the cupcakes and adding cookie butter to the center. Or you can change up the cupcake flavor and leave out the cookie butter in the cupcake batter, try using just a vanilla or plain chocolate cupcake instead. What do I do if my buttercream frosting is too runny? Add a bit more powdered sugar and mix well before assessing the consistency again. How to store leftover cupcakes? You can store these cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 3 days. They can be frozen for up to 3 months. INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE) yellow cake mix– I used Duncan Hines Classic Yellow, but any cake mix will do. If you choose a different brand, you’ll need to use the specific ingredients and quantities mentioned on the back of that brands box. Different brands will require different amounts of eggs, water, oil, etc. Additionally, you can use a Homemade Yellow Cake Mix as well. water  large eggs vegetable oil Biscoff cookie butter– this is used both in the frosting and in the cake filling. If you prefer a different brand of cookie butter, you can use that. Biscoff is just a common brand that most everyone knows and tends to prefer. unsalted butter– softened to room temperature to be used in the buttercream frosting. Here are some tips on How To Soften Butter Quickly. powdered sugar vanilla extract heavy cream – if you have never used heavy cream in a buttercream frosting, then now is the time! It creates the perfect texture for this frosting. salt HOW TO MAKE BISCOFF CUPCAKES Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and line two muffin tins with cupcake liners. Spray the inside of the liners lightly with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, combine the yellow cake mix, water, eggs, oil and Biscoff cookie butter until fully combined. Fill each liner just a bit more than half full. Bake on the middle oven rack for about 20 minutes or until the cupcake springs back after pressing it. I recommend only baking one muffin tin at a time for even baking. Or if you are cooking on two racks that you occasionally rotate the racks as different parts of the oven can heat unevenly. Note: doing this may add to the baking time as you lose heat every time you open the oven door to rotate the muffin tins. Let them cool completely then core the center of each cupcake using a cupcake corer, small spoon or a large straw. I suggest not to core too deep and make sure to leave a little bit of cake at the bottom. Microwave ¼ cup of cookie butter for about 10-15 seconds or until you can stir and pour it easily. Spoon or gently pour the cookie batter into each of the cupcake holes and set aside. For the frosting: In a large bowl, cream the softened butter and cookie butter together using a hand or stand mixer. Beat in the vanilla extract and pinch of salt. Then, mix in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time. As it thickens, slowly add the heavy cream until you reach the desired consistency. Using a butter knife or piping bag with a Wilton 1M Tip, spread or pipe on  the buttercream onto each cupcake. Optional: Drizzle on any leftover melted cookie butter and sprinkle on a bit of crushed biscoff cookies to decorate. CRAVING MORE RECIPES?  Homemade Pumpkin Cupcakes Gingerbread Cupcakes Hostess Cupcakes Coca Cola Cupcakes Cherry Chocolate Chip Cupcakes Banana Pudding Cupcakes Wedding Cake Cupcakes Green Velvet Cupcakes Pecan Pie Cupcakes Print Biscoff Cupcakes Tender yellow cupcake batter mixed with Biscoff cookie butter, filled with a cookie butter filling and topped with a cookie butter flavored buttercream frosting. Course DessertCuisine American Prep Time 35 minutes minutesCook Time 20 minutes minutesTotal Time 55 minutes minutes Servings 24 Calories 366kcal Author Brandie @ The Country Cook IngredientsCupcakes:1 box yellow cake mix (I used Duncan Hines Classic Yellow)1 cup water3 large eggs½ cup vegetable oil½ cup Biscoff cookie butterFilling:¼ cup Biscoff cookie butterButtercream Frosting:1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature1 cup Biscoff cookie butter½ Tablespoon vanilla extractpinch of salt3-4 cups powdered sugar4-5 Tablespoons heavy cream InstructionsPreheat the oven to 350F degrees and line two muffin tins with cupcake liners. Spray the inside of the liners lightly with nonstick cooking spray.In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, combine 1 box yellow cake mix, 1 cup water, 3 large eggs, ½ cup vegetable oil and ½ cup Biscoff cookie butter until fully combined. Fill each liner just a bit more than half full.Bake on the middle oven rack for about 20 minutes or until the cupcake springs back after pressing it. I recommend only baking one muffin tin at a time for even baking. Or if you are cooking on two racks that you occasionally rotate the racks as different parts of the oven can heat unevenly. Note: doing this may add to the baking time as you lose heat every time you open the oven door to rotate the muffin tins. Let them cool completely then core the center of each cupcake using a cupcake corer, small spoon or a large straw. I suggest not to core too deep and make sure to leave a little bit of cake at the bottom. Microwave ¼ cup Biscoff cookie butter for about 10-15 seconds or until you can stir and pour it easily. Spoon or gently pour the cookie batter into each of the cupcake holes and set aside. For the frosting: In a large bowl, cream 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature and 1 cup Biscoff cookie butter using a hand or stand mixer. Beat in ½ Tablespoon vanilla extract and pinch of salt. Then, mix in 3-4 cups powdered sugar, one cup at a time. As it thickens, slowly add 4-5 Tablespoons heavy cream heavy cream until you reach the desired consistency. (Note: you will use more powdered sugar for a thicker consistency and less powdered sugar for a thinner consistency.) Using a butter knife or piping bag with a Wilton 1M Tip, spread or pipe on the buttercream onto each cupcake. Optional: Drizzle on a little melted cookie butter on top of the frosting (making sure it has cooled a little first) and sprinkle on a bit of crushed Biscoff cookies to decorate. Notes Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions. NutritionCalories: 366kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 21g | Sodium: 167mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 30g

By Peter Demos, Op-ed contributor Saturday, October 26, 2024iStock/pcess609I’m often surprised by how frequently people assume I’m a minister, pastor or preacher when they see me carrying my Bible.…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 42:29 — 58.4MB)Subscribe: Android | RSS | MoreIn this timely episode of “2A for Today,” Dr. Joe Wolverton engages in a critical conversation with…