Every region of the world has its unique flavors and spices. In many cases, the best way to discover a new cuisine is by its spice rack. No other ingredient can help us taste the characteristic flavors of a cuisine quite as easily, immediately tipping us off to the differences between a mild German dish and a spice-packed Indian one. But spices also tell the story of our world—the history of how we’re all connected. As people have brought their flavors with them, they’ve been shared and reinterpreted giving us the various, vastly different global, national, and regional cuisines we love to explore.
When you think of spiced chicken loaf, a mixture of ground chicken combined with a lot of hot spices and baked in a loaf pan comes to mind. In this particular chicken loaf, you use boneless/skinless chicken pieces along with an assortment of spices which are roasted together in a loaf form. Once baked, slices of the chicken loaf become a tasty filling served in pita bread.
The pockets in pita bread make them perfect for making sandwiches, wraps or other types of recipes you can hold in your hand.
Traditional pita bread is a round bread with a pocket in the middle. Pita bread must be cooked in ovens that can get extremely hot (at least 500° F). The pocket in a pita is made by steam, which puffs up the dough during the baking process. When the bread cools, it becomes flat again, but a pocket is left in the middle of the bread.
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Spicy Chicken Loaf
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Instructions
Combine spices in a bowl. Slice chicken into strips & place in a plastic bag. Add spices & toss to coat chicken well.
Line a glass 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper & place the chicken in layers one on top the other, alternating dark & white meat. Cover with plastic wrap & refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
When you are ready to cook the chicken, preheat oven to 350 F.
Place onion semi-circles & hot green pepper (if using) over the chicken. Drizzle with olive oil & sprinkle with black pepper.
Roast for about 1 -1 1/2 hours. Remove the loaf & pour off the liquids that have accumulated in the pan. It is important that the loaf be 'dry', without liquids.
Remove from the pan, transfer to a cutting board & slice. Serve as part of a pita bread filling.
People in Mexico, the Mediterranean, and South Asia have been eating wraps since around the 1900’s. The wrap in its Western form probably comes from California, as a generalization of the Mexican/Tex-Mex burrito and became popular in the 1990’s.
Wraps have become a popular option in sandwich shops and restaurants, and for good reason. Like all sandwiches, wraps are an outlet for culinary creativity. A wrap can be anything you want it to be – breakfast, lunch, dinner, even a snack!
Wraps offer the same flexibility and creative options as a sandwich, but in a more convenient format all rolled up in a tasty tortilla or flatbread. The usual flatbreads are wheat tortillas, lavash or pita; the filling may include cold sliced meat, poultry, or fish, shredded lettuce, diced tomato, guacamole, sautéed mushrooms, bacon, grilled onions, cheese, and a sauce, such as Ranch dressing or honey mustard.
They are the perfect on-the-go meal. Most wraps can be eaten one-handed, leaving the rest of you free to continue about your day. They’re the perfect meal solution for a busy schedule.
It is remarkably easy to create your own personalized wrap: choose a bread, pick your condiments, layer your fillings, decide whether you want to grill it or not and enjoy. Does it get any better than that!
I have to admit, I absolutely love wraps so I like to fit them in to our meals whenever I can. These zesty chicken wraps are so good !
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Zesty Chicken Wraps
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Instructions
Chicken
In a large bowl, combine 2 Tbsp oil, lemon juice & seasonings; add chicken & turn to coat. Cover & refrigerate for 1-4 hours.
Filling
In a heavy skillet, heat 2 Tbsp oil & sauté zucchini & onions until tender crisp. Remove & keep warm. Drain marinade from chicken & cook in the same skillet until no longer pink, about 5-6 minutes. Return zucchini/onion to pan, heat through.
Assembly
Lightly spread 4 tortillas with a bit of guacamole or sour cream. Spoon filling down the center of tortillas. Add toppings saving a good bit of the cheese for sprinkling over them after they are rolled.
Roll up & place on a microwave safe dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese & microwave only until cheese is melted. Top with sliced green onions & tiny grape tomatoes. Serve extra toppings on the side if you like.
When you think of an English muffin, breakfast usually comes to mind. An egg and bacon sandwich, melty peanut butter with jelly, or something as elegant as eggs benedict. While English muffins are great for breakfast, they also make a toasty lunch or snack!
Everyone’s tried English muffin pizzas at one point in their life. They offer all the flavors of traditional pizza without the hassle of dough.
Pizza took off across North America during the 1950s. There were numerous contributing factors to the rise in the sudden popularity, but one that profoundly shaped every day cooking was the desire for more convenient foods.
Takeout pizza from restaurants offered a great way to save on time but could be costly. Domestic brands knew one way to appeal to the 1950s ‘housewife’, was combining the convenience of opening a can or jar with the thriftiness of eating at home.
In 1954, Hunt’s brand tomato sauce started advertising the ‘English Muffin Pizza’ with the hope of selling more canned tomato sauce.
The ad called it a 10-minute pizza and included a prominent photo of a can of Hunt’s Tomato Sauce.
Back then, Mozzarella was not too familiar to the average home cooks, so the ad refers to it as ‘pizza cheese.’ Helpfully, the marketing suggests brick, Swiss, or other good melting cheeses.
Although these shrimp, bacon & pineapple pizzas take a bit of time to make, they are well worth it. Don’t be put off by the odd sounding combination of ingredients, they pair well!
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Shrimp, Bacon & Pineapple 'Pizza'
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Instructions
Crush panko crumbs slightly. In a plastic bag, place the Tbsp of flour. Add shrimp & shake to dust with flour. Add beaten egg to bag & shake to moisten shrimp. Add panko crumbs & OLD BAY seasoning. Shake to coat shrimp well. Set aside in refrigerator.
Shred cheese & chop pineapple. Slice English muffins & very lightly butter.
Grill bacon until cooked but not crisp. Set aside on paper towel. Sauté onions & mushrooms in bacon drippings, remove from griddle. Wipe griddle, then spray with cooking spray & cook shrimp 3-5 minutes. Push to one side & warm pineapple for a couple of minutes. Toast muffins.
Place muffin halves on a baking sheet; cover each half with some of the cheese, mushrooms, onions, more cheese & pineapple.
Broil 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with bacon & shrimp. Serve with guacamole & diced tomatoes on the side.
The French dip sandwich is on menus across North America and beyond, from delis to upscale restaurants, served as it was originally conceived or with some variants. For instance, cheese might show up on the thinly sliced beef; some might be smeared with mustard or horseradish. It has also provided inspiration for other cultural dishes.
Although the French Dip Sandwich is not French, (the name referring to the kind of bread used to make the sandwich, a French baguette, rather than its origin), the inventor, Philippe Mathieu was. In 1918, Philippe owned the still existing delicatessen and sandwich shop called Philippe the Original in Los Angeles.
According to the story at the restaurant, Philippe was preparing a sandwich for a policeman and accidentally dropped the sliced French roll into the drippings of a roasting pan. The policeman liked the sandwich and came back the next day with some friends to order the sandwich dipped in the meat pan. As they say, and the rest is history.
However, there is a second theory that the sandwich was created in 1908 at Cole’s P. E. Buffet in LA, possibly for a customer with sore gums, who requested that the crunchy bread be softened with meat juice. For what it’s worth, the controversy remains unresolved.
The classic French dip is a sandwich traditionally consisting of sliced roast beef, served on French bread, and eaten au jus (‘with juice,’ referring to the flavorful drippings of the meat left over from roasting). The juice is commonly served on the side in a small dipping bowl.
These French dip tortilla roll ups put an interesting Mexican spin on the classic.
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French Dip Tortilla Roll Ups
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Instructions
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Lay out 4 tortillas on a work surface. Distribute shredded provolone cheese evenly over each of the tortillas. Place thin slices of roast beef evenly over the cheese, then sprinkle the French-fried onions on top.
Roll up each tortilla tightly & place seam side down in a greased baking dish. Brush the remaining oil over the tops of the roll-ups.
Bake about 10-15 minutes, until roll-ups are browned.
While the roll-ups are baking, combine the beef consommé, water, soy sauce, onion & garlic powder in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until warmed through.
Slice roll-ups in half & serve with warm sauce for dipping.
Focaccia, known and loved in Italy and abroad, is yeasted flat bread which belongs essentially to the northern shores of the Mediterranean and has its origin in classical antiquity. Early versions were cooked on the hearth of a hot fire, or on a heated tile or earthenware disk, like the related flatbreads. Bakers often puncture the bread with a knife to relieve bubbling on the surface of the bread. Also common is the practice of dotting the bread. This creates multiple wells in the bread by using a finger or the handle of a utensil to poke the unbaked dough. As a way to preserve moisture in the bread, olive oil is then spread over the dough, by hand or with a brush prior to rising and baking.
The Latin root of the word focaccia is ‘focus’ and refers to cooking by a fireplace or hearth, literally a focal point for the family, a place where dough was baked over hot stones, fire and ashes.
Focaccia is not pizza and is about 2000 years older, a sort of missing link between traditional flat bread and pizza. Above all it is distinctly Italian. Focaccia has undergone many upgrades and evolutions, however, the basic recipe has remained unchanged.
Today, focaccia is a flat oven-baked Italian bread similar in style and texture to pizza. The interesting part, however, is that Focaccia started out as a side dish but over time it became part of the main dish as sandwich bread. If we go further back in time, focaccia was the only star of the show and was originally the prototype of early pizza.
This sweet potato focaccia with fresh rosemary and sea salt is perfect for making turkey sandwiches.
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Sweet Potato Focaccia
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Instructions
In a bowl, combine yeast, 1/2 cup flour & 1/2 cup lukewarm water. Let sit for about 20 minutes until frothy.
Cook & mash sweet potato; add it along with the remaining 3/4 cup lukewarm water, 4 cups flour, olive oil & salt to the yeast mixture. When dough forms, knead about 7-8 minutes until the dough is soft & satiny. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap & allow to rise in a draft free area until doubled in size.
Add a little bit of additional flour to your cutting board. Put the dough on it & pat it out with your hands into a 12 x 16-inch rectangle. Cut the dough into 16 pieces.
Place the pieces on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Cover and allow to raise until doubled in size.
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Punch holes in the dough. Add the rosemary to the olive oil. Brush the tops with the olive oil and rosemary mixture. Sprinkle with the sea salt.
Bake for about 20 minutes. Tops will be lightly browned. Remove to a rack to cool.
CELEBRATING OKTOBERFEST!
Sauerkraut strudel is a popular savory strudel version in beer gardens and during Oktoberfest which is the German fall folk fest celebrated during and after the harvest season.
A tradition dates back to 1810 in Munich, Germany. Originally a celebration of the marriage of the King of Bavaria and Princess Therese. Everybody had so much fun that it was resolved to repeat the celebration, which has been done, every year since. In 2022 it runs from September 17-October 3.
Oktoberfest is not only about the beer, singing, dancing and fair attractions. Many of the best known and most loved Bavarian specialties are enjoyed during the festival.
German strudels are not limited to the classic fruit fillings for the pastry. Savory examples are very common and this simplified sauerkraut strudel with soft sautéed strands of cabbage, the smoky flavor of bacon, and a savory crunch of caraway seeds; all wrapped in a delicate, flaky crust is a good representative.
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German Krautstrudel w/ Bacon
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Instructions
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Dice the bacon & cook in a pan over medium heat until it renders the fat but is not yet crispy. Drain on paper towel & sauté the diced onion in the rendered bacon fat. Cool down.
In a bowl combine the drained sauerkraut, bacon, onion, egg, bread crumbs & seasonings. Mix well together.
Roll out the puff pastry sheets, brush with half the melted butter. Reserve the rest.
Spread half of the sauerkraut mixture over each sheet, roll & pinch to tuck in the ends. Place each strudel seam side down onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet & brush with melted butter.
Bake for 35 minutes or until nicely golden brown. Allow to cool slightly before slicing with a serrated knife.
Serve with sour cream, sliced green onions or mustard as a dip.
Recipe Notes
- To make a STRUDEL DOUGH from scratch:
- Sift 2 cups of all-purpose flour into a bowl. Mix with 1 tsp of salt. Add a beaten egg, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and 2/3 cup lukewarm water.
- Mix well together and knead into a dough. Cover with plastic and let rest 30 minutes.
- Flour work surface and knead dough for a few minutes. Roll it out very thin.
- Flour one side of a large, kitchen towel, spread it out. Place the rolled out dough on top and using your hands stretch it out, aim for a rectangle shape, roughly 16 by 24 inches.
- Proceed as above and use the towel to help you roll the dough over the sauerkraut filling.
Quesadillas are basically toasted tortillas with cheese inside. The name in Spanish literally means ‘little cheesy thing’. What constitutes a quesadilla varies greatly between Mexico and its neighboring countries. They agree that the quesadilla and taco or burrito are different; the former being cooked after being filled or stuffed while the later two are filled with pre-cooked ingredients. Also they may be made with flour, corn or wheat tortillas as well as Mexican Masa (tamale version).
The quesadilla originated in central and southern colonial Mexico, beginning as a corn tortilla gently heated until soft enough to fold, then filled with cheese and toasted on both sides until golden and crispy on the outside and gooey with cheese on the inside. Over time, chopped, cooked vegetables and bits of roasted, shredded meat also found their way into these cheesy tortillas.
Influenced by the many micro-cultures of Mexico and Latin America, the quesadilla has been adopted and adapted by chefs and home cooks around the world, especially since the little cheesy things make it so easy to feed vegetarians and meat-eaters at the same table. A vegetarian quesadilla can be as simple as cheese folded into a tortilla. For the meat or seafood lovers, just add some shredded chicken, pulled pork or ‘roasted’ shrimp.
Speaking of shrimp …. to maximize the flavor, don’t sauté them – roast them! Much like roasting meat on the bone, roasting shrimp in their shells gives them a more intense flavor and keeps them from drying out as easily. The flavor from the shells penetrates the flesh, making them even tastier.
Something else I wanted to mention is a suggestion to help make your quesadillas nice and crunchy. Don’t use butter or oil to cook them in, use mayo instead. The fact that mayo contains a bit of sugar will promote browning and also give some extra crispiness.
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Shrimp Quesadillas w/ Guacamole
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Ingredients
- 3 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled
- 1 cup zucchini, julienned
- 250 gm mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 454 gm WILD, jumbo shrimp, peeled & deveined
- 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp EACH garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, smoked paprika, cumin, salt & pepper
- 4 large flour or corn tortillas
- 100 gm melting cheese such as mozzarella, smoked cheddar, Mexican blend or Monterey Jack, grated
- guacamole, sour cream or salsa for serving
- 3 green onions, sliced for serving
Ingredients
- 3 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled
- 1 cup zucchini, julienned
- 250 gm mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 454 gm WILD, jumbo shrimp, peeled & deveined
- 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp EACH garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, smoked paprika, cumin, salt & pepper
- 4 large flour or corn tortillas
- 100 gm melting cheese such as mozzarella, smoked cheddar, Mexican blend or Monterey Jack, grated
- guacamole, sour cream or salsa for serving
- 3 green onions, sliced for serving
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Instructions
In a skillet, fry bacon to a cooked but not real crisp stage. Remove from pan to paper towel. Sauté mushrooms, zucchini & garlic until most of the moisture evaporates. Cut each shrimp in thirds & add to skillet with seasonings. Cook for another minute or until shrimp begins to turn pink. Remove from heat & add cooked bacon & combine.
Grate cheese. Lightly butter one side each of 4 tortillas. Place on a griddle, & cook until warm & browned slightly. Remove 2 of them & keep warm. To each of the remaining 2, sprinkle with 1/4 of the cheese, top each one with 1/2 of the filling then sprinkle with remaining cheese over filling. Place the 2 warm tortillas on top of the filled ones.
Place a lid (or a baking pan) over the griddle for a few minutes to give the cheese a chance to melt.
Remove quesadillas to a cutting board & cut each one into 4 pieces. Serve hot with your choice of toppings.
Recipe Notes
- As I mentioned in the blog article, roasting the shrimp really intensifies the flavor. If you have the time, try it instead of just sautéing them.
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Preheat the oven to 400 F.
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Place the shrimp (shells-on) on a lightly greased baking sheet and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and minced garlic.
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Sprinkle evenly with the seasoning (such as Old Bay) and arrange the shrimp in a single layer.
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Bake the shrimp for 8-10 minutes or until just pink and opaque throughout.
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Remove from oven.
I have always had a love for sandwiches, not sure why … just do. Submarine, sub, grinder, hero, hoagie … there are many names for a sandwich on a length of Italian bread split horizontally and filled with cold cuts, cheese, veggies and dressing.
The classic oyster po’ boys make the most of briny, salty oysters. If you’re not familiar with this sandwich, it originated in New Orleans in 1929 as a way to feed the striking workers. Credit goes to brothers Clovis & Bennie Martin, streetcar conductors-turned-sandwich-shop owners who made it their duty to help out striking streetcar conductors by giving them free sandwiches. The strikers were called ‘poor boys’ (New Orleans shortens everything, so it got shortened to po’ boy). The brothers’ generosity earned thousands of new fans, and the sandwich with its new name, became of symbol of the city’s heart & soul.
The original po’ boy was filled with breaded, fried oysters or shrimp. Some common variations include crab, catfish, crawfish, spicy sausage, fried chicken and shredded seasoned beef. Seafood and chicken po’ boys are made with breaded and deep fried ingredients, but if deep frying is not your thing, oven baked is the closest technique to achieve the crunchy, deep-fried texture.
Brion & I like this combo because the avocado brings out the sweetness in seafood. Oysters coated in cornmeal make a savory sandwich and a perfect meal. It’s portable, it’s filling and there are endless possibilities.
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Oyster, Bacon, Tomato & Avocado Po'boys
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Ingredients
- 8-12 strips bacon, cooked until crisp
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 Tbsp salt or to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp onion powder
- 3/4 tsp EACH dried thyme, rosemary, oregano & chili powder
- 12 large oysters, shucked
- 1 cup flour
- 2 egg whites, slightly beaten
- 1 large tomato, thinly sliced
- 1-2 large avocados, thinly sliced If you prefer, use guacamole instead.
- Spicy Mayo, Ranch Dressing or Tartar Sauce for serving Use 'sauce' of your own choice for serving.
- 4 - 8-inch lengths French or Italian bread loaves, slit lengthwise with 'square ends' Traditional po' boy loaves are airy, long French breads that are not too dense.
Ingredients
- 8-12 strips bacon, cooked until crisp
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 Tbsp salt or to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp onion powder
- 3/4 tsp EACH dried thyme, rosemary, oregano & chili powder
- 12 large oysters, shucked
- 1 cup flour
- 2 egg whites, slightly beaten
- 1 large tomato, thinly sliced
- 1-2 large avocados, thinly sliced If you prefer, use guacamole instead.
- Spicy Mayo, Ranch Dressing or Tartar Sauce for serving Use 'sauce' of your own choice for serving.
- 4 - 8-inch lengths French or Italian bread loaves, slit lengthwise with 'square ends' Traditional po' boy loaves are airy, long French breads that are not too dense.
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Instructions
In a skillet, fry bacon until crispy but not hard. Drain on paper towel until ready to use.
In a small bowl, whisk together cornmeal & spices; set aside.
Gently dredge oysters in flour then in egg whites & lastly in cornmeal/spice mixture. Cover breaded oysters & refrigerate until ready to bake. Prepare tomato, avocados (guacamole) & bread.
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Remove oysters from refrigerator, spray a baking sheet with cooking spray & carefully place oysters on it so that they are not touching each other. Bake for 15 minutes until crispy & cooked.
Spread bread 'pieces' with your choice of dressing. Divide oysters between bottom halves, followed by avocado, bacon & tomato. Place top halves of the bread over the fillings & press lightly. Serve immediately.
CELEBRATING HERITAGE DAY!
In 1974, the first Monday of August was made an official provincial holiday to recognize and celebrate the varied cultural heritage of Albertans. Businesses can chose whether or not to recognize the day as a general holiday, which most do.
The Heritage Festival held in our city of Edmonton, Alberta Canada is a three-day event to sample delicious food, see creative performances and celebrate Canada’s multiculturalism. Thousands of visitors come to enjoy the tastes, smells and sounds of different nations around the world.
Even though many people will take in the day’s events and cultural food at the festival, some chose to pack a picnic lunch and take a drive somewhere just to relax.
I am posting a summer veggie & shrimp pizza that should work real well with that idea.
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Summer Vegetable & Shrimp Pizza
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Ingredients
Toppings
- 3 slices bacon, cut in 1/2-inch pieces
- 4 tsp olive oil, divided
- 1 small zucchini, cut into 1/2 circles
- 1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 300 gm WILD jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined & cut in half lengthwise
- 2 ears corn, cooked
- 1/2 tsp EACH salt & pepper
- 25 gm Parmesan cheese, grated
- 50 gm mozzarella cheese, grated
- 5 leaves fresh basil, thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp flat-leaf parsley, minced
Ingredients
Toppings
- 3 slices bacon, cut in 1/2-inch pieces
- 4 tsp olive oil, divided
- 1 small zucchini, cut into 1/2 circles
- 1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 300 gm WILD jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined & cut in half lengthwise
- 2 ears corn, cooked
- 1/2 tsp EACH salt & pepper
- 25 gm Parmesan cheese, grated
- 50 gm mozzarella cheese, grated
- 5 leaves fresh basil, thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp flat-leaf parsley, minced
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Instructions
In a skillet, fry bacon until almost done. Remove to paper towel.
Add zucchini, onion & garlic to skillet with bacon drippings & sauté for 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Increase heat slightly & add 1/2 tsp. of oil. Add shrimp & cook for 1 minute, turning halfway through. Transfer to a plate. Cut cooked corn kernels off of the cobs.
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Brush Naan breads with olive oil & sprinkle with salt, pepper & Parmesan cheese. Top with zucchini, onions, garlic, shrimp, corn, bacon bits & mozzarella cheese.
Bake until cheese is bubbling & naan bread is 'toasted', about 7-8 minutes. Allow pizza to rest for 5 minutes, then cut into 8 slices. Sprinkle with basil & parsley. Serve
A quesadilla is a Mexican dish that dates back to the 16th century. Traditional quesadillas were made with a corn tortilla that was warmed on a griddle, filled with cheese and various other fillings (meat, vegetables), and then folded over to be eaten by hand. The addition of toppings like guacamole, salsa and sour cream seems to have come along later.
Quesadillas are simple and quick to make. Place the quesadilla in a dry griddle (or skillet) over low to medium low heat. That way, you don’t have to handle greasy tortillas with your hands. But more importantly, oil is a heat conductor which browns the tortillas faster than the filling heats through and the cheese melts. Tortillas are thin – and they cook fast!
If you cover with a lid, the filling heats through and melts the cheese faster, before the tortilla gets too brown. Cook until underside is golden and crispy, then remove the lid.
Pulled pork and savory black beans are a great match by themselves but adding creamy avocado takes it up a few more notches.
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Black Bean Pulled Pork Quesadillas
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Instructions
On a griddle, heat butter & sauté mushrooms until moisture has evaporated; add corn & green onions. Sauté for another few minutes. Remove from heat; transfer to a dish.
Wipe griddle with paper towel; place 2 tortillas on dry griddle & top each with 60 gm of the cheese. Next, divide black beans, green onions, corn & mushrooms between the 2 tortillas. Top with another 60 gm each of the remaining cheese. Cover the tortillas with the 2 remaining tortillas.
If your griddle does not have a cover, use a sheet pan to cover the 'quesadillas' until cheese melts & quesadillas are heated through. Remove from griddle onto cutting board. Cut into wedges & place on serving plates. Top with avocado slices & diced Roma tomatoes. If you prefer, sprinkle with additional cheese & green onion. Serve with your choice ... salsa or sour cream or maybe both!
