Soup often comes to mind when summer gives way to sweater weather. It’s delicious, usually pretty easy to make, works well with whatever is lingering in your fridge and/or pantry, and warms both the body and soul as soon as a spoonful touches your lips. Remember how a big bowl of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle helped chase away a head cold when you convinced your mom or dad you were really, really sick and needed to take the day off from school? Such is the magic of soup. There’s another reason soup strikes a chord with so many home cooks. Even though inflation is easing, going to the grocery store can still be a gut punch. So any way we can get a good meal onto the table and not break the budget is a good thing. Soup is economical because it lends itself to cheaper cuts of meat and simple ingredients such as canned beans and dried noodles, no-nonsense veggies like carrots and cabbage and spices that most people already have in their spice rack. This warm and filling wonton soup that headlines our latest installment of “Dinner for Two” is a pretty good example. Honestly, it probably takes longer to shop for all the ingredients than it does to stir a pot together — about 20 minutes — though you can let it simmer longer if you’re not in a rush and want to deepen the flavor. And except for the (optional) white miso paste in the broth, it won’t have you running down any fancy ingredients. This soup requires only boxed broth, some everyday greens, carrots and a bag of Trader Joe’s Chicken Cilantro Mini Wontons, which was my biggest purchase. Total cost: $10.45 for two (and more likely three) generous servings. I used the whole 12-ounce, $3.49 bag in the soup, which is technically four servings instead of two, so it would have cost even less if I hadn’t been such a fool for dumplings and added half the bag. (Sorry, but I really like them, especially when they’re so cute!) Both the appetizer — a spicy cold cucumber salad — and the maple-kissed baked pears I made for dessert were even more economical. The salad cost just $2.21, and the pears $2.30 — just a little more than $1 per person per course. Once again, I was able to cut down on costs by using ingredients I already had on hand such as the honey and chili crisp used to give the cucumbers their sweet and spicy kick and the vanilla and cinnamon that sweetens the dessert. I also just happened to have some shiitake mushrooms in my fridge leftover from another dish that I happily threw into the pot so they wouldn’t go to waste. But that’s the thing with this particular soup recipe. It’s completely adaptable to personal taste and what you have in your kitchen. Total cost for the entire meal, which had leftovers: $14.46, or 54 cents under my $15 budget. Bon appétit! Spicy Cucumber Salad Serves 2 This recipe is so easy, and starts the meal off with a pleasant crunch. I added chili crisp because I always have it on hand and I can’t get enough of its spicy, umami flavor. But you could substitute soy sauce or leave it out altogether. INGREDIENTS: 6 mini cucumbers 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt 21⁄2 tablespoon rice vinegar 1 tablespoon honey 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil 1 tablespoon chili crisp or garlic chili sauce, optional DIRECTIONS: Slice cucumbers into bite-sized disks and place in a large bowl. Toss with salt and set aside while you make dressing. In a small bowl, stir together rice vinegar, honey, sesame oil and chili crisp or chili sauce, if using. Strain the cucumbers (do not rinse) and place in a large bowl Pour dressing over cucumbers and toss to combine. — Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette Dumpling Soup Serves 2 Soup is often an afterthought, a way to use up any stray veggies in your refrigerator crisper. But it also makes a great main dish, especially if you add a few (or a lot) meat-stuffed dumplings. The star that makes this dish so filling is Trader Joe’s Chicken Cilantro Mini Wontons, which are a budget buy at $3.49 for a 12-ounce package. The fragrant vegetable broth is flavored with fresh ginger and ground turmeric, two spices that don’t just add depth, but are also are great for chasing away colds. You may not want to buy white miso paste, a fermented paste made from rice, barley and soybeans that is on the expensive side (you’ll find it in the Asian section of most larger grocery stores). You can substitute a little soy sauce instead. Even a packet that comes with takeout Chinese is enough to add some umami flavor. Baby bok choy (a type of Chinese cabbage) and broccoli florets provide a healthy serving of greens. INGREDIENTS: — Kosher salt 1 tablespoon sesame oil 4 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced 1 (2-inch) piece ginger, finely minced 2 garlic cloves, finely minced 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 32 ounces vegetable stock — Salt 2 medium carrots, julienned 2 tablespoon white miso paste or 1 tablespoon soy sauce 12- ounce bag frozen dumplings (not thawed) 1 baby bok choy, trimmed and each cut into 4 pieces through the stem, or a handful of fresh spinach — Handful broccoli florets — Handful of cilantro or chopped scallions, for serving DIRECTIONS: Heat sesame oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5-6 minutes. Add ginger and garlic. Stir and cook for 30 seconds, until aromatic. Add turmeric and stir for 15 seconds, until fragrant. Pour vegetable stock into the pot and season with 1 teaspoon salt. Add julienned carrots, cover and cook for 8-10 minutes on medium heat to allow flavors to meld. Remove the lid and add miso paste, stirring constantly until it is dissolved. Taste, and season with more salt, if needed. Increase the heat to medium-high, and carefully drop the dumplings into the broth. When they float to the top, add baby bok choy and broccoli, and cook for about 2 minutes, just until the broccoli is crisp-tender. Ladle the broth, dumplings, baby bok choy and broccoli into bowls. To serve, top with cilantro or chopped scallions. — adapted from nyt.com Maple Baked Pears Pears are in season throughout fall, and are as easy to cook with as apples. In this simple recipe, they’re halved, scooped and then drizzled with maple syrup for a quick bake in the oven. My budget didn’t allow for a scoop of vanilla ice cream, but the pears were delicious without. INGREDIENTS: 2 large pears, ripe but still slightly firm — Pinch ground cinnamon 1⁄4 cup pure maple syrup — Dash of pure vanilla extract DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Cut pears in half. (Don’t worry about peeling.) Using a melon baller or spoon, scoop out the core and seeds. Arrange pears, facing up, on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle evenly with a dusting of cinnamon. Whisk together maple syrup and vanilla extract. Drizzle over the tops of the pears. Bake uncovered until the fruit is soft and lightly browned on the edges, around 25-30 minutes. (Firmer pears will take a little longer.) Remove from the oven. Serve warm with granola and yogurt, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired. — Gretchen McKay
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Wolves head coach Gary O’Neil insists he is happy to look fans in the face and take the criticism which comes his way after his team were jeered off after losing 4-0 to Everton at Goodison Park. It was the fourth time this season they had conceded four or more and the performance showed why they have the Premier League’s worst defence. When O’Neil and the players went over to acknowledge the visiting supporters there were boos for a run of two wins in 14 league matches. “Whatever the fans think of me, there is definitely no-none working harder than me and I will continue to do so until someone tells me not to,” said O’Neil, who is under increasing pressure with his side second bottom of the table. “I go over there to see them because I appreciate every one of the Wolves fans. They have given me unbelievable support since I arrived at the football club,” he said. “We managed to produce some unbelievable stuff last season with a team that was heavily tipped by most of the nation for relegation. We managed to enjoy it together. “Now it is tough. I was happy to go over there and look them right in the face and take any criticism they want to throw at me. “I accept responsibility for my part in that. Whatever criticism they want to throw at me will not change how I feel about them. “Everyone at this football club needs to do more. We will get back to be ready to fight again on Monday (another crucial game against West Ham, whose manager Julen Lopetegui’s tenure is hanging by a thread). “I will work with everything I have. I will back myself to get the most out of the group. I understand the drive for change (but) you never know how much of a percentage of supporters it is.” Veteran Ashley Young ended Everton’s 370-minute wait for a goal with a 10th-minute free-kick, his first league goal for more than two years, and on-loan Lyon midfielder Orel Mangala blasted home his first for the club to establish a 2-0 half-time lead. Two Craig Dawson own goals secured Everton’s biggest home league win since April 2019, but manager Sean Dyche insisted their issues up front were far from sorted. He said: “It’s our fifth clean sheet in the last eight so the consistency has been there in one degree, we just haven’t been scoring goals. That’s been the hardest thing to find consistently and we haven’t solved it yet. “Goals change everything, they change opinions. That’s what football is like.” The victory was hugely important in a month in which, having been hammered 4-0 at Manchester United, they face top-six sides Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Nottingham Forest and undoubtedly eased some of the pressure on Dyche and his players. “I’ve told them how proud I am of them,” he added. “The challenges come thick and fast on and off the pitch and they just keep going. “It’s only a step and there are many more to go but it’s a good step and a positive step. “It’s a temporary moment in time because the next one is a big one (Saturday’s Merseyside derby).”
By Marc Jones LONDON (Reuters) -Arsenal moved up to second in the Premier League and within six points of Liverpool after a largely trouble-free, if slightly pedestrian, 1-0 win at home to struggling Ipswich Town on a chilly night in north London on Friday. A first-half goal from Kai Havertz, who pounced on a smart pull-back from Leandro Trossard, proved the winner although the hosts should have scored more as the Gunners’ performance failed to provide many pre-New Year fireworks. Lacking the creativity of the injured Bukayo Saka, it took 19 minutes before Arsenal mustered their first shot although four minutes after that Havertz netted his sixth of the season in all competitions by tapping in Trossard’s whipped cross. Ipswich had a spell of pressure after 10 minutes of the second half but it proved fleeting and Arsenal should have comfortably put the game to bed after that. Defender Gabriel Magalhaes missed a golden opportunity to extend his run of scoring from corners when he headed just wide when completely unmarked. Captain Martin Odegaard then blazed over after he danced from midfield into the visitors box. The win lifted Arsenal to 36 points behind Liverpool, who have 42 and a game in hand, and meant the Gunners leapfrogged both London rivals Chelsea, who have 35 points, and one of the season’s surprise packages Nottingham Forest, fourth on 34. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told reporters he was “very happy with the victory, with the clean sheet and with large parts of the game. We should have scored more but it is the consistency, the team conceded nothing again. “Considering all the circumstances we had this season, the amount of times we had to play with 10 men, all the injuries that we had, it’s good to be in the position that we are but it’s not where we want to be. We want to be first.” The Gunners next visit Brentford on New Year’s Day and Brighton & Hove Albion on Jan. 4 before playing two domestic cup games and hosting local rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Jan. 15. SLOW START Friday’s match started slowly as Arsenal kept the ball effortlessly early on, although it was mostly in non-threatening areas until Trossard burst to the byline after 23 minutes and fired the ball across for Havertz to prod in. Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus thought he had added to his recent run of goals later in the half when he poked the ball through the Ipswich keeper Arijanet Muric’s legs from an unfathomably tight angle but it was ruled out for offside. The home side created a handful of good chances in the final 20 minutes too with Odegaard, Havertz and Trossard all getting shots in but if Arsenal are to keep up their challenge on Liverpool they will need to demonstrate more clinical finishing. Ipswich remain second-bottom with 12 points from 18 games, three off the safety zone, before they host Chelsea on Monday. “The players worked really hard and we got the game to a good place in the second half after a good 20 minutes,” Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna told the BBC. “Early on we were pinned in and couldn’t get out but to be where we were after 89 minutes I was really pleased ... Some defending was good and we’ll need that on Monday against Chelsea.” (Reporting by Marc Jones; Editing by Ken Ferris) Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content. var ytflag = 0;var myListener = function() {document.removeEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);lazyloadmyframes();};document.addEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);window.addEventListener('scroll', function() {if (ytflag == 0) {lazyloadmyframes();ytflag = 1;}});function lazyloadmyframes() {var ytv = document.getElementsByClassName("klazyiframe");for (var i = 0; i < ytv.length; i++) {ytv[i].src = ytv[i].getAttribute('data-src');}} Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );Maupay also had a dig at Everton when he departed on loan to Marseille in the summer and his latest taunt has further angered the Premier League club’s supporters. The 28-year-old said on X after Sean Dyche’s side had lost 2-0 to Nottingham Forest at Goodison Park on Sunday: “Whenever I’m having a bad day I just check the Everton score and smile.” Whenever I’m having a bad day I just check the Everton score and smile 🙂 — Neal Maupay (@nealmaupay_) December 29, 2024 Former boxer Tony Bellew was among the Toffees’ supporters who responded to Maupay, with the ex-world cruiserweight champion replying on X with: “P****!” Maupay endured a miserable spell at Everton, scoring just one league goal in 29 appearances after being signed by the Merseysiders for an undisclosed fee in 2022. He departed on a season-long loan to his former club Brentford for the 2023-24 season and left Goodison for a second time in August when Marseille signed him on loan with an obligation to make the deal permanent. After leaving Everton in the summer, Maupay outraged their fans by posting on social media a scene from the film Shawshank Redemption, famous for depicting the main character’s long fight for freedom.Parents, states press Congress to act on kids online safety bill
WASHINGTON — A top White House official said Wednesday at least eight U.S. telecom firms and dozens of nations were impacted by a Chinese hacking campaign. Deputy national security adviser Anne Neuberger offered new details about the breadth of the sprawling Chinese hacking campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans. FILE - The American and Chinese flags wave at Genting Snow Park ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, in Zhangjiakou, China, on Feb. 2, 2022. A top White House official on Wednesday said at least eight U.S. telecom firms and dozens of nations have been impacted by a Chinese hacking campaign. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File) Neuberger divulged the scope of the hack a day after the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued guidance intended to help root out the hackers and prevent similar cyberespionage in the future. White House officials cautioned that the number of telecommunication firms and countries impacted could grow. The U.S. believes the hackers were able to gain access to communications of senior U.S. government officials and prominent political figures through the hack, Neuberger said. “We don’t believe any classified communications has been compromised,” Neuberger added during a call with reporters. She added that Biden was briefed on the findings and the White House “made it a priority for the federal government to do everything it can to get to the bottom this.” US officials recommend encrypted messaging apps amid "Salt Typhoon" cyberattack, attributed to China, targeting AT&T, Verizon, and others. The Chinese embassy in Washington rejected the accusations that it was responsible for the hack Tuesday after the U.S. federal authorities issued new guidance. “The U.S. needs to stop its own cyberattacks against other countries and refrain from using cyber security to smear and slander China,” embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said. The embassy did not immediately respond to messages Wednesday. White House officials believe the hacking was regionally targeted and the focus was on very senior government officials. Federal authorities confirmed in October that hackers linked to China targeted the phones of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, along with people associated with Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris. The number of countries impacted by the hack is currently believed to be in the “low, couple dozen,” according to a senior administration official. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity under rules set by the White House, said they believed the hacks started at least a year or two ago. The suggestions for telecom companies released Tuesday are largely technical in nature, urging encryption, centralization and consistent monitoring to deter cyber intrusions. If implemented, the security precautions could help disrupt the operation, dubbed Salt Typhoon, and make it harder for China or any other nation to mount a similar attack in the future, experts say. Trump's pick to head the Federal Bureau of Investigation Kash Patel was allegedly the target of cyberattack attempt by Iranian-backed hackers. Neuberger pointed to efforts made to beef up cybersecurity in the rail, aviation, energy and other sectors following the May 2021 ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline . “So, to prevent ongoing Salt Typhoon type intrusions by China, we believe we need to apply a similar minimum cybersecurity practice,” Neuberger said. The cyberattack by a gang of criminal hackers on the critical U.S. pipeline, which delivers about 45% of the fuel used along the Eastern Seaboard, sent ripple effects across the economy, highlighting cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the nation’s aging energy infrastructure. Colonial confirmed it paid $4.4 million to the gang of hackers who broke into its computer systems as it scrambled to get the nation's fuel pipeline back online. Picture this: You're on vacation in a city abroad, exploring museums, tasting the local cuisine, and people-watching at cafés. Everything is going perfectly until you get a series of alerts on your phone. Someone is making fraudulent charges using your credit card, sending you into a panic. How could this have happened? Cyberattacks targeting travelers are nothing new. But as travel has increased in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, so has the volume of hackers and cybercriminals preying upon tourists. Financial fraud is the most common form of cybercrime experienced by travelers, but surveillance via public Wi-Fi networks, social media hacking, and phishing scams are also common, according to a survey by ExpressVPN . Spokeo consulted cybersecurity sources and travel guides to determine some of the best ways to protect your phone while traveling, from using a VPN to managing secure passwords. Online attacks are not the only type of crime impacting travelers—physical theft of phones is also a threat. Phones have become such invaluable travel aids, housing our navigation tools, digital wallets, itineraries, and contacts, that having your phone stolen, lost, or compromised while abroad can be devastating. Meanwhile, traveling can make people uniquely vulnerable to both cyber and physical attacks due to common pitfalls like oversharing on social media and letting your guard down when it comes to taking risks online. Luckily, there are numerous precautions travelers can take to safeguard against cyberattacks and phone theft. Hackers can—and do—target public Wi-Fi networks at cafés and hotels to gain access to your personal information or install malware onto your device, particularly on unsecured networks. Travelers are especially vulnerable to these types of cybersecurity breaches because they are often more reliant on public Wi-Fi than they would be in their home countries where they have more robust phone plans. This reliance on public, unsecured networks means travelers are more likely to use those networks to perform sensitive tasks like financial transfers, meaning hackers can easily gain access to banking information or other passwords. One easy way to safeguard yourself against these breaches is to use a virtual private network, or VPN, while traveling. VPNs are apps that encrypt your data and hide your location, preventing hackers from accessing personal information. An added bonus is that VPNs allow you to access websites that may be blocked or unavailable in the country you are visiting. To use a VPN, simply download a VPN app on your phone or computer, create an account, choose a server, and connect. Pickpockets, scammers, and flagrant, snatch-your-phone-right-out-of-your-hand thieves can be found pretty much everywhere. In London, for instance, a staggering 91,000 phones were reported stolen to police in 2022 , breaking down to an average of 248 per day, according to the BBC. Whether you're visiting a crowded tourist attraction or just want peace of mind, travel experts advise taking precautions to make sure your phone isn't physically stolen or compromised while traveling. There are several antitheft options to choose from. If you want a bag that will protect your phone from theft, experts recommend looking for features like slash-resistant fabric, reinforced shoulder straps, hidden zippers that can be locked, and secure attachment points, like a cross-body strap or a sturdy clip. For tethers, look for those made of tear-resistant material with a reinforced clip or ring. If your phone falls into the wrong hands, there's a good chance you won't be getting it back. Out of those 91,000 phones stolen in London in 2022, only 1,915 (or about 2%) were recovered. The good news is that you can take precautions to make the loss of your phone less devastating by backing up your data before you travel. With backed-up data, you can acquire a new device and still access your photos, contacts, messages, and passwords. Moreover, if you have "Find My Device" or "Find My Phone" enabled, you can remotely wipe your stolen phone's data so the thief cannot access it. It's safest to back up your data to a hard drive and not just the cloud. That way, if you have to wipe your device, you don't accidentally erase the backup, too. Strong passwords for important accounts help protect your information while you travel, but it's just a first step. The National Cybersecurity Alliance recommends creating long, unique, and complex passwords for every account and combining them with multifactor authentication to create maximum barriers to entry. If you're worried about remembering these passwords, password managers can be a vital tool for both creating and storing strong passwords. Password managers are apps that act as secure vaults for all your passwords. Some even come with a feature that allows you to temporarily delete sensitive passwords before you travel and then easily restore them once you return. Story editing by Mia Nakaji Monnier. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Tim Bruns. Photo selection by Lacy Kerrick. This story originally appeared on Spokeo and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio. Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly.DALLAS — Kario Oquendo hit four 3-pointers and scored 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting Tuesday night to lead seven SMU players scoring in double figures and help the Mustangs beat Alabama State 101-72. Chuck Harris, Matt Cross and Samet Yigitoglu scored 12 points apiece for SMU (7-2). B.J. Edwards and Yohan Traore each added 11 points and Jerrell Colbert scored 10. Boopie Miller, who went into the game leading the Mustangs in scoring at 17.0 points per game, finished with a season-low four points on 1-of-12 shooting, 0 for 7 from 3-point range. Amarr Knox scored 17 points and Shawn Fulcher added 12 for Alabama State (3-5). Oquendo, Cross and Harris each hit a 3-pointer to cap an 11-0 run that gave the Mustangs the lead for good and made it 25-18 with 11:33 left in the first half. Tyler Mack made 3-pointers 19 seconds apart to pull Alabama State within two about 6 minutes later, but SMU scored 13 of the next 15 points before Fulcher hit a 3 for the Hornets to make it 49-39 at halftime. Traore threw down a dunk to open the second half and SMU led by double figures the rest of the way. SMU topped the 100-point plateau for the third time this season.
Torrid Holdings: Fiscal Q3 Earnings SnapshotIt was the fourth time this season they had conceded four or more and the performance showed why they have the Premier League’s worst defence. When O’Neil and the players went over to acknowledge the visiting supporters there were boos for a run of two wins in 14 league matches. “Whatever the fans think of me, there is definitely no-none working harder than me and I will continue to do so until someone tells me not to,” said O’Neil, who is under increasing pressure with his side second bottom of the table. “I go over there to see them because I appreciate every one of the Wolves fans. They have given me unbelievable support since I arrived at the football club,” he said. “We managed to produce some unbelievable stuff last season with a team that was heavily tipped by most of the nation for relegation. We managed to enjoy it together. “Now it is tough. I was happy to go over there and look them right in the face and take any criticism they want to throw at me. “I accept responsibility for my part in that. Whatever criticism they want to throw at me will not change how I feel about them. “Everyone at this football club needs to do more. We will get back to be ready to fight again on Monday (another crucial game against West Ham, whose manager Julen Lopetegui’s tenure is hanging by a thread). “I will work with everything I have. I will back myself to get the most out of the group. I understand the drive for change (but) you never know how much of a percentage of supporters it is.” Veteran Ashley Young ended Everton’s 370-minute wait for a goal with a 10th-minute free-kick, his first league goal for more than two years, and on-loan Lyon midfielder Orel Mangala blasted home his first for the club to establish a 2-0 half-time lead. Two Craig Dawson own goals secured Everton’s biggest home league win since April 2019, but manager Sean Dyche insisted their issues up front were far from sorted. He said: “It’s our fifth clean sheet in the last eight so the consistency has been there in one degree, we just haven’t been scoring goals. That’s been the hardest thing to find consistently and we haven’t solved it yet. “Goals change everything, they change opinions. That’s what football is like.” The victory was hugely important in a month in which, having been hammered 4-0 at Manchester United, they face top-six sides Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Nottingham Forest and undoubtedly eased some of the pressure on Dyche and his players. “I’ve told them how proud I am of them,” he added. “The challenges come thick and fast on and off the pitch and they just keep going. “It’s only a step and there are many more to go but it’s a good step and a positive step. “It’s a temporary moment in time because the next one is a big one (Saturday’s Merseyside derby).”Best Internet Providers in St. Paul, Minnesota