“LATE BREAKING” RECIPE from Anastasiia
OATMEAL CRANBERRY COOKIES
Here’s what you’ll need:
• 2 cups oats (quick or rolled) (250g)
• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (200 g)
• 1 egg
• 1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter (200 g)
• 1/2 cup sugar (100 g)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries (100 g)
• Cinnamon and vanilla to taste
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>> Prep first:
Lightly grind the oats in a blender if you like them finer. Soak the dried cranberries in hot water for a few minutes, then pat them dry. And don’t forget to take the butter out of the fridge, so it’s nice and soft!
>> Let’s bake:
1. Beat the butter and sugar together until smooth and creamy.
2. Add the flour, oats, egg, baking powder, cinnamon, and vanilla, and mix until you have a dough.
3. Toss in the cranberries and mix them evenly through the dough.
4. Roll the dough into small balls, press them down a little, and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
5. Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes. Start checking them after 15 minutes — every oven is different. Remember, smaller cookies bake faster!
>> Enjoy your homemade cookies!
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Beatrice’s challenges
I identified several obstacles that Beatrice faces in the movie:
1) She was a single mom supporting her son,
2) She had difficulty earning enough money for her rent,
3) She didn’t want to work in a job related to her degree and was passionate about baking cookies, despite her mother’s disapproval, and
4) Her relationship with her mother.
Despite these challenges, Beatrice never complained about providing for her son, even when life was tough. She always focused on finding a way to overcome her struggles. The other obstacles were resolved as she followed her passion for baking cookies. She never gave up on selling her cookies, starting as a vendor, asking people to try and buy them. Eventually, she was able to rent a space, create a name for her cookie shop, and achieve success. She also regained her mother’s trust by showing her what she was capable of.
My own business
I’ve thought about owning a business of my own one day. Being from Asia, I have a deep love for Asian foods, and I’ve noticed that Asian cuisines, such as Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, Indian, and Thai, are becoming increasingly popular here. Before I retire, I hope to establish a small restaurant offering a variety of Asian dishes all in one place. In this restaurant, I plan to introduce some of Myanmar’s favorite foods, such as Shan noodles, fish soup noodles, noodle salad with tamarind-based paste, and tea leaf salad. This is my dream of having my own business one day.

The first steps are always the hardest, and you need to be prepared for difficulties and long hours of work. First, you need to find money to start. Second, you need to understand legal, organizational and marketing issues. But if you really believe in your idea, it inspires

baking cookies
I will bake cookies for the next week!! 🥳🥳🥳
My own business
Yes, actually, my husband and I started our own business. It’s about renting a 360-degree video photo booth for different events like weddings, birthdays, company parties, and other types of celebrations. We customize filters according to the specific occasion, bring various props for customers’ videos, and create an amazing space with bubbles, fog, and lights. We aim to create an unforgettable experience and lasting memories for every event.
We dream of offering additional services in the future, such as a photo booth with instant print and other production services. We are Kairos 360. Check it out – click here!
We are learning a lot about the business because it’s new for both of us. It began as a dream, and little by little, we have been growing. Recently, we added a bigger machine, and we hope to transform this part-time gig into a big company.
I’m currently trying to learn more about social media marketing to reach a larger audience and promote our services.

My own business
I have thoughts about own business. It will be a cafe with my national kitchen in New York. There is a very large Kalmyk community here.
This is a place, where my friends and my countrymen will gather ’ where we will celebrate our national holidays, where single people will meet each other, where we will dance and sing songs, where we will listen to our kalmyk songs.
I think it will very complicated, because it takes a lot of money. I will make it successful because I will share the menu and add Mongolian meats.

parent-child relationships
As I paid attention to the Kunal’s uncle in the previous topic, now I chose Beatrice’s mother. Her mother didn’t want to look at daughter’s business, she tried to make herself in Beatrice. Perhaps, she wanted Beatrice to make things as mother wanted to do when she was at her age. When Beatrice went against the mother’s requirements, it led to a quarrel. I noticed the same things not for the first time when the parents did that. What about me, my parents didn’t pay attention to me, I even could say they didn’t care about me.
Beatrice’s challenges
As we discussed today at the end of class some obstacles that Beatrice faced in her story were child, money, space for business, licensing and her mother’s opinion. If she had listened to her mother and went back to her country, it probably might have turned out to be life in the backyard hugging bananas, nothing more (I’m exaggerating, of course.) But she chose the right way spent her money to start a business. The next thing is the license. Beatrice didn’t know about it in the movie, but in the story, she seems to know and deliberately went to the license bureau for obtain it. Beatrice understood that her cookies were in demand therefore she required more space for baking, and she found that. Later when her mother came and when she understood that her daughter had become a successful Cookie Lady, they made peace with each other and decided to open the whole bakery.

parent-child relationships
Parents always want the best for their children. This is the justification for doing what they believe is the best. Each era has its own set of beliefs and it’s enough to be demanding in a certain way.
‘You are not my daughter’ is the last resort to trying to change what her daughter was doing. When you are an immigrant your entire family is watching, waiting and feeling hopeful about your success. For you, more than motivation, most of the time it can be an anchor.
In my case I have my mom, my children (they are 30, 23 and 21 years old) and my brothers trying to understand what I’m doing here. They live in my day by day and, of course, I want them to feel proud of me. The way I deal with this is with the hope that all my effort will be better for everyone in the future. Anyway, I still think and feel that each of us has to fully live our own life the best we can.
My own business
Starting my own business is always a latent possibility. There are too many things you can try here. I have always thought that if you need to have some revenue here, and also in other places, try to sell something that people don’t need. Most of the time people do that.

Every story has an end.
This one I could recommend.
Whether it is true or not,
Finally, I’ll put a dot.
No one suffered a lot
No one was injured or shot.
Yet it’s not a funny story,
We at least don’t need to worry.
Why I wrote this? I don’t know.
My true answer goes below
Thank you just for reading that
Though it’s not a good format 🙂
For me the story seems to be realistic.
And I can suggest the following alternate ending.
a new ending for the episode
Having received a ticket for street vending, Bea felt completely exhausted. Whatever she tried to do ended not in a way as planned. She urgently needed some money just to stay afloat and not find herself homeless and living under the bridge.
But bad and good things are likely to happen one after another. No one could imagine that a ticket from the police may result in big changes in a girl’s life.
It happened so, that the same evening, at dinner, the police officer told his wife that earlier that day he had to ticket a lady selling the chocolate chip cookies on the street.
“On no,” his wife exclaimed!
“I think I can know who you are talking about.”
“Today I was walking near the city center when I met a girl who was selling the chocolate chip cookies. I was in a hurry this morning and even had no time for breakfast. So, being hungry, I bought a stack from this girl. What can I say? They were absolutely delicious. I’ve never tasted such a good thing.”
Having done my business, I hurried back to the place where I met this girl, but she had already gone. “You’re saying that you gave her a ticket? So you must know her address. I would like to visit her and got some more cookies.
The next day, Bea woke up at 6 am just to make her final batch of cookies. She had no money for any new groceries, so it was her last chance, her last attempt to readjust her life. If she does not manage to sell the chocolate chip cookies, everything will be over!
The cookies were already in the oven, when a quiet and a shy knock came from the front door. As Bea was not expecting anyone, especially in the morning, she thought at first that the squirrels were gnawing the front door again. However, as the knock continued, she came and opened the door.
To her utmost surprise, she saw a long line starting at her door and ending somewhere at the corner of the block!
The police officer’s wife was in the front of the line. She turned out to be a deputy editor of a cooking magazine and therefore had a lot of influence to housewives. Once she started a rumor that there is a cookie-lady in town who makes adorable cookies, every lady in the city decided that they must have a taste of these chocolate chip cookies!
With such great support and promotion, Bea instantly became even more famous than a film star. Now she was not afraid of inviting her mother and showing her the business.
Her mother, who was initially against the idea of setting up a bakery and told Bea that she is the biggest shame of the family, finally came to Bea’s town and was enormously impressed with the respect that people showed to her and her daughter.
Having seen all of this, she could say only one phrase: I wish my grandson will become at least half as good as you are!

My own business
After finishing my studies at the institute, I worked in an air quality control laboratory at a large machine-building enterprise. When our laboratory closed, I organized my own business, which was also related to environmental activities. I worked alone.
What was my work? I examined various industrial enterprises and the impact of their technological processes on the environment (air, soil, water bodies). The goal of my work was to create a project for these industries. I calculated the volumes of pollutant emissions based on specialized literature and sanitary standards. According to this project, the enterprise paid a fee for polluting the environment. It was very interesting.
For example, one day I examined the production of candy and the impact of their production processes on the environment. Another time, I examined the production of asphalt and so on. . . . I had to study many different technological processes and I found it interesting. It was not difficult for me. I liked that I could work part-time, I could take a vacation whenever I wanted, I could determine the cost that I would be paid for the project myself. Everything about my job was great!
I still work remotely sometimes now, but only as a consultant.
It would be nice to have such a business in America too, but there are different environmental laws here, and I don’t have enough knowledge of English.
[From the webmaster: I beg to differ – your English is much better than many consultants born in the US whom I’ve worked with!]

Elizabeth’s challenges
Elizabeth faced many challenges throughout her life, starting with poverty in her childhood in Uganda. She grew up with limited resources, dreaming of trying the sweets and foods she couldn’t afford.
This was partially overcome when a teacher helped her move to America, where she found more opportunities for growth. However, life in the United States was not easy. After her divorce, she was left as a single mother, struggling to support her child.
She worked as a waitress and later started baking cookies to make extra money. Despite facing skepticism and cultural differences, Elizabeth embraced her African roots, selling cookies on the street with a basket on her head, which helped her stand out.
Another major challenge was starting her business with almost no resources. With encouragement from her mother, she found a small space for lease and took a risk to open her bakery, ultimately building a successful business through determination and hard work.
A new ending for Elizabeth’s story
Elizabeth grew up in Uganda, helping her mother sell fruit at the market. Years later, when she moved to the United States with her young son, she faced the struggles of starting over. Working multiple jobs, she rarely saw her son, but her determination to provide for him pushed her forward.
Inspired by memories of baking with her mother, Elizabeth started making cookies in her small kitchen. Her son became her helper, charming customers at the market and sharing their story. When Elizabeth’s mother came to visit from Uganda, she decided to stay and help, bringing her own recipes and wisdom to the business. Together, they turned baking into a family effort, blending African flavors with American traditions.
Their bakery became a community favorite, known not just for its cookies but for the warmth and connection it brought to customers. Over time, Elizabeth expanded to multiple locations. Her son grew up inspired by her perseverance and opened his own cafe, while her mother became a local icon, teaching baking to children.
Elizabeth’s journey was about more than building a business – it was about creating a legacy of family, culture, and resilience.

parent-child relationships
A few years ago, every Sunday when my dad and I were just two at home, we used to share our breakfast together. One early Sunday, I had a appointment with a travel agency for a study course in Canada, and my Dad told me to not be so long, because he would be waiting for me for breakfast… but after my appointment, I turned off my phone and went outside with friends and spent all day out with my friends.
Finally, when I got back at home in the night, my Dad was so angry he just said to me, “You can forget about the ‘Canada course’ without saying anything else. We stayed like that for many months until finally my mother got back and said to him, “Whatever she did is not a reason for you to not talk to her. Do not forget that she’s young, and young people make mistakes.”
At that moment, we resolved our problems and are now close again.

My own business
I have been working in a restaurant for 5 years. I love my workplace since I have acquired many experiences in that place, especially having a lot of patience with customers.
However, last year I made the decision that in 2025 I was going to set up my own company. I had no idea what I was going to do, I only knew that I no longer wanted to work for anyone. I wanted to be my own boss.
In the midst of thinking every day what I was going to do and how I would do it on a very ordinary day, I started to look at my social networks, and suddenly I saw an advertisement for house cleaning and it really seemed very interesting to me.
The moment I got home I looked for more information on that subject and it seemed even more interesting to me. That moment was incredible because I felt as if all the ideas that I had in disarray in my mind were organized at that moment, I felt very peaceful and calm.
At this moment I have all the ideas clear and organized. I am just waiting for a financial step to start acting and carry out my company which will be working together with my mother.
It will be a cleaning company, for houses, offices, apartments, hotels, etc. The name of our company will be “The Castells Twins.”

A year ago I bought a cookie press to fill eclairs with cream and before Christmas I wanted to make shortbread cookies using the molds of this press, because they were with a New Year theme. I used to make shortbread cookies, but they did not turn out crumbly. I found a recipe for cookies made with a press on the Internet, changed it a little, to my taste and made them. My family and I were surprised, because the cookies turned out crumbly. Today I will share this recipe with you.
Ingredients:
Butter – 150 g
Sugar – 75 g
Egg – 1 pc.
Flour – 225 g
Baking powder – 0.5 tsp.
Salt – a pinch
Cooking process:
Place the softened butter in a bowl and beat with a mixer. Then add sugar, baking powder, salt and beat again. After that, add the egg and beat the mixture again.
Pour flour into the resulting mixture and stir with a spoon.
Fill the cookie press with dough and squeeze it onto a baking sheet covered with parchment, pressing it two or three times. If you want, change the nozzle and make cookies of a different shape.
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Bake cookies in an oven preheated to 180 degrees(350F) for about 12 minutes.
Shortbread cookies from the cookie press are ready!
Enjoy your meal!
PS. The secret to crumbly cookies is that you must beat the soft butter with a mixer. 😜
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My father, my hero—a hardworking, kind, and loving man who loves us more than anything in the world. However, sometimes he tends to dictate his rules, forgetting that we are growing up and need to make our own decisions. 😅 He always wants to control things and show us the “right way” to do them, even if, from my perspective, his way doesn’t work for me. I want to make my own choices, even if that means making mistakes along the way. But when things get too tense and he refuses to back down, the solution becomes: my father versus my mother , my siblings and me. Eventually, everything gets resolved, but not before wasting a lot of time arguing instead of loving each other.
My own business
Yes, I have thought about owning my own business before. I wanted to open a bakery where we would also serve breakfast and natural juices. Two years ago, I started the process in my country. At the beginning, I started at home. I didn’t have many clients, but those who tried my products liked them and recommended me to other people and their friends. It seemed to be going well, but as we say, “Man proposes, and God disposes.”
Something happened in my life that made me stop my business. Later, I traveled to the United States. Even though I still love cooking and sharing with my family and friends, I think I will try again in the future. For now, I’m on a different path.

parent-child relationships
I’ve had many difficult conversations with my parents. Although they raised me and I grew up with them, we are completely different people. It’s becoming increasingly hard for them to understand me. The biggest reason is in the gap between our educational backgrounds and life experiences. Since college, my world and perspective have broadened, but they’ve remained in the same small place. I’ve given up trying to make them understand or support my decisions. I simply go ahead and do what I believe is right. We love each other, but we don’t need to fully understand one another. We each have our own lives to live.
Beatrice’s challenges
She is a single mom, juggling work while taking care of her child. She quit her job and started her own cookie business.
Without a license, she wasn’t allowed to sell cookies on the street, so she rented a small space to run her business. Lacking an oven of her own, she relied on a local pizza shop, using their oven to bake her cookies.

parent-child relationships
Conversations like the one between Beatrice and her mother are definitely very hard and can happen in any family, no matter the circumstances. In my life, I’ve never had such difficult talks with my parents. They grew up in the Soviet Union, where society’s opinion often mattered more than personal happiness. They raised me and my brother in a different time with trust and support, trying to give us what they felt they missed. My grandparents were also understanding and never too strict. They knew I have to find my own way and I will make mistakes anyway. However, I’ve often seen families where traditions and rules were prioritized over individual happiness. With my own children, I try to give them even more freedom and support in everything they do. Parenting is never easy, and being perfect is impossible. The most important thing is to love, forgive, find compromises, and live in harmony – with yourself and with others.

My own business
I would like to open my own photo studio.
Taking pictures is something I really love to do. I was working as a photographer at least 8 months here.
Before this job I never held a professional camera in my hands, but with time I got experienced and learned how to find the best angle and how to choose the best pose for the picture. I worked on my own. I was taking pictures and selling them to customers in the restaurants and pubs. I love taking pictures, but hated selling them.
I think the only thing why thousands of refusals never bothered me is that I never give up. A couple of months ago, I bought a professional camera and started to do creative photoshoots with friends or random people whose appearance I liked. Suddenly exactly at that time I was promoted at work, that’s why now mostly part of a day or at night I’m working at a different job. I would like to earn some money and to take more pictures of people to become enough experienced to open my own studio.
KARINA
a new ending for the episode