INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Pay attention to the wording in the recipe when sifting your flour. The wording in a recipe affects how the flour is sifted. There is a difference between "1 cup flour, sifted" and "1 cup sifted flour."  If the recipe calls for "1 cup flour, sifted," measure the flour first. Then, transfer it to a bowl and sift. If the recipe calls for "1 cup sifted flour," sift a good portion of flour. Then, measure out however much you need for the recipe. You do not always need to sift flour. If flour has not been sitting in a bag too long, it may be light enough to simply use in a recipe. When flour is in a bag for awhile, however, it gets compact and needs to be sifted. If your bag of flour was squeezed into a cabinet, or had another item sitting on top of it, it's especially important to sift your flour. If your flour is not tightly compact, you may be able to skip the sifting process for some recipes. However, if you're making something that is meant to have a delicate texture, always sift your flour first. Recipes like angel food cake, for example, will require sifted flour. If you're going to roll out dough, or knead it, flour can help prevent the dough from sticking to a work surface. Sifted flour generally works better in this case, as it will have less clumps and spread more evenly. You should also sift flour if you're dusting flour over wax paper to roll out dough for sugar cookies.

SUMMARY: Figure out when to sift your flour. Sift flour that has been sitting in a bag for awhile. Make sure to sift flour for recipes with delicate textures. Sift flour over a work surface before you roll or knead dough.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: You also have the right to maintain clear boundaries about what types of negative behaviors are not acceptable to you.  Part of setting a boundary is following through with consequences if they are violated. Be clear about what breaking your trust looks like and what will happen afterwards. You are not being mean if you stand your ground and end a friendship because of this broken trust. There are no hard and fast rules as far as how long any friendship lasts. Sometimes, friendships just end for one reason or another. If you seem to have outgrown your friends because they are often engaging in bullying or immature behavior, you may choose to distance yourself.  The biggest part of self-care is taking ownership of your happiness.  There is no friend that is more important than your own happiness and security. Learn to tap into your own measure of stress and see what patterns cause you the most stress. If there is a friend at the center of much of the stress, move on. This may be another friend, a coworker or even your parents. Explain to this person what’s been going on and ask for his or her sincere advice. You might say “Hey, Mom. Were you ever friends with someone who sort of picked on you?...What did you do?” Recognize friendships that have changed into challenging and draining battles.  Use strong personal boundaries to step away from those negative relationships and spend time with people who are supportive and value what you bring to the table.

SUMMARY:
Recognize that you have a right to feel safe and secure in your friendships. Decide if you want to keep being friends with mean people. Talk to someone about it that you trust. End friendships that do not positively influence your life.