a season for redemption - Ronald S. Barak, Author
11:25 AM Posted by MAC
A delicious recipe for a sweet New Year!
French Jelly cookies
French Jelly cookies
A favorite recipe of Author Ronald S. Barak's
wife Barbie
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter at room temperature
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
Grated rind of one lemon
Extra sugar for coating
Dump everything into a big bowl and mix with your hands until the dough
holds together. Use one teaspoon of dough for each cookie. Roll into
balls, roll each in some sugar and place one inch apart on ungreased
cookie sheets. With your little finger, make an indentation in the center
of each ball. Put a little stiff jelly in each hole (raspberry, currant,
grape, boysenberry are good). Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes. Loosen
with a spatula and let cool on pan.
Enjoy!
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter at room temperature
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
Grated rind of one lemon
Extra sugar for coating
Dump everything into a big bowl and mix with your hands until the dough
holds together. Use one teaspoon of dough for each cookie. Roll into
balls, roll each in some sugar and place one inch apart on ungreased
cookie sheets. With your little finger, make an indentation in the center
of each ball. Put a little stiff jelly in each hole (raspberry, currant,
grape, boysenberry are good). Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes. Loosen
with a spatula and let cool on pan.
Enjoy!
a season for redemption – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat
‘Thwap. Thwap. Mmm, the silencer worked great. In one clean move, he pocketed his gun and caught her before she fell to the ground. He also managed to get her keys, open the door, and quickly get the two of them inside the townhouse. He set he down. No pulse. He went back outside, turning on a flashlight he extracted from his pocket. No blood that he could see anywhere. He picked up her briefcase, went back inside, closed the door and confirmed that it was locked. He put the briefcase on the entry table. He then picked Alistair up, carried her into the bedroom and set her down on the bed. Now I know where they got the expression dead weight. He undressed her, scattered her clothes about the room and went about his business. Twenty minutes later, satisfied with the way things looked, and how smoothly this had gone, he quietly took his leave. Perfect. If I don’t dawdle, I can still catch the second half of the Lakers-Wizards game. And it would have been “perfect,” too. If not for the one slight drop of blood on the front porch he had missed – and the pair of eyes that peered out at him from the nearby shadows as he departed.’
It's early 2009. DC Detective Frank Lotello has just been informed that U.S. Senator Jane Alistair has been murdered and raped, in that order. Within just a few short days he will learn of the murder and rape of Dr. Jody DiMarco, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, and the murder of Derrick Johnson, Chairman of the Securities Exchange Commission. As the task force is formed and proceeds to put the evidence together, one person speaks out, giving the force and the DA the perfect person to pin the murders on. That person is Cliff Norman.
Norman built his small electronic business from just he and his wife into a company employing around 100. He bought his wife a beautiful home and the two decided to start a family, their first child being a baby boy they named Ryan. Then the recession hit. Norman lost his business, his home and due to an illness whose treatment was not covered by his insurance, he lost his son. This literally drove Norman into an apparent state of off-balance. He took his frustrations outside Capitol Hill, yelling to anyone and everyone who would listen, exactly what the corrupt politicians had done to him - and what he has now done to them. This is what the DA perceived as Norman’s admission to the murders giving him what he believed would be an open and shut case. Public Defender Leah Klein believes different and with the help of Lotello she hopes to prove Norman either innocent or guilty of justifiable homicide.
As I read a season for redemption I found myself actually picturing some of the characters as real people. Ronald S. Barak has given them the personalities that even seem familiar opening my eyes to the real possibility that the events that take place in this story are not only possible but also probable (sadly, Gabby Giffords and Jared Loughner). And I loved his honesty in his “Author’s Note” which says “While to some extent derived from real-world facts, events, conditions and principles of law, as to which the author has taken certain liberties, this is strictly a work of fiction – more or less. Except of course if the satirical shoe fits, resemblance to any real persons is purely coincidental. The names of characters have been changed to protect the innocent – and the guilty.” As you read a season for redemption, I feel sure you too will be able to relate to the characters.
This is also a very educational book. I’ve never been a juror for a murder trial and pray I never have to be, but if that situation ever comes up, I want to re-read a season for redemption in hopes of understanding the true meaning of ‘beyond a shadow of doubt’ and even possibly ‘justifiable homicide.’ This is a book that I feel everyone who is being affected by the recession - and feels any disdain for our political representatives - should read. Just maybe it will help us all pull together to make a difference and have some of the corruption removed from our government.
509 pages
Gander House Publishers
ISBN# 978-0-9827590-0-4









"This book is made up of 3 individual stories. All three are short reads and other than the setting, which is Mexico, all three are completely different."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"You'll follow Logan as she tramples through kudzu, goes to her first Testicle Festival, rents a room from a woman who runs around at night in the nude and connects with a wolf. You will also follow her as she gets her man, or should I say men."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"Will the people of Hollow Gap pull together and defend themselves from the Indian up-rise or will they fall apart. Find the answers to these questions and more when you read this book of taming the West through love."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"I would NEVER have guessed the turn of events that make up the last 20 pages of Fresh Frozen. The hiring of the spy will surprise you and the murder will surprise you even more. So if you love a good mystery, this book is definitely for you."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"As I read I felt as if I was a witness watching this evil man do the things he did to these young women. As I read through the trial I felt like one of those ready to convict him. As I listened to the comments by his wife, I could feel her pain and confusion."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"After reading Breaking My Silence I saw Jane as a strong person who was determined to do whatever was needed to get her children back into her life and to do whatever it took to make her life as complete as possible without the prostitution. This was one of the most informative books I've ever read about a subject that is normally kept behind closed doors."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"
While reading Genesis Beach I found myself not wanting to put it down. Each page had a piece of evidence that would help me solve the mystery before Logan. I really thought I had pin-pointed the murderer. Boy was I in for a shock."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"I've enjoyed reading this book. It's a cross between a "fiction" and a "true crime." So if you enjoy either genre you will enjoy A Study in Red. Do keep in mind that this book is very descriptive."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"The story captured me from the beginning, the evil of Rovella never ceased to amaze me, and the love that was always there but didn't surface due to guilt made me feel the pain that I'm sure she felt. The ending was perfect."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"This has been a really enjoyable book.
I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good mystery. Beth, don't change your way of writing! I've really enjoyed reading Basket Case and will be reading more of Beth's books."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"I feel this is a wonderfully written book that would be helpful not just for young people who are overweight but also for those who look at a person, no matter the age, call them names, shun them and refuse to accept them as they are."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"Bertha Speaks Out is a very enjoyable book to read. Bertha finds herself in positions that will make you laugh and cry. You will feel her pain but also feel her pride when she stands up for what is right. It’s a must read for children as well as adults.
"
(Martha A. Cheves)
"Read Thicker than Water and ask yourself these questions. Did the wife make the right choice? Was her decision worth 15 years of her family’s life? Would you have made the same decision?
I highly recommend Thicker than Water. As I said, it was a joy to read."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"As I read I kept asking myself “Who would put out a hit on David and why?” “Who are The Chosen Few and what do they have to do with David?” “Will Max get to David before it’s too late?” You will have to read The Chosen Few yourself to find the answers to these questions."
(Martha A. Cheves)
"This book has taught me that life is like a chain. Everyone we meet becomes a link in our chain. Some links may be weak, but the strong ones keep the chain from breaking. And as memories and secrets are shared with those strong links, they become even stronger."
(Martha A. Cheves)

I'm from Georgia, moved to North Carolina by way of Florida. I've been in Charlotte for 14 years and love it. The recipes in my book Stir, Laugh, Repeat are all tested by "Food Testers" of which I now have 24. They try a dish and rate it from 1-10 with only those scoring at least an 8 making the book. My website is a holding place for my 2nd book Stir, Laugh, Repeat... Again. Please visit my site to find new recipes and tips. All recipes are easy, using common ingredients and according to my testers, great!
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