Alasandra's Cranberry Pumpkin Bread

1 small can, canned pumpkin
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter melted
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup frozen cranberries
1 cup sugar
2 eggs

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

Thirteen Books I Read Recently

1. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski ~ Born mute Edgar has an idyllic childhood with the Sawtelle dogs until his Uncle Claude returns to destroy the world as he knows it. I found the book kinda weird and hard to get into.
2. Dinosaurs in the Attic an Excursion into The American Museum of Natural History by Douglas J. Preston - I found the book to be interesting and informative.
3. Scarpetta by Patricia Cornewll ~ A real page turner, the gang minus Rose is reunited in New York City.
4. Dream Warrior by Sherrilyn Kenyon ~ Jericho (aka Cratus) a Titan helps the Oneroi broker a deal with Zeus to return their emotions, and rescue the Oneroi and Skoti from Noir and Azura all for the love of Delphine.
5. The Winds of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson ~ Lady Jessica returns to Dune after receiving news that a blind Paul walked over into the desert.
6. Bad Moon Rising by Sherrilyn Kenyon ~ I had been looking forward to reading Fang & Aimee's story but I am very disappointed in it. First off Kenyon seems to have forgotten that Cherise Gautier was killed leading to Nick committing suicide and becoming a Dark Hunter, which then lead to the discovery he was the Malachai. Even though in Bad Moon Rising Thorn says the increased demon activity is due to the Malachai being unbound. Serious problem with her storyline there. My next major complaint is that Ash was there when Maman Peltier was wounded (saving Fang's life) and could have healed her but didn't. I am also annoyed with Savitar he revoked Sanctuary's license forever in a fit of pique (felt bad about it after he did it) which made the attack where Maman Peltier lost her life possible.
7. Evidence by Jonathan Kellerman - Lots of twist and turns and plots within plots. A very good read.
8. Never Again by John Ashcroft - Ashcroft defends the Patriot Act.
9. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins ~ excellent book, very well written.
10. The Web And The Stars Book 2 of the Timeweb Chronicles by Brian Herbert ~ This book was full of surprises and I liked it much better then Book 1 (mainly because I now know all the characters). If you are looking for a books to get a young person I do recommend this series. Noah's nephew becomes Doge of the Merchant Prince Alliance and forms an alliance with Noah and his Guardians. The Parvii Tesh will sacrifice her race for the good of the galaxy and the Tulyans will work with the humans to liberate the Aopoddae.
11.  Webdancers Book 3 of The Time Web Chronicles by Brian Herbert ~ Tesh chooses to have Noah's baby. Noah evolves into something that isn't human and that has the power to control an Aopoddae weapon capable of great destruction. Parais risk her life to save Dux and Acey. And the Web Spinners are revealed as the greatest threat to the galaxy.
12. The Scarpetta Factor by Patricia Cornwell - Jean Baptiste Chandonne is back and badder then ever.
13. Kindred In Death by J. D. Robb (aka Nora Roberts) 16 year old Deena MacMasters is murdered by her "secret" boyfriend while her parents are away celebrating her Dad's promotion to Captain of the NYPSD.  Can Eve find out WHY and WHO before the killer kills again?
    

Dining with Alasandra

We went to The Olive Garden in D'Iberville for Hubby's birthday. The service was excellent and the place was packed but the food is only mediocre. I much prefer Capone's. I got the Venetian Apricot Chicken a grilled chicken breast in an apricot citrus sauce, served with broccoli, asparagus and diced tomatoes. The chicken breast OK and I did like the sauce but the broccoli and asparagus were tough. The salad it was served with was disappointing, but on the plus side they did keep us supplied with warm bread sticks.

Thirteen Books I read Recently

Thirteen Books I Read Recently

1. Blasphemy by Douglas Preston ~ A bunch of Christian Fundamentalist create a mob intent on destroying Isabella (the most expensive machine ever built) and killing the scientist. With the help of some American Indians most of the scientist are able to escape.
   
2. The Ice Limit by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child - Palmer Lloyd is willing to pay anything to have the red meteor as part of his museum collection. He hires Eli Glinn to bring the meteor to New York. Unable to admit defeat Glinn will risk everything to complete his mission. Then McFarlane one of the few survivors of the ill fated expedition will discover that it wasn't a meteor at all............. (I sense a possible sequel)
   
3. Smash Cut by Sandra Brown - A real page turner. Paul Wheeler was gunned down in an elevator who hired the killer? His nephew who expected to inherit his fortune or the lovely young lady he was spending his time with.
   
4. Storm Cycle by Iris Johansen & Roy Johansen ~ When Tavak is trapped in an Egyptian tomb he emails the only person who can help computer whiz Rachel Kirby. Can the dynamic duo find Peseshet's tomb before the bad guys do.
   
5. Deadlock by Iris Johansen ~When Emily Hudson is kidnapped only one man can save her. Can he win her heart too?
   
6. The Tomb by F. Paul Wilson - The first in the Repairman Jack series. He is awesome, I am looking forward to reading more. Jack wins back his girlfriend by saving her daughter from an ancient curse.
   
7. Agincourt by Bernard Cornwell - How the English won against all odds at Agincourt thanks to the archers.
   
8. The Wheel of Darkness by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child - The immured anchorite sends the Agozyen out into the world in order to find the next Rinpoche. Pendergast must return the Agozyen to the monastery before the world is destroyed, and thanks to Constance Greene's secret when all appears lost Pendergast will receive help for an unlikely source.
   
9. Alex Cross's Trial by James Patterson & Richard Dilallo - I didn't care for this book.
   
10. Riptide by Douglas Preston and Lincol Child ~ Sir William Macallan designed "The Water Pit" a deadly vault to hold the pirate Edward Ockham's treasure on Ragged Island. 30 years ago Malin Hatch's brother died on Ragged Island, his body was never recovered. Now Captain Neidelman is offering Malin a chance to recover his brother's body if he will allow the treasure hunter access to Ragged Island. But what if St. Michael's Sword is deadly to posses? Will anyone escape from Ragged Island alive?
    
11. Thunderhead by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child ~ This is the novel in which Nora meets Smithback for the first time. Nora receives a letter from her Father 16 years after his death telling of a lost Anasazi city he discovered. With the backing of Ernest Goddard she assembles an archaeological team and heads off into the wild to hunt for it. But the city turns out to hold a deadly secret.
    
12. The Third Jesus by Deepak Chopra ~ Great Book!!!!!! " A religion of love has moved alarmingly in the direction of hatred, although outright hatred may not be preached from the pulpit. What is preached is self-righteous intolerance."
    
13. Tyrannosaur Canyon by Douglas Preston - Sally & Tom Broadbent (from The Codex) are featured. While riding in the desert Tom hears gunshots and finds Stem Weathers shot in the back. With his dying breath Stem begs Tom to take his notebook to his daughter Robbie . Hoping to find a clue to Stem's identity in the notebook Tom takes it to ex-CIA agent Wyman Ford to decode. They then begin to search for the T-REX the code reveals but can they manage to stay alive with Stem Weathers' murder after them as well as a rogue government agency that wants them dead.
    
    
 

Dining with Alasandra

It's been a long time since I have done a restaurant  review so I am going to mention two new places in Ocean Springs I have been too.

Capone's serves authentic Sicilian Italian Food. Drawbacks the place is hard to find and they only take cash. On the upside, an upscale decor and delicious food. I had the Eggplant Parmesan, served with salad & bread sticks. I choose the Gorgonzola Dressing to go with the salad and to be honest I would have been happy with just the salad and the bread sticks.

Shady's - I love their outdoor dining area. I had the Giggling Grouper Sandwich. I choose to have it grilled. It's served on a wheat roll with lettuce, tomato & creole mayo. Comes with homemade slaw. Very filling and delicious.

Great Letter to the Editor by Louis Fuchs

Blaming the deficit is disingenuous, at best
At Rep. Gene Taylor’s town hall meeting in Moss Point, there was a lot of loud and intimidating shouting against health care reform. I expected that. What surprised me was the amount of real anger expressed by many of the attendees, anger that went beyond the health care issue.

When Rep. Taylor tried to explain how the deficit progressed from where it was in the 1980s to where it is today, many in the crowd jeered and claimed that we’ve had problems for only the last six months. The crowd angrily demanded to know why Rep. Taylor voted for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House and, before he could explain that he did so because she had promised to support his all-perils insurance proposal, they shouted him down.

Add in the lingering effects of Hurricane Katrina and the severe recession, and you have a recipe for stress. Throw in some lies about “death panels,” and people can succumb to fear and anger.

The vested interests that stand to profit billions will do anything to destroy meaningful reform and preserve a system where they control the market.

Congress did not seem concerned about the deficit when they provided tax breaks to large corporations or when they were building F-22 fighter planes that the Defense Department did not want. Now, when we’re talking about providing adequate health care to all Americans, they are concerned about the deficit. They are disingenuous at best.


We have been trying to introduce health care legislation since the time of Teddy Roosevelt. It is time to finally do the right thing and make health care for all Americans a priority. Put it in the budget along with everything else. The people of this country will breathe a sigh of relief over not having to worry about whether they can see a doctor or not, whether an insurance company will deny coverage for a procedure they’ve already had, whether they will face bankruptcy and, finally, whether they will live or die at the hands of profit-seeking insurance companies.


LOUIS FUCHS
Diamondhead