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Thursday, March 5, 2026

How Not to Age Cookbook Review

I have been working on improving my diet over time, and have become more plant based as a result.

My latest endeavor, or wakeup call came from watching YouTube videos by Dr. Michael Greger. Greger not only has recommendations on the better choice of what to eat, he knows the science that backs it up.

I was so impressed with his knowledge, that I bought his latest book, The How Not to Age Cookbook.

It was in this cookbook that I saw a recipe for Roasted Asparagus with Tahini Lemon Sauce. Below is my photo of my results.


meal


I usually sauté asparagus, steam it once in a while, or cook it in soup. My husband and I were both pleasantly surprised with the flavor of it being roasted. I also liked the sauce, my husband wasn't so impressed with the sauce, he didn't even taste it. The sauce by itself was a bit strong to me, but paired with the asparagus and also on the pasta, I thought it was pretty good. Overall I was pleased with this recipe and liked the lightness of their not being any oil in it.

In the Introduction part of the book, I learned that berries appear to reduce mortality risk as much as green leafy veggies. Did you know that? I have heard a lot about getting your greens, but I hadn't heard about the praise of berries. Berries may benefit the eyes in a variety of ways and can also suppress inflammation in the gut. Pulling out information from three studies on eating berries, overall, those with a higher berry consumption tended to live significantly longer than those with a low berry intake.

I'm not even half way through the Introduction part, and there are a lot of terms that I am not familiar with; I won't even try to explain those. But for those that want the scientific background on the best foods to eat, and then have recipes that incorporate those findings, this book is for you. Or if you just want to eat more plant based, this cookbook is a great option.

I do like carrot cake, but am not a fan of cream cheese frosting, and I don't care for most things that are overly sweet. So I was also pleasantly surprised when I tried the Baked Carrot Cake Oatmeal. There is no frosting, a plus right from the start. However, it didn't have any raisins. I reduced the shredded carrots by around 1/4th of what was called for and replaced that with two small boxes of organic raisins. That added just a bit of sweetness to the recipe, and made it a hit with me. This recipe called for date syrup. (Dr. Greger has a recipe in the front of the book if you want to make your own.) The date syrup that I had on hand seemed to thick to me, so I reduced that by half and replaced the other half with water. That may have watered the recipe down more than it should have been, but the cake did come out very moist, so I added some extra baking time to it. That worked pretty good.

There are more recipes that I'm looking forward to trying. Most of the ingredients, from what I looked at so far, are every day ingredients. Two things that I noticed that weren't part of my normal ingredient selection, were white miso paste and tahini. Besides that, you might want to have ground flaxseeds, chia seeds, nutritional yeast, and soymilk on hand for your repertoire of plant based ingredients.

Another great thing that I like about this cookbook, is that it has a chart of Dr. Greger's Daily Dozen. It is a list of the various types of food one should eat in a day for maximum health. This has really helped me to see where I might have been lacking and what I should make more of an effort to incorporate into my day. I don't always get all 12 categories checked in one day, but I can see where I'm short and what I can add in the next day or so. If you are interested in checking out Dr. Greger's chart, you can check out the sample pages for the book, on Amazon. Greger also has a free app for those that are interested in keeping track on their cell phone.

book


The How Not to Age Cookbook. Check price and or sample pages on Amazon.


Cheryl Paton


Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


Friday, January 16, 2026

Easy Recipes by Sylvestermouse Reviewed

easy recipes
I enjoy cooking for my family.  Like most of us, I prefer recipes that are fast and easy.  Fortunately, I am surrounded by people who appreciate my effort, my recipes and seem to sincerely like the meals placed before them. 

I readily admit that I play in the kitchen.  I play with recipes by changing the ingredients to suit my families tastes.  I play with cupcakes, cookies, desserts, etc, because I enjoy decorating the food.  I mess around with it until I get the desired effect.  

I also enjoy the company of other family members in the kitchen. So much so, that I consider us playing in the kitchen. Since I began writing articles online, I have been periodically sharing highlights of our kitchen adventures so you and your family can be encouraged to "play" in the kitchen. In this article, I will provide links to the different easy recipes and fun articles that I have published. 

I consider that my Recipe for Making Memories in the Kitchen. So, without further ado, let the games begin!   

 

My Own Personal Roast Recipe

This recipe is the result of trial and error.  I just kept playing with different ideas until I found a tasty, tender way to cook a roast in the oven. 

It has become a family favorite and I have allowed it to be published in several charity cookbooks over the last 40 years, but it is still my own original recipe.  Although I was very young when I developed this recipe, I still cook my roast the same way today.

roast recipe
Published on Cooking for the Holidays

 

Having Fun in the Kitchen

I started cooking when I was a child and still living at home with my parents. My sister and I both helped in the kitchen and it was not unusual for us to have real, honest to goodness food fights with the leftovers. We frequently made mashed potato balls and hurled them through the air at each other or any unsuspecting individual who entered the kitchen. We flung spaghetti noodles against the wall and said we were testing it to see if it was done. By dinnertime, there would be 10 or 12 noodles hanging from the wall on spaghetti night.

While I still enjoy throwing pasta noodles against the wall, I have found that test does not work with pasta shells. No matter how many pasta shells I have thrown against the wall, none have ever stuck. Perhaps someday one will stick. I'll just have to keep testing them.

This easy pasta recipe is also shared on Cooking for the Holidays and, if you click it, the link will take you to that website. 

cooking pasta
Easy Pasta Recipe - A Family Favorite for Dinner or Side Dish

 

More Easy Dinner Recipes featured on CookingForTheHolidays.com

Photos are Linked to Recipes

 Easy Salmon Loaf Patties Recipe How to Bake Potatoes Chicken Enchiladas Recipe How to Bake a Turkey Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup Instant Pot Recipe Homemade Barbeque Recipe for the Best BBQ Sandwiches

 

Click Here for More Dinner Recipes

 

Playing with Ingredients

halloween pizza
Working in the kitchen with my sister was fun. We occasionally experimented with the food. Sometimes we would put a little extra pepper in one of our brothers' bowls of stew or add a little something extra to spice up their lives and the dinner table. Oddly enough, the boys consumed whatever we fed them and much to our distress, rarely noticed a difference. I only remember one brother gagging on hot barbecue sauce and believe it or not, we were not responsible.

Of course, there are the recipes from my mother and grandmother that I have never played with, never changed and never shared except on websites I own. My motto for this group of recipes is "you can't improve on perfection, so why try!" 

Directions for making the pizza pictured on right, can be found at Halloween Haven

 

Playing with Your Food Recipes 

These are some of my favorite recipes. They are really step by step instructions on decorating, so I call it playing with my food. Sometimes making these special treats can be messy, but they are always fun as you create your own original work of food art. 

Don't just make these treats alone to serve to your family. Grab your child, your husband, your sister, your mother or even your father and make these treats with your family!  

To see some of my favorite fun food articles, simply click the source link below each photo. That will take you directly to the recipe and tutorials for creating your own fun food.

Photos are Linked to Recipes

 How to Decorate Panda Cupcakes How to Decorate a Snake Cake How to Make Marshmallow Flower Cupcakes 4th of July Party Flag Cake Recipe How to Decorate Snowman Cupcakes How to Make a Chocolate Halloween Ghost Castle Cake How to Make a Chocolate Halloween Ghost Train Cake How to Make a Cupcake Pumpkin Cake

 

Teaching an Old Dog, New Tricks

I am happy to say that I married a man who enjoys messing around in the kitchen too! The Breakfast Buddy featured below is his delicious creation and when I wanted to learn how to grill, I asked him to teach me. He has always made the most incredible steaks! In the article below, I share his secrets as I take you step by step through my own "grilling" education.

Photos are Linked to Recipes

 Breakfast "Buddy" Sandwich How to Grill the Perfect Steaks Cooking Hamburgers on an Indoor Grill

 

Special Treat and Finger Food Recipes

My family loves fruit and chocolate so it only seems natural for me to dip fruit in chocolate. Once I started dipping fruit, it was impossible to stop! I think I dipped every type of fruit we had in the house, then ran to the grocery store for more. Of course, then I wrote an article about each one.

Here is my collection of dipped fruit recipes. Be very careful though. Chocolate dipped fruit can be very addictive!

Photo Linked to Recipe

 Chocolate Covered Fruit DIY Recipes

Taking Care of the Cook 

Over the years, I have learned many things about cooking, about family and about fun. The most important thing I have learned, is that the three things go together. Have fun cooking with your family. 

I watched my grandmother and my mother work in the kitchen during every holiday for decades. Too often, they missed out on the fun simply because the party was happening in another room. 

I believe in bringing the party to the kitchen, enlisting help and taking care of the cook. Perhaps, I see it more clearly because now I am the cook, but I love to share ideas with others about how to have more fun with your family, instead of working alone in the kitchen. Believe me, you can create your own load of memories in the kitchen by simply letting others help in the kitchen. 

table set with party food

 

A Lot of Good Food and A Load of Memories 

I think it is because of my experiences and our experiments in the kitchen when I was a child, that I approach the kitchen with humor now. I still cook the old standards passed down from my great grandmother, grandmother and mother, but I enjoy creating new treats for my family too and it is even better when I get "help." 

Over the years, a lot of good food and a load of memories have been made in our kitchen! 

 

Easy Dessert Recipes 

Photos are Linked to Recipes

 Easy Strawberry Trifle Easy Blackberry Cobbler

 

Candy Recipe 

I am not going to tell you this recipe is extremely easy. It seems easy to me because I have been making it for 40+ years, but making candy takes a bit of practice to perfect. 

While I try to walk viewers through the process with photos, I know this is something that is simply learned by trial and error because the outcome when making candy depends so much on the climate of the day, as well as the altitude of a region. 

Here is my mother's Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe. I could never improve on this recipe.  It really is delicious! 

Photo Linked to Recipe

 Peanut Butter Fudge

 

Easy Beverage Recipes

Take time to relax!  While the food is in the oven, or after all of the work is done,  sit back with your loved ones and enjoy a cup of tea, hot chocolate or perhaps a cool glass of lemonade.  These are the moments you will want to capture and hold for as long as you can.

Photos are Linked to Recipes

 Spice Tea Recipe Homemade Lemonade Recipe Hot Chocolate Mix Recipe

 Chocolate Hot Cocoa Bombs Recipe

 

For a Complete List of All of my Published Recipes
 Click Here to Visit the House of Sylvestermouse Recipes

Check Out More Recipe Reviews at
ReviewThisRecipes.com




Easy Recipes by Sylvestermouse Reviewed Written by:
House of Sylvestermouse



 

 

This recipe article was originally published by me in 2011 on a different site that no longer exists.
Unless otherwise noted with the individual photo, all Photos are mine and should not be used without written permission.

© Sylvestermouse 




Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


Wednesday, October 15, 2025

Summer 2025 ~ My Favorite Kitchen Gadget Reviewed

instant pot

Okay, okay,  I have more than one favorite item in the kitchen, but for purposes of this review I'm sticking my neck out and picking my go-to item.

Now, just to be certain, coffee makers are not included here because that is my all time favorite kitchen gadget all year around.  Without my "rocket fuel" also known as coffee, this person would not be able to function.  Maybe that's because of my Brazilian roots, who knows for sure?

So back to the most favorite kitchen gadget for 2025 and beyond!  I'll fill you in on all the reasons why this great item made the top of my list. 

The WINNER in my books has got to be the INSTAPOT!

instapot


Did you guess this or is it a surprise?  There could have been many different items here, but this one tops my list.  The reasons are simple.

  1. Even when it's hotter than Hades outside, you don't need to spend hours in a hot kitchen preparing something for dinner.
  2. This past summer with temperatures up around 80+ and feeling like 100, you can still make dinner without melting right along with the butter.
  3. It takes up little counter space when in use.
  4. It's easy to clean up, one pot does it all!
  5. It's great for chicken, pork. beef and just about anything else you want to make.
  6. It's not just for dinner (although with us, that is it's major use)
  7. There are recipes galore for you to try out.
The only thing I would not do in the Instapot is a great steak ( T-bone, porterhouse, sirloin, those IMHO should remain a staple for the grill).   

This particular Instapot can easily make dinner for one, two or more people.  Or you can make enough for two days, especially when the weather is super warm. If you have a small family you could get the 3 quart size and if you have a larger family there is even an 8 quart sized Instapot.  We have a 6 quart sized one and find that it is perfect even though there are only two of us in the household. It also seems that this is the favorite size as it is an Amazon Choice product.

So here are some of the features according to the Product Description.

  1. It has 7 different functions, you can pressure cook, slow cook, saute, steam, ,make rice, yogurt or simple keep your meals warm. (all in the same pot, but not all at once)
  2. Customizable programs, you can make everything from soup to desserts.
  3. Safe and easy steam release 
  4. Cooks up to 70% faster compared to slow cooking methods.
  5. Pro-Grade cooking pot: stainless steel with a tri-ply bottom
  6. Family sized capacity: the 6 quart is perfect for 6 servings and batch cooking
  7. Quick Clean UP.  The lid and inner pot are dishwasher safe.
Now the added bonus that you don't hear about too often, is that it uses so much less energy than stove top cooking. 

Cleaning the Instapot is easy too, the face of the pot just needs a wipe down after use with warm soapy water.  Rinse and it's done!

instant pot

So there you have it folks.  All my reasons why this has become my favorite Kitchen Gadget for 2025 and beyond!  

Of course my Coffee Maker will remain in top spot for beverages, but the Instapot is #1 for everything else!




Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


Saturday, October 11, 2025

October is National Seafood Month


For Seafood Lovers everywhere, join me in a review of several seafood products and recipes by the contributing writers here on ReviewThisReviews.


Image of a platter of seafood



Celebrating National Seafood Month


People everywhere love seafood. And what’s not to love with so many choices. The variety, from shrimp cocktails to fish, from smoked salmon to yummy, dripping in butter, lobster tails, makes choosing a favorite nearly impossible. And when you consider the wide variety of ‘ways’ to prepare various seafood delicacies, the list is just about endless. Plus, for quick meals, there are some delicious, pre-packaged, seafood dishes available at your favorite markets.


A plate of salmon
A few fish recipes and restaurants are included in this review, as fish (such as salmon, tuna and trout) are considered seafood, along with those in the shellfish category. 


So, read through the following list of seafood reviews from the helpful review site of ReviewThisReviews.com, and find a few you would like to try. After all, as a seafood lover, you want to help celebrate the delicious Seafood Month of October! 


Seafood Recipes


Buttery Pasta and Shrimp Recipe - review written by Wednesday Elf


Phillips Frozen Crab Cakes Recipe and Review written by Dawn Rae


Review of Our Favorite Seafood Dip - With Recipe written by Wednesday Elf


Recipe Review of Drunken Mussells written by Dawn Rae



Fish Recipes


Easy Meal Recipes for Fish Tacos written by Dawn Rae


Air Fryer Lightly Breaded Haddock, review written by Sam Monaco



Heat & Serve Prepacked Seafood Dishes


Gortons Grilled Tilapia Review written by Wednesday Elf


Review of Budweiser Beer-Battered Cod written by Wednesday Elf



Seafood Restaurants


Flying Fish Bar and Grill Restaurant Review written by Wednesday Elf


Restaurant Review of Go Fish Marina and Bar written by Wednesday Elf



Seafood-Related Holidays


Seafood platter

January:
10th Oysters Rockefeller Day, 25th Fish Taco Day.

February: 13th Crab Rangoon Day, 24th Tartar Sauce Day, 24th Fish Fry Day.

March: 9th Crab Meat Day, 12th Baked Scallops Day, 31st Clams On The Half Shell Day.

April: 17th Crawfish Day, 29th Shrimp Scampi Day.

May: 2nd Tuna Day, 10th Shrimp Day.

June: 25th Catfish Day.

July: 3rd Fried Clam Day.

August: 5th Oyster Day, 27th Crab Soup Day.

September: 25th Lobster Day.

October: 2nd Fried Scallops Day, 8th Salmon Day, 19th Seafood Bisque Day.

November: 1st Fried Clams Day.

December: 21st Fried Shrimp Day.


Summary


So, throughout this National Seafood Month of October, indulge in some tasty fish and shellfish recipes and restaurants. Fish and shellfish are considered a healthier meal alternative, plus have the added advantage of being delicious.



Happy National Seafood Month

An October Holiday


*National Seafood Month is a fun food holiday review written by Wednesday Elf


Fish & Seafood Cookbooks:


From OCEAN TO TABLE: A Beginners Guide To cooking Fresh SeafoodFrom OCEAN TO TABLE: A Beginners Guide To cooking Fresh SeafoodCheck PriceThe Ultimate Fish & Seafood Cookbook: 65 Easy & Flavorful Recipes with Salmon, Shrimp, Crab & More (Fish & Seafood Cooking Series)The Ultimate Fish & Seafood Cookbook: 65 Easy & Flavorful Recipes with Salmon, Shrimp, Crab & More (Fish & Seafood Cooking Series)Check PriceShellfish: Recipes with the Fresh Taste of the Sea (A Seafood Cookbook)Shellfish: Recipes with the Fresh Taste of the Sea (A Seafood Cookbook)Check Price

 




Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


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Review This Reviews is Dedicated to the Memory of Our Beloved Friend and Fellow Contributor

Susan DeppnerSusan Deppner

We may be apart, but
You Are Not Forgotten





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