Tender, tasty, quick, and easy meals courtesy Cosori Electric Pressure Cooker (review)

Pressure cookers have intrigued me for nearly 50 years. They've also scared me that long, thanks to the monstrous meal-making machine that spouted steam and terror in my mom's kitchen as well as my grandma's decades ago.

I've always wanted to learn how to make meals with a pressure cooker. It just seemed that's what grandmas are supposed to do. Or at least try. But the idea the pressurized pan might go kabang has prevented me from giving such culinary craftiness a try.

Until now. Until I learned there's an electric — safe and kabang-proof — pressure cooker. Until I was offered the opportunity to review for free the safe, sturdy, and stylish Electric Pressure Cooker by Cosori.

 cosori electric pressure cooker

When I first unpacked and prepared my pressure cooker for cooking, my husband asked, "Are you sure that thing's not gonna explode?" Which confirmed that he, too, recalled pressure-cooker fears...

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Two hot picture books for kids from popular hit songs for adults (Brief book review)

Everything old is made new again. Sometimes such creations stink (nearly every remade movie), sometimes they soar.

The following two fantastic new picture books for kiddos based on popular songs for grownups belong firmly and forever in the latter category. (They make great holiday gifts, too.)

FOOTLOOSE by Kenny Loggins, illustrated by Tim Bowers (Music & Lyrics by Kenny Loggins and Dean Pitchford)

footloose picture book ...

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Trio of treats: Three interactive Halloween picture books (Brief book reviews)

Little Bee Books offers up a bevy of Halloween-themed books for little (and big) readers. Here are three brief book reviews on treats I recently received from the publisher just in time for sharing this spooky season.

WHERE IS OWL'S SCARF by Brandy Cooke, illustrated by Valentina Belloni

where is owl's scarf

 

IF YOU'RE SPOOKY AND...

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ETEKCITY Digital Kitchen Scale: The key to perfect portion control

Portion control is key to a better bottom line, whether we're talking one's budget or body. Buying in bulk and portioning out pieces and servings saves money. Portioning out the correct serving sizes when gobbling goodies at snack time saves calories.

It takes a precise kitchen scale for perfect portioning, though, as eye balling just doesn't cut it. The ETEKCITY Digital Kitchen Scale — a handy dandy tool I recently received free for review — portions precisely, perfectly. Every time.

etekcity digital kitchen scale 

The sleek Digital Kitchen Scale has an 11-pound capacity and measures ingredients by grams, milliliters, pounds and ounces. It also has...

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Brief book reviews: Two school story series for boys and girls

Award-winning children's author Rachel Renee Russell — along with daughters, co-writer Erin and illustrator Nikki — offers an update to her bestselling Dork Diaries series and a brand-new series boys will love, too.

Meet Max and the "Super Squee Edition" starring Nikki:

THE MISADVENTURES OF MAX CRUMBLY: LOCKER HERO by Rachel Renee Russell

max crumbly

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Top That! A mad dash to match the magic hat stack game from Blue Orange Games

Not too long ago, my buddy/reviewer Bud helped me try out a new game from Blue Orange Games called Dr. Eureka. It was loads of fun... but a tad challenging for Bud because of the manual dexterity involved in moving mini balls about ("molecules") to match the winning formula on game cards.

This game turned out a bit easier for my review partner.

top that! from blue orange games

Top That! from Blue Orange Games has very similar game play as Dr. Eureka — but was far more fun for Bud during our recent review play because the pieces (magic props) to be stacked and swapped and such to match what's on the game card before all the other players...

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Cookbook review: 175 Best Air Fryer Recipes by Camilla V. Saulsbury

Do you have an air fryer? I reviewed one last year, and it quickly became one of my favorite appliances. I was quite pleased with the way french fries, chicken tenders, BBQ drumsticks and much, much more cooked up fast and oil free. And delicious.

Thing is, I had trouble finding recipes that went beyond the basics, beyond those things mentioned above. So I don't use my air fryer as often as I would like, as often as I could and should.

Enter 175 Best Air Fryer Recipes by Camilla V. Saulsbury, freelance food writer and author of more than 20 cookbooks (including this one I previously reviewed). I received a copy of the glossy cover paperback for review and instantly fell in love with it.

175 best air fryer recipes

Inside the glossy cover of 175 Best Air Fryer Recipes the pages are primarily...

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Shape Mags Magnetic Stick N' Stack Tiles: Innovative magnetic fun (Review)

Before I delve into my review of Shape Mags Magnetic Stick N' Stack playsets, I must first apologize.

I must apologize for using the "C" word here. That "C" word being, well, Christmas.

See, if you're anything like me, you abhor the idea of considering Christmas before summer has even come to a close. But, as these nifty playsets are ideal, imagination-stretching gifts for girls and boys of all ages (well, age 3+ is the recommendation), I simply must note that Shape Mags are absolutely perfect for giving — and getting... for Grandma's playroom — for Christmas.

There. I said it. Forgive me and let's move on... to the review.

shape mags

I received free for review the Shape Mags Magnetic Stick N' Stack Tiles Starter Set...

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