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Cookies are the best treats to enjoy.  They are soft and chewy and perfect to take on the go.  My neighbor Anne loves to prepare different cookies for friends and family.  Since I am her neighbor, I get the best part of that deal because I get to sample them all and keep the leftovers.  She has made so many different varieties, I am pretty sure I have tried the majority of cookie recipes out on Pinterest.

The other day, Anne burst through my back door with a batch of cookies that I had never tried.  She had put together like three different batches of batter that she had leftover and made the best mash up of a cookie that I have ever tried in my life!  The cookies were chock full of toffee chips, Butterfinger chunks and lots of chocolate chips.  They were rich, delicious, chewy and everything cookie dreams are made of. These cookies are perfect to enjoy with a big scoop of ice cream between two of them for the best ice cream sandwich you ever did taste.  It is by far better than Carvel or Dairy Queen’s cookie sandwiches and you guys are going to love them!

Photo and recipe courtesy of Call Me PMC.

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Quick Tip: Serve these as an ice cream sandwich

My neighbor Anne loves to make cookies.  Not specifically for herself, but her husband.  Apparently her man loves to enjoy a good cookie at any time of day.  Now, he does not like store bought cookies.  Nor does he like Nestle Tollhouse cookie dough or Pillsbury cookie dough, he likes only homemade dough that makes the best cookies.

Anne is always looking for good new recipes to make for her husband so I am always on the lookout when I come across cookie recipes to give her something that might be useful to her and that her husband would love.  One of the best ones we have come across are these cookies and cream cookies.  It is kind of ironic to make cookies with other cookies, but that is how these are.  You take Oreo cookies and crush them until they are small enough to mix in a batch of cookie dough.  Then you bake the cookie dough until it forms a whole new cookie.  My favorite thing to do with this is wrap an Oreo inside of all the cookies and cream cookie dough.  It is the perfect double cookie recipe that I think Anne’s husband will love and beg her for!

Photo and recipe courtesy of Inside BruCrew.

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Quick Tip: Store these in an airtight container

In the past, I have shared about my family feud with cheesecake.  My aunt for many years claimed to have made the best cheesecake, and then my cousin also said that she was the one who made the best one.  Thanksgiving would come around and it was a constant battle of who made the better cheesecake this year.  I usually refrained from participating because I did not want to bring just any other cheesecake into the mix.  I would wait until I had the perfect recipe.

I think I have found that recipe.  Normally, cheesecakes are made in a spring form pan where after you bake the cheesecake, you put it in the freezer to harden.  Once it is frozen, you pop open the spring form and then slide out your perfect cheesecake.  It is a pretty cool technique and I have never heard of any other way to make cheesecake! Now I have though.  There is a way to make cheesecake in the crock pot.  Is that not just crazy?  I think it is so ironic that you can make something that needs to be baked so perfectly in a big thing like a crock pot.  But folks, I have got to tell you, it turns out wonderfully!

Photo and recipe courtesy of Recipes that Crock.

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Quick Tip: Add any pie filling topping over the top of this cheesecake

Strawberry cake.  Sounds interesting, although not very common at all.  It has the style of a fancy cake, but never really gets used.  I used to love going to cake shops and sampling all the different flavors. My sisters used to always stick with plain chocolate or vanilla or cookies and cream, but I always wanted to be adventurous and try pineapple or strawberry or mango berry.  They were weird cakes and sometimes not good.  But so many times, they were better than I even imagined them to be.

For my wedding, I wanted a strawberry layer cake.  The cake portion was tinted pink and infused with berry flavor, while between the layers there were fresh strawberries with a bit of jam. It was totally delicious and amazingly beautiful.  Everyone said the cake was gorgeous and when they got a slice, they loved it even more for how beautiful it was.  I tried making it at home and it did not turn out so beautifully.  And the flavor was just okay.  This week, I tried making one that is even easier to prepare.  It is so much more fun to make, too.  It is prepared in a crock pot which is the coolest part!

Photo and recipe courtesy of Recipes That Crock.

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Quick Tip: Never frost a cake until it has completely cooled.

Husband-Approved Breakfast Casserole That Is Super Easy To Make!

Are you too busy to make breakfast or lunch? This recipe right here is the perfect solution – it simply cannot get any easier than this! I have often skipped breakfast and grabbed an energy drink instead, just because I’ve had to hurry. This egg and bacon casserole will be ready in about half an hour – unless you prepare some of the ingredients the night before, to make it even faster!

Besides breakfast, this would also make a great lunch for work. It’s easy to divide it into individual portions and pack to go with you. Or add more of your favorite ingredients, serve this with fresh homemade bread or cheesy croissants, and you have turned it into a hearty brunch for a lazy Sunday. Just make sure you double the ingredients if you’re serving this to a larger crowd… It’ll be gone in a heartbeat!

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Quick Tip: Dice and chop the veggies and bacon the night before, and you can get away with 2 minutes of prep work in the morning!

One of the first recipes I ever learned how to make was rice Krispy treats.  They were easy and had only 3 or 4 ingredients.  It was a simple thing to learn to make and enjoy and I think I made them for every single friend of mine who came over our house.  Sleepover?  Yeah, they got rice Krispy treats.  House guests?  Yeah, they got some, too.  Everyone got rice Krispy treats and I perfected my recipe.

I learned to add toppings to the recipe such as chopped fruit or chocolate chips or even other types of cereal (fruity pebbles go a long way in these!).  I absolutely love making rice krispy treats.  But nowadays, these rice Krispies are easier to make than they ever were.  Now we can make it all in a crock pot.  Yeah, pretty cool is it not?  It is a fun little treat to make in a crock pot which keeps it all in one place and makes it even easier to make since it all happens in one bowl.  Enjoy these as an after school treat, after work snack or midnight dessert.  It does not matter how you like to eat these, you can personalize these exactly as you would like these and enjoy them whenever you want.

Photo courtesy of Pinterest and recipe courtesy of Get Crocked.

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Quick Tip: Top these with any sprinkles or fruit you’d like

I love breakfast casseroles.  They are easy and delicious and make my life so simple.  I can prep the dish the night before and just get up early to set it on high and it will be ready in no time.  Or, I can set it on low before going to bed and I will be woken up by the delicious smell of breakfast being ready in the crock pot. Either of those options are more than fine with me!

My husband loves tater tots.  Now, I mean LOVES tater tots.  He would like me to include them in every breakfast meal he can get.  He also likes me to serve them as a side with burgers.  Weird?  Sure, but totally delicious in his opinion!  Tater tot casserole is a great way to get a good filling breakfast into your belly (and your family’s) without taking too much time.  But if you want to make it even better take that tater tot casserole and pop it into the crock pot.  In no time you will have an easy, nutritious and tasty meal ready to eat and will help you face your day with energy.  I think that is a keeper of a recipe!

Photo and recipe courtesy of Real Housemoms.

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Quick Tip: Use frozen or fresh tater tots