Perfectly chewy, ultra fudgy brownies, topped with a layer of fudge frosting and a sprinkling of candies, these brownies are a better-than-store-bought copycat of Little Debbie’s Cosmic Brownies!

The rave reviews of these brownies have been nonstop, my friends. I’ve made them a few times now to make sure the recipe is perfect and it truly is.

Side note: it turns out that these brownies are my kryptonite. I force myself to give away half the pan every time I make them because I can not stay away from them if they’re in the house.

I tested a few different fudgy brownie recipes (heaven knows that there are a LOT of brownies here to choose from) before I settled on this ultra-fudgy flourless brownie recipe. It’s easy as can be to make and the brownies turn out perfectly every time.

Cosmic Brownies

There are a couple of things to note about this particular brownie recipe. Served warm, room temperature, or cold, these cosmic brow

Sharing a recipe for healthy homemade dog food!

Hi friends! How are ya? I hope that your day is going well! Today, I’m off to the kids’ school to volunteer and am looking forward to some time in the sauna blanket after a workout. It should be a pretty low-key day!

For today’s post, I wanted to share Maisey’s latest obsession with you: homemade dog food. This simple recipe is PACKED with nutrients and she goes crazy with it.

(See the crazy eyes?? She’s INTO IT.)

TBH, I always felt a little bad giving her packaged dog food because this creature LOVES fresh food. She’s constantly begging for scraps of broccoli and bell pepper (her two faves), has stolen an entire brisket off the counter (and ate it on our new white couch..), a whole chicken breast (bones and all, and thankfully didn’t get sick), as well as ramen and curry. Knowing her flavor profile, I would pour her kibble into her bowl and feel a little bad for the gourmet gal. To spice things up, we would put Fresh Pet on top from Whole Foods (SO expensive and still felt like a block of packaged meat), but I knew there had to be a better way.

I started researching a ton, and found a recipe online that inspired me to finally make our own.

I’m excited to share all of the details with you! It’s less expensive than Fresh Pet, with certified organic, farm fresh, and wild-caught ingredients, and I love that I know everything that went into it. No preservatives or extra stuff.

Healthy homemade dog food recipe

Benefits of Homemade Dog Food:

Making your dog’s food at home can have a ton of benefits, including:

Control Over Ingredients: By preparing your dog’s food from scratch, you have full control over the quality of ingredients used, ensuring that your furry friend gets only the best.

Avoidance of Sketchy Ingredients: Conventional dog foods often contain questionable ingredients such as fillers, artificial preservatives, and low-quality meats that can be harmful to your dog’s health.

Tailored Nutrition: Homemade dog food allows you to tailor your dog’s diet to their specific needs, whether they require a cer

Sharing some of my favorite recent Amazon purchases. 

Hi friends! Happy Monday! How was the weekend? I hope you had a great one! Ours was the perfect mix of low-key and productive. We have some fun events, planted all the things, and continued watching Indiana Jones as a family. It’s pretty intense (and borderline terrifying) but we’re all enjoying it.

For today’s post, I wanted to share a roundup of some of the latest and greatest Amazon purchases. I’ve been *trying* to be a little better with the online shopping – I want to take P to Spain to visit her bestie, so I try think about that before any random buys – but have made some solid purchases lately.

Here are some of the goods!

Things I’ve bought from Amazon lately (and love)

1. This set!

I’m still all about sets and Amazon ones are decent quality for an excellent price. (I also have this one in a couple of colors, and this one!) This set is for sandals and a low bun and I can already tell I’m be wearing it a lot this spring. They have a ton of colors, too!

2. Two Air Doctors

We had some other air filters in the past, but wasn’t super impressed with the quality or design. I know that Air Doctor is the best, and finally decided to go for it. I’ll do a full review post on air filters and all of the different options, but I’m definitely impressed with these so far. I took a peek at the filter after a few days of use, and was shocked. We breathe in so much dust, pollen, and yuck throughout the day!!

3. This pet ultrasonic dental tool

aka my foray into amateur pet dentistry haha (I’m NOT telling you do this. I’m just sharing what I do)

Bella and Caroline both had horrible teeth, and we collectively spent thousands of dollars in dental cleaning fees throughout their lives. A huge goal with Maisey was to stay on top of her dental health, so I brush her teeth almost every day. Even so, she had a little bit of plaque buildup that I wanted to get rid of. I used some regular scaling tools, and even though she was a champ and let me try to get the plaque, it wouldn’t come off. I read some review online for this handy tool, and decided to go for it. It makes a little whirring sound, which could be alarming to some animals, but with some treat bribes, Mazer has let me clean her teeth with it. The plaque comes right off!

Creamy Strawberry Cheesecake Bars

Creamy strawberry cheesecake bars start with the most delicious flaky crust topped with a sweet but tangy cream cheese layer all topped with gorgeous juicy strawberries! Life will never be the same!

I’m closing down the blog and walking away. I’m living my life out as a middle-aged Momma who wants nothing more than to LIVE and PLAY and EAT. These bars are one of the best recipes we will ever share on Oh Sweet Basil.

I mean, I’m not really shutting down the blog. I couldn’t ever be as fulfilled without a creative outlet, but these strawberry bars are one of the best desserts I’ve ever brought to the site. If it’s the only spring dessert recipe you make, you will be forever happy. Once again, we have Megan to thank, so let’s all give her a little praise for continuously sending amazing recipes to us! If you haven’t tried the mixed berries version of this recipe, do that asap!

The crust is a flaky, perfectly made crust but the best part is, in my opinion, making the dessert a day ahead so that it softens a stitch. Oh my goodness, my mouth just started salivating! WHAT IS MY DEAL?! I’m obsessed! 

The filling is the most delicate cream cheese, almost cheesecake filling, while the topping is a burst of vibrant strawberries, reminiscent of a strawberry pie! It’s honestly like a creamy strawberry shortcake, which happens to be my most favorite dessert ever.

Ingredients for Strawberry Cheesecake Bars

I’m going to divide up the list of ingredients by layer so it’s easy to see what is needed for each step. Here is what you will need…

Crust Layer

• Flour: regular all purpose flour
• Salt: enhances all the flavors
• Sugar: adds a little sweetness to the crust
• Vegetable Oil: the fat needed to create the flaky but strong base for the bars
• Milk: helps bind all the ingredients together

Cheesecake Layer

• Cream Cheese: you can use full fat or 1/3 fat but I do feel like the full fat sets up better, make sure it is room temperature so the cream layer isn’t lumpy
• Powdered Sugar: adds sweetness to the filling
• Heavy Cream: helps thin out the filling a little
• Vanilla: adds flavor

Strawberry Layer

• Strawberries: fresh bright red ripe berries
• Sugar: adds sweetness to the topping
• Ultra Gel: my preferred way for thickening the strawberry topping, see recipe card for using cornstarch the thicken
• Lemon Zest and Juice: balances the sweetness of the berries
• Water: thins everything out to create

What’s not to love about a fully loaded ranch potato salad filled with bits of bacon and chunks of egg? This has been my kids’ favorite potato salad for over 10 years now.

This is a super easy-to-make potato salad with bacon, eggs, and ranch dressing and it’s been a huge hit with everyone who tries it.

Ranch Potato Salad

One day a few years ago, while I was making a fresh batch of Ranch Dressing, my eye fell on an enormous leftover baked potato and a few hard-boiled eggs waiting in the refrigerator.

The ingredients were almost begging me to make a potato salad. I won’t pretend that the bacon here was leftover, I cooked it fresh. Who ever heard of leftover bacon?!

Even with cooking the bacon, this ranch potato salad came together so easily that I instantly knew it would be one that would show up in the future on our lunch and dinner menus. This recipe multiplies beautifully and I usually double or triple it for get-togethers with friends.

I’ve served this to plenty of guests, brought it to potlucks, and made it as a dinner side dish just for the family. It’s a guaranteed hit every time.

Potato Salad with Bacon

When I decided to make a ranch potato salad that first time, my mind immediately turned to bacon. There simply isn’t a bad way to include bacon in a salad, right?

I wanted a salad with the flavors of ranch dressing, but also with some smokiness from the bacon. I used just a bit of the bacon grease to season the dressing and the whole salad picked up that slightly smoky flavor that we love.

With a few leftover hardboiled eggs and baked potatoes, this salad comes together quickly. Rather than using a storebought or pre-made ranch dressing, I made an extra thick dressing with mayonnaise and all the usual ranch seasoning suspects like dill and parsley.