That’s right, kids. July 4th is just around the corner, so I’m dipping. Strawberries, that is. Honestly, is anything better than a dipped strawberry?

Don’t answer that question. Instead, think about how beautiful these will be at your holiday celebration, and how fancy they look. Especially think about how little time they take to make! About .02 seconds, really.

Have I mentioned that headlines are getting scarier? They really are. And through them all, I see one constant theme: fear.

People are afraid of the unfamiliar. When that happens, they can respond in one of two ways: they can educate themselves and get a realistic handle on the way things work, or they can hate without reason. Sadly, the masses often choose hate instead of understanding.

I realize that July 4th is, as I mentioned earlier, a low-key holiday that’s mainly meant to be fun. But this year, I feel as though it’s a much more thought-provoking day. The concept of having rights and freedoms only works if we use our privileges for good and not evil. Lately, some people have used the concepts our country was built upon as an excuse to exclude, or to hurt others. It’s unbelievably sad.

Rather than use the holiday as an excuse to get political, I just want to use it as a chance at introspection. Let’s really take some time and think about how we view our role in the world. Do we want to be the country that is known for increasingly frequent mass shootings? That gets into the habit of seeing a mythical past (which was actually quite full of racism) as a time when America was supposedly “great?” That sets a standard of fear for anyone who might not be a falsely construed prototype of an American?

This July 4th, I want to spend some time thinking about what’s been happening in our increasingly vitriolic and angry nation, and try to generate some hope that things will turn around soon.

I will also eat dipped strawberries, of course.

When people make dipped treats, they often use Candiquik or candy melts. That’s a fast way to operate, but I prefer to use real chocolate. It tastes better. So for these, I melted Ghirardelli white chocolate chips with some canola oil, dipped the strawberries, and covered them with patriotic sprinkles. It’s fast, easy, and totally delicious. It’s also pretty healthy!

As we approach our nation’s biggest patriotic holiday, I hope we all have a lot of fun. But I also hope we think about the way we should be living and treating others, because that’s a lot more important than anything else — even dessert.

Well, that’s a dumb question. It’s not like I didn’t work hard for July 4th to become a reality. Months of commuting to work in the dark, sometimes in the ice, often in the rain. Months of teaching teenagers the difference between “it’s” and “its.” Months of wrapping myself up in a blanket at my desk when the heat in my classroom, once again, failed to deliver.

I mean, it dang well better be July 4th. And it better be icebox cheesecake weather. Because no-bake is definitely the way to go right now! Especially when this holiday-themed, easy dessert is filled with delicious Hannah Max cookie chips!

July 4th is one of my favorite holidays. For one thing, it’s my annual hot dog indulgence. Once a year, I eat a super-burned, carcinogenic, mega-processed hot dog. And it’s on July 4th. Don’t worry, I balance all of that indulgence with lots of potato chips. And the real Heinz ketchup, not the sugar-free variety I usually have on the table year-round.

It’s magnificent. What is better than standing out in the sun, hot dog on a wobbly paper plate, watermelon juice dribbling down your chin while you somehow balance a frozen margarita with your elbow? Not much beats that, I can tell you. And I can’t wait for this year’s bash.

We’ll be combining our July 4th celebration with my daughter’s birthday. Yep, she exploded into the world along with the holiday fireworks five years ago. The hospital was deserted and we bonded over two silent days of meal delivery and baby blankets. But this year, we’ll celebrate with hot dogs, birthday cake, and this icebox cheesecake!

If you’re not familiar with icebox cakes, they’re made with cream (or Cool Whip, for unhealthy cheaters like me), and they’re layered with cookies or cake and kept chilled before serving. They’re delicious. This one is not only strawberry-flavored, but it also has a strong cream cheese base. Thus: icebox cheesecake!

This recipe is, like most of mine, simple and quick. Layered into the cheesecake mixture are the original-flavored Hannah Max cookie chips, which my son was munching on as I made the cake. He couldn’t resist. They’re so addictive! And while a lot of icebox cake recipes call for dipping the cookies in milk before layering, I opted to keep my cookie chips nice and crisp. It makes for more texture contrast when you’re eating.

The festive sprinkles and diced strawberries, along with crumbled cookie chips, make for the perfect July 4th finish. Creamy, crunchy and easy, this cookie chips icebox cheesecake is the best way to say goodbye to those dreary dark mornings. It’s time to kick off your summer!

Note: Hannah Max Cookie Chips provided a product for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Of course you have. But have you ever really thought about it? What does it mean? If I don’t waste the half-eaten banana my kid left on the floor by hurling it immediately into the garbage, then…I’ll eat it? And I won’t be hungry?

I mean, I’ve done that. Eaten scraps my family leaves around. But I gotta tell you, I still want. Food. Of my own. That wasn’t left on the floor. Or in a doll’s bed.

While I do admit (and yes, I’m ashamed) to being pretty wasteful in some aspects of my life, I am very good about using what I have in the kitchen. Last week I made these S’more Brownie Cupcakes and I had brownie batter left over. So what better to do than take the batter, put it in a tart pan, bake it up and make a brownie pizza?

As you know, I’m a peanut butter girl. But I also like lots of fresh fruit in the summertime. So, with peanut butter and jelly in mind (but not exactly jelly, if you catch my drift), I chopped up some strawberries and put them on top of this amazing peanut butter topping.

If you can imagine the consistency of thick caramel, that’s the exact consistency of this peanut butter topping as well. You make it by melting peanut butter and condensed milk on the stove until it combines and thickens. It’s just beyond.

Then you sprinkle on your strawberries, drizzle on some melted milk chocolate chips, and presto! A pizza I can get behind eating.

Wait, what? Who doesn’t love all kinds of pizza? I have no idea. But this kind is pretty amazing. You can have this for dessert after you eat…pizza!

So waste not, want not. Use what you have. And never, ever ever waste brownie batter. It’s a sin and you will be punished.

Brownie Base:

*For this recipe, use the leftover brownie batter from my S’more Brownie Cupcakes.

Peanut Butter Topping:

• 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk (I used fat-free)
• 1 cup peanut butter
• chopped strawberries
• 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips, melted

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350. Using a tart pan with a removable bottom, coat in cooking spray.

Spread the remaining batter in a thin layer onto the pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes until set.

While the base is cooling, make the peanut butter topping. Melt the peanut butter and condensed milk together on the stove over low heat, stirring until smooth.

Pour the peanut butter mixture over the brownie base and spread it evenly using an offset spatula or knife.

Press the strawberries into the topping. Then melt the chocolate chips and quickly drizzle the chocolate over the top.

Chill for one hour. Cut into wedges and serve.