Slice Of Joy At Cheesecake Factory

I went to The Cheesecake Factory for lunch with a friend last week. We do not have one in the town I live in, so it was a special treat to have the opportunity to go, and once I was there, it was hard to pick what I wanted to eat!

Seriously, everything on the menu looked and sounded so good. The Cheesecake Factory makes all of their food from scratch, so everything is fresh and delicious. One thing that impresses me is that, even though they make everything from scratch, you get the same taste and quality at each location — which didn't make choosing from among the many delicious options any easier.

This post is sponsored by The Cheesecake Factory. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Because it's December, some other complicated decisions were also on my mind — after all, December means it's the season of giving! Which means picking out gifts for family, friends, neighbors, teachers, delivery people, and more to show your appreciation for the people in your life.

Sometimes figuring out what to give can be hard. You want to make sure to find something each person on your list will like, but you're so busy that running into every shop in town isn't an option. Enter The Cheesecake Factory's fantastic Slice of Joy deal, which rewards you for giving to others: When you purchase a gift card for a friend, you also get a little something sweet for you.

The Cheesecake Factory offers the Slice of Joy option throughout December. For every $25 gift card you buy, you'll receive a Slice of Joy card redeemable for a complimentary slice of cheesecake from January 1 through March 31, 2018. So you can buy the gift card and treat yourself to the cheesecake — or use the gift card and give the cheesecake as a stocking stuffer or a gift for a friend. Or give both to a loved one. How you divide it up is up to you.

While learning this certainly simplified my holiday shopping, I still had a tough time choosing between the great options on The Cheesecake Factory's menu. Our waiter, Cameron, was amazing and gave us great suggestions to help, and we decided on the Avocado Egg Rolls and the Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps to start. I am a huge fan of anything with avocado, so I couldn't wait to try the egg rolls. Lettuce wraps pretty much always make me happy, too, and the peanut sauce was the perfect topping with just a little bit of chili sauce on them for spice!

For the main course, I couldn't decide between the Pasta Da Vinci and the Chicken Madeira, but in the end I decided to go with the chicken. Cameron told us it's the most popular item on the menu, and after tasting it I can see why. The chicken was so tender, I have no idea how they do it. I really wanted to see if they would teach me their ways, but I was pretty sure they wouldn't let me sneak into the kitchen to see.

We also ordered the Grilled Steak Tacos, because Dustin, the general manager, had told us they are among his favorites. I can see why: The steak was super-juicy and tender, and it was topped with a dollop of guacamole, a crispy fried onion, and the most delicious chipotle sauce. Plus the cilantro rice was the perfect complement. The Cheesecake Factory is kind of known for their ginormous portions, and the taco plate did not disappoint.

Now dessert... How do you pick from the endless cheesecake menu? I mean, the menu is two pages long, and looking at the bakery case really doesn't make the choice any easier. So we went all out and just tried a few of them: Oreo Dream Extreme Cheesecake, Salted Caramel Cheesecake, and Key Lime Cheesecake. They were all so creamy and decadent. There is not a chance that I could pick a favorite.

I brought all of the leftovers home so my husband and son would be able to try everything as well. They were able to have a full dinner with our leftovers, and they were thrilled. My son was raving about the mashed potatoes and the sauce from the chicken, and he was understandably excited to have some cheesecake. This was his first experience with The Cheesecake Factory, and he is already asking when I will take him!

Which reminds me: A trip to The Cheesecake Factory is a perfect treat to offer a loved one, and the Slice of Joy offer means you can set a treat aside for yourself as well. So this Christmas season, head to The Cheesecake Factory and take advantage of their Slice of Joy — a gift for a friend and a little something for you!

This post is sponsored by The Cheesecake Factory. I cannot thank the staff at the Boulder, Colorado, location enough for hosting us. All thoughts and opinions are 100 percent my own.