I don't use much CC, but I use a lot of game enhancing mods:
When sims get married they used to be able to write "Thank you" notes to the guests, but a patch broke it.However someone created a mod to fix that.
http://modthesims.info/d/620548/write-thank-you-notes-fix.html
This mod adds more prizes to the festival ticket booth
http://modthesims.info/d/613509/more-festival-ticket-rewards.html
This one adds more recipes and plants
http://modthesims.info/d/574882
I love Ruby's home designs
http://rubyred-sims3.blogspot.com/search/label/S3%20Residential%20Lots
This one adds longer seasons
http://modthesims.info/d/491613/longer-seasons.html
This one let's you order "Delivery" from restaurants and also let's you buy "take out"
http://modthesims.info/d/413311/buy-takeout-and-order-food-at-restaurants.html
This one makes it so you you don't have "unlimited" food in your fridge, without it you could just buy the ingredients from the fridge.
This one makes it so you have to go to the grocery store and get ingredients.
http://modthesims.info/d/466990/no-shopping-from-fridge-update-18-8-2014.html