Recipe Of The Week: Knock-Off Doubletree Cookies

My husband travels a fair amount for work, so he's had the chance to try out quite a few hotel chains.  And one of his favorites, by far, are the Doubletree hotels.  Why?  Because every guest gets one of their famous Doubletree cookies.  Hubby loved them so much he begged to recreate them the other night so he could bring some to work.  And because I didn't want to be left out of the fun, I made a gluten-free batch as well.  We made a few tweaks and they were so amazing and addictive I ate literally almost an entire batch in two days.   So here is the recipe (with GF conversions) for our version of these cookies. 

Knock-Off Doubletree Cookies

1/2 cup rolled oats (I used Montana Gluten Free Naked Oats)
2 cups all-purpose flour (or 1 cup rice flour, 1 cup potato starch)
1/4 cup ground flax seed meal *
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cups butter, softened
1/4 cup coconut oil **
3/4 cups brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup crushed walnuts
1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) In medium bowl, combine flour, flax meal, oats, and baking soda.
3) In mixer, cream butter and coconut oil with brown and granulated sugars until smooth.  Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.  Add vanilla.
4) Add flour mixture and beat until smooth.
5) By hand, fold in chocolate chips, walnuts and coconut.
6) Drop by rounded teaspoonful onto greased cookie sheets.
7) Bake 16-18 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes approx. 2 dozen.

* Or, omit flax and use 2 1/4 cups flour
** Or, omit coconut oil and use 2 sticks butter



 

Book Of The Week: Because Your Daddy Loves You

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I love books that are written as much for a parent as they are for a child.  Books that have sweet messages for the children and stark reminders for Mom or Dad.  I have to confess, I felt a pang of guilt when I read Because Your Daddy Loves You by Andrew Clements to my son.  I know in my head that I am meant to have infinite patience and grace with my kids.  But some days, I'm very short tempered.  This beautiful book illustrates one day in the life of a little girl and her daddy.  It points out all the many times throughout the day that Daddy could have lost his temper or been impatient - but instead chose to show grace and treat his daughter with tenderness.  All because he loves her.  My son found this book very comforting as he recognized the ways that the daddy showed love to his daughter.  And I found the book very convicting as I realized how few of those moments of grace I manage to actualize in my day-to-day with the kids.  I'm thinking of buying a copy and making it a nightly read - with or without the kids - until our days better reflect this story.  If patience and grace are something you struggle with (or even if you just want a sweet story to share with your kids), I highly recommend checking out this book.


 

Wednesday Wander: Anything Goes

It's Wednesday! Which means it's time for the Wednesday Wander!

This week we are linking up anything you want!  Need more twitter followers?  Want to grow your Bloglovin?  Link it up!

Here are the rules:

 

1) Add your link to the linkup (remember to specify what site you're linking).

2) Check out a few other people.

3) Leave a hello or two.

4) If you've got a sec, share the wander.

5) Grab a button if you've got somewhere to put it!

That's it!  Thanks guys!

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.babystuffilove.blogspot.com/search/label/Wednesday%20Wander" title="Wednesday Wander"><img src="http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee435/mrscat206/WednesdayWander.jpg" alt="Wednesday Wander" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Hunger Line link up

If you're new here, you might want to check out this post about the Operation Feed The Lambs 6 Week Challenge.  Long story short, I've issued a challenge to my fellow bloggers to see how much money we can raise in 6 weeks to donate to hunger relief for children world wide.

One of my suggestions for fund-raising is for shop owners to create a Hunger Line in their shops.  If we all put together an item (or line of items) from which 100% of profits would be donated to hunger relief charities, and if we tag the items with Hunger Line, we just might start a trend and raise some big bucks.  And, the more exposure our Hunger Line items get, the quicker they'll sell.

So feel free to link up any items you've created to raise money for Operation Feed The Lambs below.  And if you have a moment, share the post.  The more we link and share, the more potential customers we'll reach.

This link will remain open for the duration of the 6 week challenge, so keep adding items as they hit your shops.

Thanks to you all for joining in!!!


 

Stuff I Love: Sleep Mate

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All my life I've struggled with insomnia.  As a kid I'd lie awake until the very last person in my house had gone to bed.  I wouldn't open my windows, even on the balmiest of nights, because the crickets were too loud.  I nearly lost my mind in college when my upstairs neighbors had wild weekend parties.

Little did I know that one tiny device could have made my life so much easier. I had an inkling that white noise was the key, as I noticed I slept much better in the summer when I had a noisy fan blowing.  But not until our first child was born did I discover they actually made machines just for the purpose of making white noise.  We bought the Sleep Mate white noise machine to help our son sleep while he was rooming with us, and I've been hooked ever since.

Not only does the Sleep Mate have very flexible volume settings, it produces a subtle "whooshing" sound that I find much more pleasant than radio static or bathroom fans or any of the other methods of white noise I'd attempted before.  It's small size makes it super portable, fitting easily in a suitcase (or even large purse) for use at a hotel or on vacation.  The Sleep Mate is also extremely durable.  I've run mine almost continuously for nearly 4 years now and it's still going strong.

If you or your loved ones struggle with sleeplessness or have very sensitive hearing, consider giving the Sleep Mate white noise machine a try.  I am a much happier, better rested momma because of this little machine. 


 

Recipe Of The Week: Lemon-Pepper Salmon In White Wine Butter Sauce

My kids are picky eaters. Some days I feel like there's nothing I can offer that they'll be willing to put in their mouths. However, 9 times out of 10, they will eat salmon.  As someone who has to force herself to eat fish, it's unfathomable to me that my picky kids will eat salmon.  However, even I can be convinced to get my daily omegas if I fix this salmon dish. 

 

 

Salmon in White Wine Butter Sauce

3 large salmon fillets
3 large cloves garlic, grated
1 tsp lemon pepper
1/2 cup white wine
4 tbsp butter

In large baking dish, lay salmon flat.
Top with grated garlic and lemon pepper.
Pour wine over the fish.
Cut butter into thin slices and distribute evenly across pan.
Cover pan with foil.
Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.
Remove foil and turn fish, basting with wine/butter sauce.
Top with more lemon pepper if desired.

Bake an additional 15-20 minutes, until fish is flaky.

 

Book Of The Week: The Tub People

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I love books that anthropomorphize toys.  I don't know what it is about the idea that toys have a life beyond playtime that I find so appealing.  But not often do you find books that explore the idea that toys don't know that they're toys.  The Tub People by Pam Conrad is one such book.  This story explores a family of wooden toys who live on the edge of the bathtub.  We see through their eyes the adventures they take as well as the tragedy they experience when their owner is negligent one night.  The emotions the tub people experience seem poingniantly real because, as far as they know, they are real.  The illustrations are classic and engaging, and this story subtly teaches children why they need to treat their toys with care and respect.  And don't worry - the book does have a happy ending. 


 

Wednesday Wander: Hellocotton/Bloglovin'/Google+

It's Wednesday! Which means it's time for the Wednesday Wander!

This week we are linking up our Hellocotton/Bloglovin/Google+ accounts.  

Here are the rules:

 

1) Add your Hellocotton/Bloglovin'/Google+ info to the linkup (feel free to link up all 3, just specify).

2) Check out a few other people.

3) Leave a hello or two.

4) If you've got a sec, share the wander.

5) Grab a button if you've got somewhere to put it!

That's it!  Thanks guys!

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.babystuffilove.blogspot.com/search/label/Wednesday%20Wander" title="Wednesday Wander"><img src="http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee435/mrscat206/WednesdayWander.jpg" alt="Wednesday Wander" style="border:none;" /></a></div>