For The Love Of: Oatmeal with Coconut and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hi again!

I found this recipe from a good friend of mine's blog, Elle, but tweaked the recipe a tiny bit to fit my liking. I have baked this twice so far, which means...in my mind it's "scrumptious!" It's not hard to bake, try it out and you'll see what I mean! Recipe provided. Happy baking!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 6 tbsp of softened butter
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 cups of uncooked oatmeal
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 1 cup of chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy.

Add eggs and vanilla; mix well.

Add flour and baking soda into the wet ingredients; mix well.

Add oats, coconut, and chocolate chips; mix well.

Using a cookie scooper or a tablespoon, drop dough onto greased cookie sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool for 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store  in an airtight container or zip lock bag.

For The Love Of: Discounts and Freebies!

Hi again!

Lately I've been receiving a plethora of discounts and freebies, which has allowed me to purchase items at a good low price or even receive FREE items just because or on special occasions, such as my birthday. I'm sure most of you all know about most store's VIP cards, which sends out discounted coupons, deals, etc. to you either by mail or e-mail. Especially living in this economy, receiving these great deals and freebies are wonderful! Stores and online deals have provided me with great deals and freebies that have helped me along the way are:

• Sephora
• Sally Beauty Supply
• Ulta
• Michaels
• Jo Anns
• Vista Prints
• Groupon

and more!

At Sephora, some great deals you can receive from a free VIP card are free samples when points are gained, as well as a free gift on your birthday.

At Sally Beauty Supply, if you purchase a VIP card with a $5 membership for a year, you can purchase items at a discounted price and also receive additional discounts per month, if you've spent over $25 per month.

At Ulta, if you sign up for an ultimate rewards program or the club at ulta rewards program, you can receive freebies after gaining certain amount of points from purchasing any items in the store or online.

At Michaels, if you sign up for a free membership card, you can receive coupons every week, as well as $5 off and up which is automatically added in your card that you can use.

At Jo Anns, you can sign up and receive in emails and also through flyer discounted coupons. Unfortunately they don't have VIP or membership cards to give out. Hopefully they can work on that soon.

At Vista Prints, they offer 250 free business cards to you, if you don't want to spend on printing business cards at Kinkos, Staples, Office Max, or where ever. This is perfect for those who are just starting out in a freelance business. However, you have to pay for shipping, which the cost of shipping is still inexpensive.

These are some of the stores that relate to my blog and that have helped me create these wonderful things that I have posted on facebook and shared with friends. In time, I plan to share with you these great addiction. Enjoy and happy shopping!

For The Love Of: Peanut Butter and Oats Dog Biscuits

Hi again!

I have a 10 month old pup named Bree. I've learned so much from her and about her. I love spoiling her with dog treats, toys, and dog essentials that it is starting to get expensive. Some of my friends at the dog park have started to bake their own dog biscuits, which I thought was a good idea. Although they have not shared with me their own recipes, I decided to find some recipes that were easy to make and bake.

For the dog lovers and owners, here is a recipe you should try out. Your dog will love it! With this recipe, I have made one half just plain peanut butter and the second half with peanut butter and oats. It's a 2 in 1 recipe!

Peanut Butter and Oats Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole-wheat flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 cup peanut butter (smoothed preferred)
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup oatmeal

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, combine flour and baking powder. In another bowl, mix peanut butter and milk. Add wet mixture to dry, and mix well. Divide dough in half and put the second half in another bowl. Add oatmeal only on one half of the dough and mix well.

Turn out dough on a lightly floured surface and knead. Knead each dough separately. Roll out to 1/4-inch thickness and cut out shapes with any cookie cutter. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Cool on a rack and store in an airtight container.

Makes about 20-30 dog biscuits.