Homemade Bread Challenge: Whole Wheat Baguettes

So here it finally is! The first installment of the Homemade Bread Challenge. I know it has been a long time coming and there is no excuse for it being this late but here is what sort of happened.

Early last week I was going to make my first recipe and get the post all lined up for Wednesday the 27th but for some reason I thought that I had posted that I would have it up the next week. I didn't even think about the fact that the next Wednesday would be the 4th of July.

Then last week I realized what I had done and was all set to bake my Whole Wheat French Baguettes but then as you might have read in my weekly totals post, life got crazy. So here it is and I will stick to the originally posted schedule from here on out. (See below for details)

 
This week's challenge was Whole Wheat French Baguettes and I would call it a success.  I didn't exactly follow the recipe I had planned to instead I combined a few different ideas to fit with the time, tools and techniques I had and am capable of.

I could not believe how easy it was. Fool proof really. The bread was hearty but still light and the crust was so crunchy and good. My favorite part (other than the taste) was that it made enough dough for four good sized loafs. We made two of them and then I shaped the remaining dough into loaf shapes and froze them raw so we could bake them up anytime we want. Nothing better than having fresh bread ready and waiting for you.

This bread was best hot out of the oven and it is good topped with pretty much anything; butter, jam, ricotta cheese, olive oil and seasoning. But the best way is the way we had it for breakfast today (don't judge) we cut it into thin slices and topped it with a smear of goat cheese and thinly sliced Granny Smith Apples. Pop it in the toaster over for a few minutes and viola! pure perfection.

 I felt so European eating my freshly baked bread with warm cheese and apples : ) Make sure to scroll down for the full recipe post and to join in the Homemade Bread Challenge Blog Hop!

Whole Wheat Baguettes  makes 4 medium sized loaves

• 3 cups of very warm water
• 1 packet or 1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
• 1 1/2 tablespoons salt (I used kosher)
• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 4 cups all purpose flour

1.) Combine the water, yeast and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer. You do not need to let it proof.

2.) Add in both flours. Using the dough hook attachment slowly combine and knead the mixture until it forms a loose dough.  I should be pulling away from the sides and roughly forming a ball.

3.) Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and cover tightly with a towel. Let the dough rise in a cool place for 2-5 hours. You can then take it out and start forming loaves or you can place it in an airtight container and leave in the refrigerator overnight. (I did that)

4.) When you are ready to form the loaves, divide the dough up into four even portions. Roll each portion out to resemble a baguette loaf. Let them rise for 20 minutes. You can freeze any loaves you do not wish to bake right away in this form.

5.) After the 20 minutes is up, take the loaves you plan on baking and brush them lightly with water. Use a serrated knife to cut a few diagonal slashes in the tops.

6.) While the dough is rising, you should preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place a baking tray or bread stone on the top rack while you are preheating it and place a baking tray or broiler pan on the bottom tray too. When the oven is preheated, place the bread on the stone or tray and then pour a cup of hot water onto the bottom tray. Shut the oven door and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Enjoy!

Here is the schedule for the rest of the Challenge. I invite you to join me in making the items on my list or to make any kind of homemade bread you want. If you post your results on your blog feel free to link them up below or copy the Blog Hop code and put it on your post as well. The more the merrier!


If you are planning on doing the challenge with me and using the blog hop code on your blog too let me know and I will include your name/link/button on the posts that you will be joining in on/co-hosting in a way. Just leave a comment or shoot me an email to couponingncooking@gmail.com  You can also grab the new "Homemade Bread Challenge" blog button from my sidebar now too : )


July 11th: Homemade Pitas
July 25th: Simple No Knead Bread
August 8th: Old Fashion Pull Apart Buns
August 22nd: Cheesecake Factory Bread
September 5th: Homemade Croissants! (still figuring out what recipe I want to use for these)

I have started a Pinterest board for inspiration and will be pinning my result posts and what other people link up to it as we go. Hope you will join me and good luck!

Made any type of bread lately? Like up your posts and pictures here! The linky will be open and used on all future HMBC posts through September 13th!

Make sure you stop by this week's Mealtime Monday and link up any amazing recipes you have been working on lately.

***Depending on the day this post may be linked up to any of these fabulous linky parties.***

Vera Bradley Sale On RueLaLa

If you love Vera Bradley you may want to check out the sale going on at Rue La La right now. I just looked through it and they have lots of patterns and styles on sale and in stock currently. The prices looked pretty good too!

If you are new to Rue La La it is a daily deals/discount website that features great brand name products at lower prices. Their shipping is a flat $9.95 but you pay it once and it covers all your shipping on any orders for 30 days.

Saved 68% At Target

Spent $18 for $57 worth

I love Target. I could go there and walk around for hours (and sometimes I do!). The only problem with Target is that I am tempted to buy everything I see. I actually have to make myself stop before I go to check out and go through my cart and ask myself if I need everything in it.

This week I managed to get out of there with only two impulse buys/things not on my list but since one of them was .50 cents and the other was a work sweater that ended up being 60% off, I will consider myself lucky.

And I had a 20% off coupon

Make sure you visit my Weekly Totals Link Up and link up to your weekly shopping posts!

Breakdown of today's trip:
Total retail value: $57.20
Total spent: $18.05
Total saved: $39.15
Percent saved: 68%

What I got with sale/coupon match ups:

• 4 bottles of Heinz Vinegar, retails for $1.12 each, on sale for $1.05 each
• Used four $1 off coupons from the 6/24 SS
• Made them .05 cents each
•  2 jars of Planters Sunflower Kernels, retails for $1.89
• Used two $1 off coupons from the 6/24 SS
• Stacked with a $1/2 Target coupon
• Made them .39 cents each
•  Set of 2 plastic cupcake plates from the Dollar Spot, retails for $1
• On sale for .50 cents
•  1 box each of Triscuts and Wheat Thins, retails for $2.54 each, on sale for $2
• Used a $1/2 coupon
• Stacked with a $1/2 Target coupon
• Made them $1 each
•  2 bottles of Nivea Q10 Lotion, retails for $7.59 each, on sale for $6.45 each
• Used two $3 off printables
• Stacked with two $2 off Target Beauty Bag coupons
• Made them $1.45 each
•  1 bottle of Palmolive Fresh Sponge, retails for $2.69
• Used a $1 off coupon (from coupons.com no longer available)
• Made it $1.69
•  1 Merona Sweater, retails for $24.99, on clearance for $12.48
• Used a 20% off Target coupon
• Made it $9.98

Weekly Totals Link Up: Saved 85% At Publix After Gift Card

Got all of this ($130 worth) for $19 after my $25 gift card!

I know, I know, I have been a terrible blogger. No Favorite Publix deals post this week, I am nine days late on the first installment of the Homemade Bread Challenge (post WILL be up tomorrow), and I have been slacking in general. We have just had a crazy last week or so.

Not only was it 4th of July this week but my father-in-law was very sick and our fire alarm was malfunctioning and waking us up (more like scaring me half to death) at 3am complete with a visit from the Fire Department, which as the wife of a firefighter is a very embarrassing thing : )

Fingers crossed life should be back to some type of normal this week and I really am going to get on a posting schedule. I thought summer vacation would be easier to blog, think again!

The good news is that couponing was great this week! I was so happy about my trip (I also went to Target tonight and that post should be up tomorrow). The sale/coupon stars alined and I was able to get everything on my list and more. I had a $5 off Enjoy the City coupon and a $25 gift card from a blog promotion so I only spent $19.37 out of pocket after sales, BOGO's, coupons and gift card.

I was so happy to be able to pair the BOGO Barilla sale with my $2 off when you buy $6 worth of Barilla products hang tags and add to our stock pile. The pantry only had 3 jars of pasta sauce left in it and I think Justin was getting a little nervous : ) We really didn't need pasta since we have close to 30 boxes in the stockpile (I am not as crazy as you think I am...) but at such a good price I grabbed some "shapes" Justin said we were low on.

I wasn't planning on buying meat this week since I am trying to use up most of our frozen meat since it is hurricane season and we have a few things that are nearing the three month mark (I try not to keep anything in the freezer longer than that) so we are planning on roasting a few whole chickens this week and maybe even cooking a ham.

But I did grab a bag of the Purdue individually packaged chicken breasts not because they were a great price but Justin likes being able to grab a single piece for work without a lot of hassle. They were on a tiny sale and I had a coupon so it wasn't too bad, but still way more than I like to pay for chicken.

Make sure you link up your weekly shopping posts below!

Breakdown of today's trip:
Total retail value: $128.35
Total spent out of pocket after $25 gift card: $19.37
Total saved including gift card: $108.98
Percent saved: 85%

What I got with sale/coupon match ups:

• 2 packages of Olay Regenerist Face Wipes, retails for $6.99 each, on sale for $4.49 each
• Used two $3 off coupons from the 7/1 P&G
• Stacked with two $2 off Target Beauty Bag coupons
• Made them both FREE plus a $1.02 MONEYMAKER total
•  4 travel sized packages of Advil, retails for $1.49 each
• Used two $3/2 (no size restrictions) coupons you need to click through from the coupon to the webpage
• Made them all FREE
•  Sparkle Paper Towels, 6 Mega Roll count, retails for $7.27, on sale for $5.49
• Used a $1 off printable
• Already used my CMN Publix coupon
• Made them $4.49 not a great price but we were almost out...
•  2 Haas Avocados, retails for $1.50 each, on sale for $1 each 
•  3 cans of Chef Boyadree, retails for $1.55 each, on sale for $1 each (Justin requested these for the hurricane stash, I personally would not eat them)
• 4 jars of Barilla Pasta Sauce, retails for $3.07 each, on sale BOGO ($1.54 each)
• Used a $2 off WYB $6 worth of Barilla products hang tag
• Made them $1.03 each
•  8 boxes of Barilla Pasta, retails for $1.69 each, on sale BOGO (.84 cents each)
• Used four .55/2 coupons from the 6/24 SS
• Also used a $2 off WYB $6 worth of Barilla products hang tag (interpreted as a $ amount off your total so I could still use coupons for the products)
• Made it .32 cents a box
•  4 bags of Fresh Express Salad/Baby Spinach, retails for $3.99 each, on sale BOGO ($1.99 each)
• Used two $1/2 Publix coupons from the Smart Savings Booklet
• Made it $1.49 a bag
•  4 Fage Greek Yogurts, retails for $1.50 each, on sale for $1.00 each
• 2 bottles of Clear Eyes Eye Drops, retails for $3.99 each, on sale BOGO ($1.99 each)
• Used two $1 off coupons from the 5/13 SS (product also had $1 off peelies on them which I saved for later)
• Made it .99 cents each
•  Domino Light Brown Sugar, $1.29 not on sale but we needed it
• 4 packages of Buitoni Frozen Whole Wheat Ravioli, retails for $3.99 each
• On sale BOGO, made them $1.99 each
•  1 two pound bag of Purdue Perfectly Portioned Chicken Breasts, retails for $8.99, on sale for $7.99
• Used a $1 off coupon from the 6/24 RP or printable here 
•  Made it $6.99 for two pounds
• 1 half gallon of Silk Almond Milk, retails for $3.49
• Used a $1 off printable (no more prints)
• Made it $2.49
•  2 bottles of Garnier Fructis Shampoo/Conditioner, retails for $3.49, on sale for $2.69
• Used two $1 off coupons
• Stacked with a $1/2 Target Beauty Bag Coupon
• Made them $1.19 each

How did you do this week? Inspire me (and everyone else) with your amazing savings and deals this week. Please link up directly to your specific post. Do not link up to your blog's home page, giveaways, or etsy shops please. You can now "like" Couponing & Cooking on Facebook too! I would love it if you would link back to this post or grab my button from the sidebar : )

Click below to link up your posts!

Winners! Publix Smart Savings Booklet Giveaway {And $5/$30 Coupons Too!}

Congrats to the winners! Sissy, Michelle B., and Shelly M. please check your emails and respond with your preferred mailing address in the next 48 hours! Thanks to everyone who entered!




Have you found the new Smart Savings Booklets in your Publix yet? I was looking for them frantically because I love all the coupons in them (click here to see the list of coupons in them) and I finally found them at my local stores. I was able to find them at three different stores (I pass four different Publix's at least twice a week each) so I grab a few at each store.



That means I have some extras to give away! THREE Couponing & Cooking readers will each win two Smart Savings Booklets and two $5/$30 Enjoy The City Winn Dixie coupons (hopefully your Publix accepts them as a competitor).


The giveaway will run until Midnight on Monday July 2nd. 


See the Rafflecopter widget below for ways to enter! (It may take a few seconds for the widget to load)


Good luck!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Skinny Cake Batter "Ice Cream" Sandwiches

It is hot here in South Florida. Way too hot for my liking. The type of hot where you wonder why you do your make up because it is sure to melt right off your face during the short walk from the garage door to your car. So when we were in the mood for a homemade dessert the other night, I knew I would not be turning my oven on.

So I did what any person would do, I scrolled through my "Desserts On My List Of Things To Make" Pinterest board slowly ruling out all things that required preheating my oven to 350 degrees. That left me with very little by the way...I found a few ice cream treats but seeing as how the sun was still up and the humidity was 115% I decided that not only would I not be turning on my oven, I would also not be leaving my house to pick up any missing ingredients that I didn't have on hand.

Then I realized that I had pinned quite a few recipes for Skinny Cake Batter Dip and that being the person that I am, I actually had everything on hand to make it. I mean who doesn't have a stock pile full of funfetti cake mix and fat free cool whip?

But Skinny Cake Batter Dip seemed like a strange thing for Justin and I to sit around eating by ourselves. I didn't have any cute animal crackers or Teddy Grahams to dip in it and chances are if I just made the dip and handed Justin and I each a spoon we would probably have eaten the whole thing in one sitting. And while it might be "skinny" that is still unacceptable. Then I found a box of low fat graham crackers and an idea was born.

It is so simple you will laugh. I just tweaked  the standard Skinny Cake Batter Dip that is floating around on about a million blogs right now and I sandwiched it between two pieces of low fat graham crackers. I then rolled/dip the edges in sprinkles to add some fun and froze them in a Tupperware container.

I made some 4th of July themed ones too!

They are delicious, way better than I thought they would be. Like I would probably buy them if they sold them in stores. They are a great way to have a cold, refreshing treat without the heaviness and (way more) calories of a "real" ice cream sandwich. The Greek yogurt and all its protein makes them pretty filling for such a light dessert as well.

And they are pretty cute too. Justin even called them precious. And my husband does not use the word precious. Ever. In fact, in over eight years of being together I don't think I have heard him use it. So they must be cute.

Skinny Cake Batter "Ice Cream" Sandwiches

• 1 box of Duncan Hines Funfetti Cake Mix (I think that brand does matter in this one...)
• 2 cups plain, fat free, Chobani Greek yogurt
• 1 heaping cup of fat free/lite Cool Whip
• Low Fat Graham Crackers

1.) Mix the three first ingredients together.  You will have to mix them very well and it may take awhile but you want to make sure you fully incorporate them so you don't get random bites that are all cake mix or all Greek yogurt/Cool Whip.

All mixed!

2.) Spread a generous portion of the cake batter mix on a square of low fat graham cracker. Sandwich between another square. Smooth out the excess batter around the edges so it looks like a real ice cream sandwich. I dipped the edges in sprinkles for a fun and colorful look. (I had pictures of the step by step process by my camera mysteriously deleted them...)

Finished product before adding sprinkles.

3.) Place finished sandwiches in an air tight container and layer wax paper between them so they don't stick together. Freeze for a few hours before eating. They can be stored in the freezer in an air tight container for as long as you think they still look good : )

Enjoy!

Make sure you stop by this week's Mealtime Monday and link up any amazing recipes you have been working on lately.

***Depending on the day this post may be linked up to any of these fabulous linky parties.***

Mealtime Monday Recipe Link Up Party & Features {#12} & My Favorite 4th Of July Desserts

Happy Monday and Happy Almost 4th of July! I hope that you are getting ready to spend the week relaxing and celebrating the holiday with friends. Our weather has been way too hot and humid to function but at least we are a little bit cooler here in South Florida than many other places around the country.

Last week was our biggest week EVER and I am so humbled and blown away by what you link up every week. Thank you so much for spreading the word and joining me every week, it means more than you know!

Before I start the linky party, I wanted to share with you some of our favorite patriotic desserts in honor of the upcoming holiday. Here is what I am making to celebrate this week:

How cute are these American Flag cupcakes? Check out the recipe for them here!

4th of July Themed Skinny Cake Batter "Ice Cream" Sandwiches, recipe here.

4th of July Cakies (cake mix cookies), see my basic Cakie recipe here.

I would love to see your patriotic themed treats and foods so feel free to link up some of your past 4th of July/Patriotic posts with your current recipe posts this week too. You never can have to many recipes!

On to the party!






So it's a dessert feature week today. It's pretty much a dessert themed kinda week in my opinion. Sorry to any of you who don't love desserts as much as our family (do non-dessert people exist?)

This Peanut Butter Chocolate Pizza Pie from A Casarella looks like the perfect summer dessert. I am obsessed with the peanut butter and chocolate combo and I am a sucker for desserts shaped or themed like pizza. Win, win.

 If you really want to impress your guests at your next dinner party, you should make these precious little Chocolate Mousse Cakes from Cooking on the Front Burner. They completely look like something you would order in a fancy restaurant.

If you aren't a chocolate person (again, do those exist?), you can check out this Simple Summer Tart from Delightful Curiosity. I love how fresh it looks and how you can customize it with your favorite fruits or what is on sale/in season.

Thank you all again for linking up! I love having lots of new menu ideas to add to our weekly rotations. I would love for you to spread this word about this link up by grabbing a button or by linking back. The more the merrier!

You can also check out my Pinterest board for Mealtime Monday Features where I will be pinning the original links to the items featured here each week.

If you were featured you can feel free to grab a button from my sidebar.

Can't wait to see what you have been up to lately and I love being inspired by all the delicious looking dishes you create.

I will be featuring my favorites next weekend and I will be pinning things to my Pinterest boards too. Make sure you check out my Link Ups page for lots more fun places to link up at too.

As I teacher, I enforce rules all day so I am going to call these my suggestions.

I would love it if:

• You would link back to this post/blog. You can do so by grabbing my button (upper right hand corner), linking back to this post in your post, or by adding this blog to your list of places you link up to/party at on your Link Parties page. The more people who link up the better it is for all of us : )
• Please follow this blog through GFC, Linky Friends or Blog Lovin.
• As an added bonus you can now become our Facebook fan too!
• Please only post directly to your recipe link. No giveaways, etsy shops or anything not family friendly.
• Please do not link up to posts you have already linked up to before. Also, the recipe needs to be something you made with photos of your own and should give credit where credit is due : )
• Visit at least two new blogs and show them some love.
• Come back next Monday and link up!

Show me what you got!