Frugal Freezer Cooking: "Hot Pockets"by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 31 Dec 2008 10:36 AM
With panic in the economy, it makes so much sense to cut expenses and pay down as much debt as possible. Here is one freezer cooking idea that can be adapted to many different types of leftovers or bulk ingredients--the "hot pocket." Hot pockets are those things that you can buy in your freezer section of the store (although the concept has been around for a long time). They are usually little pastry or bread logs that contain different fillings. The store bought pockets are tiny and usually contain even tinier fillings, and frankly, I don't care for them myself. But homemade versions can be made so easily and adapted to your family's personal taste. I usually start out with homemade pizza dough--enough to make one large thick crust pizza or two thin crust ones. I divide this dough into about ten pieces (you can divide it into eight if you want larger pockets). Each dough section gets rolled into a ball and made into a round (like a pizza crust). Then I add a heaping spoon of filling to the middle of each round. One end gets folded over the other, so you are left with something resembling a calzone. Make sure to pinch the ends down to keep the filling inside. Check back later today, when I continue with the hot pockets. I'll tell you how to prepare them for immediate cooking or for freezing. I'll also share my ideas for good filling combinations. Don't miss it! Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog, caring for little ones in the Baby Blog and now relationships in the Marriage Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here or subscribe to the blog using the subscription box on the right. Favorite Deal Websites: Related Articles: Freezer Cooking Recipes Ideas for Holiday Leftovers Flattening Your Freezer Cooking Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments  Dale Harcombe (10321) 31 Dec 2008 12:52 PMWe've had a freezer for just on 39 years. Yes, the same freezer. I woudn't be without it.It was the best investment we ever made. gracet (63) 31 Dec 2008 02:12 PMI look forward to your filling ideas. I do this with pizza dough too but instead of folding it over, I roll out the dough into a long rectangle, spread the filling on it and roll it into a log. This makes it easy to slice into servings.  Mary Ann Romans (26876) 01 Jan 2009 06:09 AMWhat are your favorite fillings gracet? BTW: My son had two of the turkey pockets yesterday and declared them delicious--so they pass the test for kid friendly! Yay! gracet (63) 02 Jan 2009 07:12 AMHi Mary Ann, I just made 2 of them for New Year's Eve with my 8 year old. I used 1 pizza dough each (Price Chopper brand). One loaf had the following layers: salami, feta cheese, and part skim mozzarella cheese. The other had ham and part skim mozzarella cheese. My kids like the hot pockets from the store too, especially the new one "Garlic Chicken White Pizza". mmmm Happy New Year! Mary Ann Romans (26876) 02 Jan 2009 10:05 AMSounds great! Your should try making your own version of the garlic white pizza. Ricotta cheese, mozzarella, yum egoc (5) 20 Jan 2009 07:16 AMI make a similar pocket using pastry crust. We do cheeseburger, taco and chicken pot pie fillings. The kids love them! Mary Ann Romans (26876) 20 Jan 2009 12:10 PMI bet the pastry crust lends a nice sweetness to the hot pocket. Community Tags Freezer Cooking, freezer cooking recipes, frugal living, recipe ideas Discuss this article
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