Pizza Pockets

I love Totino's pizza rolls (I also thought they were called Tostino's until about 30 seconds ago). But in an effort to increase my cooking abilities and eat healthier (so, not pre-made frozen dinners), I wanted to try to make my own. Enter: Pillsbury commercial showing easy weekday meals!

Attempt #1: Failed horribly. We used crescent rolls, which don't fold in half well and form awkwardly shaped pockets. Not a huge deal, but not very visually appealing. We also used the cheapest pizza sauce I could find in the store, HUGE DEAL. It tasted terrible. We ate them, and I kept saying "These aren't too bad, I guess..." Nathan kept saying "They're good, good job." Then, I asked the important question... Should I make them again? The truth comes out when you ask this question. Maybe someone can deal with a horrible meal for one evening, but again and again over the course of our lives together? No effin' way. "Well, the cheese is good. And the rolls are good. And the pepperoni is good!"

Attempt #2: Multiple changes. We used Pillsbury flaky layers rolls. They're round, so they fold into half-moons. They don't come flat, so you have to squish them like pizza crust to get a flat circle before filling them. Also, started using Ragu pizza sauce "for homemade pizzas!" and it is delicious. It actually tastes like pizza sauce. And then the pepperoni and price chopper shredded mozzarella like last time. They were tasty.

Attempt #3 (tonight): Cooked them in the new kitchen! So it took a lot longer, because I had to keep finding things (because Nathan organized all of it). Also, used 2% cheese instead of whole milk cheese, it seemed to be stretchier than whole milk cheese. I think they were just slightly undercooked, but Nathan seems to think this made them a whole lot better. He also had a lot of fun making his "personal pan pizza" out one of the rolls.

Open, finished and folded, and Nathan making his "personal pan pizza"
(Photo courtesy of my cell phone)

So... Pillsbury flaky layers, Price Chopper shredded 2% mozzarella, Hormel pepperoni slices, and Ragu pizza sauce. Open the rolls (don't be alarmed when it pops... make sure the dog is not around when you're opening it, he may also become alarmed). Squish them into flatter circles, they should increase in diameter quite a bit. Place onto cookie sheet (the cookie sheet shouldn't need spray/butter/non-stick anything). Spoon pizza sauce onto roll - thick on one half, slight coating on the other. Then, add some cheese and pepperoni (or whatever you love on pizza. We keep it simple). Fold them in half - I find that it helps to hold the pepperoni down with one hand and fold over, to keep insides from spilling out. Press down with a fork around the edges to make a seal, so that sauce doesn't ooze out and burn all over your cookie sheets. Poke holes on the tops with your fork! It allows some of the juices to cook out, and makes them look pretty on top... Also, they don't come out like giant balloons of hot air if you poke them.

Usually, we eat them with a knife and fork because they're a little big for finger foods (and also, if you don't take the time to cut them, you will burn your tongue/roof of your mouth). Since all our silverware is not away yet... we ate with our hands (and yes, I burnt my tongue).

Yummy, yummy. Murphy would also like a bite...
(Photo courtesy of my cell phone)

So, what's for dinner at your house tonight?