Homemade Hot Pockets

I mentioned this idea to a group of ladies who wanted the recipe, but there really is no recipe, so I thought I'd just write out the general idea and some filling ideas.  These are great for a quick, grab-out-of-the-freezer meal - breakfast or lunch.

Let frozen roll dough balls thaw and rise slightly.
Roll out into flat circles.
Cover one circle with fillings, leaving at least 1/4" border of dough exposed all around.
Place another circle of dough over top of the toppings and seal the top dough circle to the bottom circle all around the circumference - either by folding over and pressing, using a fork to crease like ravioli, or however you choose.
Repeat for as many "pockets" as you' like to make.
Bake for about 15 min, until golden brown.  If you'd like a more shiny/slightly hardened top, brush with egg/water wash before baking.
Cool, wrap individual pockets tightly, label and freeze.
Grab-and-go, microwave until warmed through

Filling ideas
Breakfast:
Scrambled eggs
Sausage
Crumbled bacon
Cubed/fried potatoes
Cheese
Fried up Onions/Peppers
Salsa
Cream Cheese
Cinnamon Sugar
Cream cheese mixed with vanilla & nuts, sprinkle cinnamon sugar on outside of pocket before baking (like a stuffed french toast) - probably don't roll the rolls out as flat with this one and dip in egg before baking (I haven't actually done this one - it just came to mind as I was doing this list, but it sounds yummy! I think I'll give it a try.)

Lunch:
Various sandwich meats
Various sandwich cheeses - experiment with new ones! I love Gouda and Havarti.
Spread thin layer of Ranch dressing, mustard, mayo, etc.
Various veggies (some would need pre-cooking) with cheese
Left over dinner meats, shredded or thinly sliced
Pizza sauce & toppings
Little meatballs & tomato sauce
Chicken slices, italian seasoning and provolone cheese

My Notes:  I've heard of other's doing renditions of this, but I have not tried any particular recipes. These are all things I made up. Get creative and experiment. There are hundreds of combinations you could come up with!

Waffles

Adapted from Basic Waffles in The Joy of Cooking

Preheat waffle iron.
Whisk together in a large bowl:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1 T sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Whisk together in a large bowl:
3 large egg yolks (whip whites and keep separate)
splash of vanilla (Mexican)
4-16 T unsalted butter, melted (4 T for reduced-fat, 8 T for classic, 16 T for crunchy)
1 1/2 cup milk

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Gently whisk them together with a few swift strokes. Fold egg whites into batter.  (The batter should have a pebbled look, similar to muffin batter).  If you wish, fold in 1/2 cup frozen berries, chopped toasted nuts, soft dried fruit, bacon, cheese; or 1/4 cup shredded coconut or choc chips.

Spoon 1/2 cup batter onto hot iron, spread to within 1/4 in of edge of grids.  Cook.

To keep warm or reheat, heat oven to 200, place waffles in single layer directly on the rack.

Apricot Glazed Pork Loin

Hawaiian Teri Chicken

Doug Shumway

1 cup shoyu (see note on other teri chicken recipe)
1 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
thumb size fresh ginger, cut into thin slices

Mix, put in pan with chicken thighs.  Bake 350 for 2 hours.  (see other cooking notes in Uncle Bill's teri chicken recipe)

Hawaiian Teri Chicken

Uncle Bill Kelly

chicken thighs

1 cup shoyu (Aloha Shoyu is the best, use low sodium soy sauce if can't get shoyu)

1 cup sugar

ginger

garlic

Marinate overnight. Bake in juice.

Note: I have found Aloha Shoyu at Harmon's! We marinate and then BBQ, Bake, or I also cook in the sauce in the crock pot.  For thighs in the crock pot, 4 hours on low is probably good enough. Too long and the chicken gets dry. 

True Poly Style means no recipes with measurements.  It's all just a list of ingredients, and then done by taste. Happy experimenting!

Kalua Pork

3 lb pork butt
2 cups water
1 tsp liquid smoke
1/4 cup Hawaiian salt (or rock salt or sea salt)

Place pork fat side up in roasting pan.  Combine water and liquid smoke, pour over meat.  Sprinkle with salt.  Cover and roast in oven/crock pot at 400 degrees for 3 hours. Remove from pan and shred.  Serves 6.

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
Prep: 20 min, Bake: 20 min (it's always taken me about twice that), Makes: 4 servings

2 cups torn fresh spinach (I use frozen)
1/2 cup frozen artichoke hearts, thawed & chopped (I used the jarred or canned kind)
1/3 cup finely shredded Parmesan
1 tsp snipped fresh rosemary (or a dash of dried)
1 1-lb pork tenderloin
1/2 cup frozen apple-cranberry juice concentrate, thawed
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 425. For stuffing, in a large skillet, cook the spinach in a small amount of water until just wilted; drain well (or use frozen, squeezing out as much moisture as possible). In a small bowl, combine the spinach, artichoke, cheese and rosemary.

Slice the tenderloin lengthwise, almost all of the way through, making a pocket. Spoon stuffing into the pocket (the filling will be exposed). Place in a shallow roasting pan, stuffing side up. Insert a meat thermometer. Roast, uncovered, for 20-25 min, or until thermometer registers 155 degrees. (The temp of the meat will rise 5 degrees during standing.)

Meanwhile, for glaze, in a small saucepan, combine the juice and vinegar. Bring to boiling, reduce heat, simmer uncovered for about 15 min, or until mixture measures 1/3 cup. Spoon over pork during last 10 min of roasting. To serve, bias-slice the pork.

**Notes: Where there are just two of us currently eating "adult" food, I made this, then cut it in half before roasting and froze one half of it. Then thawed it at a later date to roast. It worked perfectly! It's pretty easy, even though it sounds a little intimidating...something about the words "stuffed," "meat thermometer," "glaze," and "bias-cut" can be a bit intimidating, but don't let them throw you! :-)

4-Cheese Chicken Roll-ups
Jen Brady

1 10-oz pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed
3 T dry onion soup mix
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/4 lb mozzarella cheese, cut into 4 sticks
1 (13-oz) pkg Alfredo or white sauce mix
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
8 oz cooked fettuccine

Preheat oven to 375. Squeeze spinach dry. Combine spinach, soup mix, ricotta and feta in a bowl. Pound each piece of chicken to 1/4-in thickness with a meat mallet.

Spread 1 T spinach mix on chicken; reserve remaining spinach mix. Place a mozzarella stick in center of filling.

Roll chicken to enclose filling; secure bundles with a toothpick. Arrange rolls in a small baking dish. Bake for 20 min.

Meanwhile, prepare sauce according to package directions. Stir in reserved spinach mix. Pour over chicken. Top with Romano. Bake for 15 min longer. Serve over hot cooked pasta.

*To save time preparing sauce, simply substitute a 10-oz can of condensed mushroom soup. (Haven't tried that)

Melt-in-your-mouth Meatballs
from Kim Meyers Kruchek

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/3 c. breadcrumbs (or enough to hold the meat together)
1-2 Tbsp. fresh minced garlic (or 1 tsp garlic powder)
1-2 tsp. salt or seasoned salt (or to taste)
1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1/3 c. milk (can use up to 1/2 c. milk) **I used 1/2 c.
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley (or 2 Tbsp. dried)

1. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.
2. Shape into small meatballs, about 1" (at this point you can place on a jelly roll/baking sheet and freeze to use later, or cover with plastic wrap & refrigerate up to 24 hours before using)
3. Drop the meatballs into simmering pasta sauce, do not sir for at least 20 minutes or you will risk breaking the meatballs.
4. Continue cooking in the simmering sauce for another 20 minutes (depending on how fast your sauce is simmering, 40 minutes total should fully cook the meatballs).
5. After the 40 minutes, continue cooking sauce with meatballs in for as long as desired.

*******NOTE: You may also bake the meatballs at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until cooked through.

******NOTE from JB: Not good with sweet and sour sauce, but excellent with tomato sauce!

Easy Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Jen Brady

1 can (approx 15 oz) plain tomato sauce
1 can (approx 15 oz) stewed tomatoes, can be Italian seasoned
1 can tomato paste
Oregano to taste
Basil to taste

Mix all together and simmer for flavors to blend. Add the above meatballs, mushrooms, or whatever else you want. Serves 4-6.