October is National Pizza Month

Pizza pouches: Perfect football fare

Kick off football season with a great halftime snack that is tasty and satisfying: Pizza pouches.

Homemade pizza pockets are commercially available, of course. As the joke goes, 20 microwaved pizza bites give you 15 chances to burn your tongue and five chances to bite into something still cold.

Good news. Homemade pizza pockets are easy to make and stuff with your favorite fillings. You can even choose your foundation: Regular pizza dough, pita bread, or tortillas.
Here is a recipe that will please the football fans in your life.

Homemade pizza pouches:
1 pound pizza dough (refrigerate until ready to use)
1-2 jars of your favorite sauce.
Fillings

Directions
Divide the pizza dough into four sections. Roll out each about 1 1/2 inches thick and spread sauce over the dough. Add toppings of choice and fold over. Use a fork and fingers to crimp the sides of the pizza pocket. Slice the top of the pocket for ventilation and drizzle with olive oil.

Place prepared pizza pockets on a baking sheet lined with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from the oven, allow to cool and serve.
Leftovers can be frozen. Wrap with aluminum foil and place into a plastic zip bag. If secured well, these will last up to 3 months in the freezer.

Next Sunday Football: Remove from freezer and allow thawing. Place in the microwave for 3-5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pizza pocket and check throughout heating time.

Make your own sauce:
1 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes (if you want to use your garden tomatoes, start with 2 pounds).
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons smoked paprika or chili powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
Fresh tomatoes
Heat oven to 375. Slice tomatoes in half and place on baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon salt and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for about 20 minutes. Once the tomatoes have begun to soften and brown at the edges, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Drop oven heat to 350. Put tomato halves into a blender and puree until tomatoes reach the desired consistency. Once all tomatoes are pureed, move to a heavy skillet and heat for about 30 minutes.

Canned tomatoes
Pour tomatoes, without draining, into a heavy skillet and heat. Add seasonings and stir frequently, until sauce thickens to the desired consistency.