Pizza Pockets

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20-30 minutes
Serves: 12
Cost: Approx. $8.00

3 tubes of crescent rolls ($3.00)
3-4 cups mozzarella cheese ($2.00)
1 package of pepperoni or 8 oz of cooked sausage ($2.00)
1 can of pizza sauce (1.00)

Remove crescent rolls and separate each package into 4 rectangles. Gently roll with a glass to remove perforations.

Place 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese and meat of your choice in the center of the rectangle. Fold over and pinch edges well to seal. Wrap each pizza pocket in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil before freezing.

To cook, unwrap frozen pizza pocket and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping.

Cheesy Potato Sausage Bake

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook Time:
Serves: 6
Cost: approx $6.75

6 potatoes diced and boiled until tender ($.75)
1 small can cream of chicken soup ($.75)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese ($2.00)
1 cup low fat sour cream ($1.00)
1/3 chopped green onions ($.25)
1 lb smoked sausage cut and browned ($2.00)

Mix all ingredients together well. Place in freezer bag.

Unthaw and place in baking dish. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes covered.

Sausage/Green Beans/Potatoes

This is a comfort food to me. Getting off the bus from school I could smell it cooking from down the drive way. This is a super easy dish and very satisfying as well. We always eat ours with corn bread and applesauce. The combination just works somehow.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: at least 2 hours
Serves: 8-10
Cost: approx. $7.00


1 package of smoked sausage sliced ($2.00- we like turkey sausage)
2 large cans of green beans ($4.00)
6 potatoes washed and sliced ($1.00)

Brown the smoked sausage in a skillet. In a crock pot layer the potatoes, then the sausage and top with the green beans. Cover and cook on high for at least 2 hours or until the potatoes are soft. I prefer to cook all day on low in order to combine all of the flavors.

**Oftentimes in the summer smoked sausage is on sale at Meijer Buy 1 get 2 free. I stock up then and just freeze the meat until ready to use, thus making this meal even less expensive.**

Homemade Pizza

What do you make when you're low on ingredients and would really love to order out? Pizza! Ours is ready in about the time that it would take to order and pick it up and saves us a bundle on cash and grease.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Ready in: 40 minutes
Serves: 8-10
Cost: approx. $7.00 (or less depending on toppings)


Crust:
1 cup of warm water
1 package of active dry yeast ($.50)
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 2/12- 3 cups flour ($.50)

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add all other ingredients. Stir 20 times to mix. Let rise 20 minutes.

Sauce:
8 oz can tomato sauce ($.50)
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. Italian spice blend

Spread dough thinly on large cookie sheet. Top with sauce, 3 cups mozzarella cheese ($2.99), and additional toppings as desired. Our favorite is mushrooms ($1.00) and sausage ($1.50)

Bake at 450 on lowest rack for 15 minutes or until cheese has melted.

Lentil and Sausage Soup

I had this soup recently at an Italian restaurant and loved it! I was thrilled to find this recipe and to be able to adapt it for our taste.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 3 hours
Ready in: 3 hours 15 minutes
Yields: 10 servings
Cost: approx. $4.75 (without pasta)

1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage ($1.75)
1 large onion, chopped ($.50)
1 stalk celery, chopped finely ($.10)
1 Tablespoon garlic chopped
16 ounces red lentils rinsed ($1.50)
1 carrot shredded ($.10)
14 cups water
4 Tablespoon chicken soup stock base ($.25)
1 small can diced tomatoes ($.50)
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
2 Bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1. Brown sausage in large pot. Add onion, celery and garlic. Saute. Stir in lentils, carrot, water, soup base, and tomatoes. Add all other seasonings. Bring to boil and reduce heat. Cover and summer for 2 /12 to 3 hours.
2. Add 1/2 pound of pasta if desired and cook 15-20 minutes longer.

This could be cooled and frozen in a zip lock. Unthaw at room temperature and reheat.

The results are in...

5 thumbs up. 3 neither up or down. 1 thumb down.

I really should work on presentation, I know.

Sausage Polenta Bake

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Ready in: 40 minutes
Yields: 12-16 servings
Cost: approx. $7.00


2 cups yellow cornmeal or polenta ($1.25)
3/4 teaspoon salt
5 1/2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese ($.50)
1 pound Italian sausage ($2.25)
1 jar of spaghetti sauce ($1.00)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese ($2.00)

1. In large saucepan, combine cornmeal and salt. Gradually add boiling water while whisking. Cook and stir over medium heat for 5 minutes or until mixture boils. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese.

2. Spread polenta into greased 9x13 pan.. (We use a 1 1/2 sheet cake pan.) Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cook sausage and add spaghetti sauce. Cook until heated through.

3. Spread mixture over polenta; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.

This recipe was adapted from the original found here.

The results are in....

7 thumbs up. 2 thumbs down (mainly due to an aversion to red sauce).



"It was a little spicy." -Hannah

"I liked the creamy bottom layer." -Lydia

"It was easy to fix. It reminded me of lasagna, but not runny and hard to cut." -Mom