Birthday Party Food - Home-Made Pizza Pockets

Home-Made Pizza Pockets

For any child's birthday party, pizza pockets are sure to be a winning snack. For the conscientious parent, whole ingredients, low sugar, and no preservatives matter. Also, pizza pockets won't leave you with a mountain of dishes to wash the day of the celebration, leaving you more time to spend mingling and enjoying the day with your child. These can be made up days in advance and heated in the oven for a crisp, satisfying snack.

To make the dough for the pockets, you'll need:

1 1/2 cups of tepid water

4 cups of flour, all-purpose

2 teaspoons of salt

1/2 teaspoon dry, active yeast

2 tablespoons of honey

Mix all of the ingredients together with an electric mixer. Blend for two minutes at low speed, five minutes at medium, and then another two at slow speed, scraping the sides occasionally. Set the dough aside and let it rest an hour and a half to two hours, covered by a towel. After it's rested, knead all of the air out of the dough ball and portion it off into balls about as big as a quarter. Tighten the skins of the balls and leave them on the seams to rest once more under a damp towel. Wait another hour before flattening them into the pocket shells.

While you're waiting for the dough to rest, begin work on the pizza sauce. You'll need the following:

1 clove of garlic, minced very fine

1 can of tomato paste (six ounces)

1 can of tomato sauce (16 ounces)

1/2 of a yellow onion, minced

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons of sugar (optional)

1/2 teaspoon of table salt

basil and oregano to taste

Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil until tender, then add the other ingredients and simmer for about 20 minutes.

For cheese, a mix of shredded provolone and mozzarella is outstanding. Toppings are nearly limitless: pepperoni, sausage, fresh mushrooms, green peppers, and caramelized onions are all perfect. Once you've assembled the pockets, bake seam-down on an un-greased cookie sheet for twenty or so minutes at 350 degrees. The tops of the pockets should turn a light, golden brown. You can then cool them and re-heat them later, or enjoy them cold for a tasty birthday festivities snack!