Thursday, October 15, 2009

Simple, Frugal Calzone Recipe - Can Be Made in CrockPot!

Yes, hot pockets. I had never tried hot pockets until we were married. They certainly lived up to my expectation of them, but my husband loved them. I used to get them for him as an occasional lunch treat. But they are around $2 for two small pockets, so there is no way I am going to buy them now. So, I made them.

I started with my tortilla recipe.

2 cups whole white wheat flour - $0.32
3/4 teaspoons salt - $0.03, if that
1/4 cup shortening - $0.25
1/2 cups water - $0

Mix all of the ingredients together. I divided this into four, as I wanted the crust a little thicker than a tortilla. I rolled each into a circle. Then I smeared them with tomato sauce, making sure I left space around the edges.

12 oz can GV tomato paste - $0.75
12 oz can filled with water - $0
1 tablespoon chopped garlic - $0.09
1 tablespoon oregano - $0.06
1/4 teaspoon stevia - $0.04
4 oz peppers and onions - $0.25

But I didn't use the whole batch, I used about a half of the recipe, $0.60, saving the rest in the fridge for convenient future use.



I fried up a half pound of my homemade sausage, $0.53, and divided that onto half of the tortillas. I added an ounce of cheese to each one as well, $0.50

Then, I folded the tortilla over and scrunched the edges together.


Four of these took an hour in the crock pot on high, so they would take maybe twenty minutes in the oven at 350. I had to stack my cake pans, just as I did in crock pot dehydration. I would call these calzones, but for my husband, they are hot pockets, because that makes him happy.

hot pocket 023

I am thinking they will replace red hot dog night on our menu rotation. I was stuffed after one, as was my husband. The kiddos split one. That leaves one for my husband's lunch. They could also be made in advance and frozen.

(To see the color versions of these photos, click on them.)

UPDATE: A wise reader tested the recipe in the oven and it took about 30 minutes at 450 degrees, not 20 minutes as I suggested.

24 comments:

Marie said...

Emily, I will totally try this at home. It looks awesome, and very 'restaurant-like'.

Anonymous said...

Two things:
If you use a pizza crust recipe it will taste better. Also if you substitute carrots for the sugar/stevia it adds sweetness and nutritional value.

Have you ever thought about using a toaster oven? It uses less energy than a regualar oven.

slk2042 said...

These are also yummy filled with breakfast foods like eggs, hashbrowns, sausage, etc.

Emily said...

Anon, on the toaster oven, we really don't want more appliances, we want less. A crock pot, so far, has done everything we have wanted it to.

Lori said...

Taco pockets, chicken pockets, cheeseburger pockets...lots of opportunities there.

Anonymous said...

I used to make these all the time when we were first married with a pizza crust recipe. It's yummy to add green peppers and onions. Come to think of it, there's a lot of stuff I *used* to cook that my hubby would appreciate me cooking *now*.

Off topic, but, Emily, you must be super-mom to be able to manage three little ones just a few short days after giving birth AND continue blogging :-) Looking forward to hearing your birth story!

Blessings to you!

Anonymous said...

This sounds good (and cheap - cheap is good!).

Can I use oil instead of shortening?

Tracy

Diana Par-Due said...

My hubby loves hot pockets but for some reason I rarely make them. I'm inspired!

I love clicking to see the color photo by the way. Thanks for mentioning it.

Treva said...

Looks very yummy! I've got homemade pizza on my menu for next week -- first time ever, but I'm excited to try it. If it goes over well it may well become a staple in our house!

Anonymous said...

I have to LOL. Even before I read the recipe I knew it had the exact same ingredients as like half of your rotation dinners.

Virginia said...

I like the way you decided to compromise between colored food pictures and black and white.

Kimber said...

I think I will try these tonight for my family of 6 so I will need to double or triple it so my hubby & son can have some for lunch the next day.
I am assuming these are post you already had ready for this time & that is great that you were so prepared.
Have to hand it to you, you are very interesting and know how to bring in the readers! Looking forward to your post on your new baby!

Emily said...

Kimber and Mary, yes, this was a prewritten post. I have several more prewritten.

Anon, shortening will work just fine.

Anon, on the same ingredients, yes, we like what we like. I love pizza, so this is kind of my way to get a second pizza night in. My husband does not object.

Anonymous said...

I like that you added the link to colored photos. To me, the food looks so much more appetizing in color.

Anonymous said...

Mmmm...sounds good. Wish I had the sausage and peppers so I could make it tonight. Sigh...you shouldn't dangle food in front of a pregnant ladies face, unless she has the ingredients on hand!!! ;)

Anonymous said...

Awesome idea posting a link to colored pictures!

Honestly, at first I thought "blah" when I saw the black and white photo...but the colored one looked great!!

Smart thinking :)

Natballs said...

I just found your blog and it really, really intrigues me! My husband makes a net income of around 1600 a month and we just make it, month by month...

Dogfood Provider said...

I love the color photo option - you get your aesthetic choice on the blog, and us visual eaters get to click through to colored pics of the food.

I'm stoked to try this recipe. Looks great. I have another question for you, this time about your food scale. I know you weigh things out to get the portions right. Where did you get your scale? Anything special to look for in getting a food scale?

Anonymous said...

Emily, cool idea. I'm going to stay with some family members soon and help them with their finances/organisation. They are addicted to hotpockets (pretty gross when you read the ingredients!). Your recipe is so much healthier and probably wouldn't have that awful chemical taste (I am ashamed to admit that I tried them once too--my poor body). It seems like something you could freeze too, which means that you could stockpile them! AND you can sneak in some whole grain flour and veggies for those who only eat meat and carbs all day. I like it! I'm going to make it! Also, it reminds me a lot of empinadas, which sometimes also have beans, meats and spices . . .that could be good too.

Emily said...

Dogfood Provider, I got my scale from Walmart when we were first married. The first fraction of an ounce is a little off, but it works just fine for me, and I weigh more than the average cook.

Treva said...

Emily, I just wrote a post, but didn't publish it yet (today maybe?) on making pizza sauce using spices and tomato sauce. Anyway, I buy my tomato sauce for 25 cents from Aldi. I know you don't have an Aldi store near you, but maybe the recipe will help you if tomato sauce is cheaper than tomato paste. Basically you just open the tomato sauce can and add 1 t. each olive oil, oregano, and basil; 1/2 t. each of salt and garlic powder; 1/4 t. cayenne pepper. Mix it around right there in the can and let it set & blend while you prepare everything else.

Emily said...

Treva, tomato sauce is $0.26 at Walmart, but it has corn syrup, which I avoid. Tomato paste makes much more, as I add water to get a smoother consistency, so I'm not sure about the cost comparison in the end, but your recipe sounds good. My mom always added cayenne, and I always forget to.

Treva said...

LOL I just dug my can out of the recycling bin to check it. Mine doesn't have any corn syrup, so next time you're in a state with an Aldi store in it, stop in and buy some of their Happy Harvest Tomato Sauce.

I_Minn said...

I am making this tonight with whole wheat flour that I have. Sounds good!

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