Easy-Peasy Ham and Cheese-y (or Meatball) Biscuit Pockets

Since I wanted to make a football-shaped food of some kind for her Superbowl-themed Muffin Tin Meal, and I had a tube (or two!) of Pillsbury refrigerated biscuits sitting in the fridge (from months ago!) I decided on biscuits. I had toyed with making a football-shaped biscuit and cutting it open and using it for a sandwich, but I love warm and gooey ham and cheese, so I decided to try and bake them inside. I also decided to try meatball and tomato sauce biscuits, but the meatballs were frozen, so I didn't get to cook them at the same time.

Easy-Peasy Ham and Cheese-y Biscuit Pockets

Ingredients:
Refrigerated Biscuit Dough
Sliced Ham (thin works best)
Shredded Cheese

Directions:
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 F. Separate refrigerated biscuits from the tube. Slice each one in half lengthwise.

Step 2: Use rolling pin or hand to flatten both halves. Flour on surface below and rolling pin/hands is optional but recommended. Especially as they start warming to room temperature.

Step 3: You can do larger round biscuit pockets, or smaller turnovers. If doing round biscuits, choose smaller half (in circumference) of biscuit and add ham and cheese toppings, as desired. More is better than less, since the insides shrink when cooked (and the dough expands.) For turnovers, put toppings on half of the circle, leaving room around the edges.

Step 4: Fold over turnover tops, or place larger biscuit circle on top of smaller one with toppings. Stretch to fit and press down around edges to seal.
Using a fork, knife handle or a food-pocket maker like Pampered Chef's Cut N Seal helps seal the edges so they don't separate while baking. But not required.

Step 5: Place on parchment paper-covered or lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 13-17 minutes.

YUM!

For the meatball ones, I used 2 frozen Trader Joe's pre-cooked mini-meatballs (you'd want them already thawed, or else let them thaw once inside the dough, but it might all get too moist sitting around like that!) A large spoonful of spaghetti sauce (a little under the meatballs, and the rest on top.) And since I didn't have any mozzarella, I cut up a string cheese stick and put some in. [Although when putting away the tub of sauce, I found a brick of mozzarella. Argh.]
I'd recommend cutting the meatballs in half, so there's not such a big pocket of dead space inside the pocket after the contents shrink, and dough expands, during cooking. And shredded cheese would definitely be better. But these tasted good warm, room temperature and slightly chilled. Yummmm!
The meatball ones also worked better as rounds, rather than turnovers. There was too much plain dough in the corners with the turnovers, since the meatballs were all the way in the middle.

 I used the sauce spoon to paint football lines on the ham and cheese pocket I had shaped into a football.

I started making these because Z said she had to use the potty, and then asked for a sandwich, after we had been laying in bed for half an hour. So I had a little time to kill. Little Z finished her midnight snack but didn't want to go back to bed yet. She wanted to help!

She also "helped" (ie: ate) grate the cheese.

She enjoyed adding toppings, and helped press the edges down. And then wanted to eat one right now. Since I hadn't planned on cooking them until the next morning, she had to wait. She tried to eat one raw, but either didn't like it, or she actually listened when I told her not to. *shock and awe*

While I had just planned on banging these out on my own, they ended up being a great cooking activity for her too. She was able to:

• Roll the dough (mostly. It tended to stick to the rolling pin. But she did a great job problem-solving how to get it off and flat again!) [Putting flour on the mat, rolling pin, and both sides of the dough helped with this.] 
• Grate the cheese (kinda. She did it, but she wasn't pressing very hard at all, so it took f-o-r-e-v-e-r.) 
• Tear the ham. 
• Add fillings. 
• And seal pocket edges. 

A great recipe for your kids to do on their own! (After you cut the biscuits in half.)