Italian Sausage Pitas

I'm linking this to 12 Days of Bloggie-mas at A Moderate Life!


I found this recipe on a Johnsonville advertisement and it's been in my "to-make" folder for a long time. It's a very simple meal that could be adjusted to your family's taste. I would love to have added sauteed onions and peppers but that wouldn't have gone over well with the rest of the family. The leftovers reheated well (the baby wanted hers cold so I guess they are good that way too). They would be easy to stick into a sack lunch. They looks messy but they aren't. All that cheesy goodness holds everything in the pita :)

They freeze well too! I just pulled one out of the freezer and pushed my microwaves automatic reheat button. The pita was crispy on the top soft on the bottom, just like they were right out of the oven (I only brushed EVOO on the tops - I like the softer bottom so they are easier to bite into)!

Italian Sausage Pita

16 ounce package of sausage (I used a roll of Jimmy Deen) - use Italian spices, or just add Italian spices like I did
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese
4 full pita pockets, cut in half (makes 8 sandwiches)
olive oil
pizza sauce for dipping
any other ingredients you would like on a pizza (I think green peppers and onions would be GOOD!)

Brown sausage and crumble. Combine sausage and cheeses in a bowl (along with any other toppings you might like). Portion the stuffing and stuff into the pita pockets.

Brush the outsides of the pitas with olive oil and bake at 350 until the pita is toasty and filling is melty (about 10 minutes). You could grill them as the original recipe says but I think it would be a bit messier.

Serve with pizza sauce for dipping.

To freeze: Cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and then tin foil. Reheat in oven or microwave.

Go check out other Tempt My Tummy recipes at Blessed With Grace!

This post has also been linked to:
Mouthwatering Monday at Southern Fairytale
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace
Delicious Dish at It's a Blog Party
Tasty Tuesday at Beauty and Bedlam
Tuesday at the Table at All the Small Stuff
Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap
Tackle it Tuesday at 5 Minutes for Mom
Dish It at Frugal Femina
Tuesday Tastes at Crazy Daisy
Hon, What's for Dinner Wednesday
Recipe Swap at Prairie Story (Thursdays)

Elephant Cake

This morning I made this cake for my niece, whose only request is that it had marshmallows on it. She had been at my daughter's birthday party last month and saw that I used marshmallows for the Hippo's toes. Easy enough! The elephant had marshmallow toes :)

I guess she won't mind that I used marshmallows to prop up the ears. I didn't have enough advanced notice to make ears and let them dry so they could stand on their own. SO.....marshmallow propping will have to do :)

Kid Friendly Friday - Bread Sticks!

I'm linking this recipe to 12 Days of Bloggie-mas over at A Moderate Life!


I found this recipe for bread sticks over at Make It Do and decided to make them with the girls for an afternoon snack. I mixed up the dough before they got home so it could rise. The recipe says you don't have to do this but I think it makes them better. I divided the dough for them and they had an assembly line going. Mimi rolled the dough in strips and Bigs dipped them in butter then Parmesan cheese. Don't you love the funky shapes? They taste great and go great with dipping sauce.

EASY Bread Sticks

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. dry active yeast
3 1/2 cups flour (try different combinations of wheat and white together!)
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
lemon pepper (or seasoning of choice)

Mix together warm water, sugar, salt and yeast. Allow yeast to activate (about 10 minutes). Add flour and stir in with a fork until dough holds together. Turn out onto floured board. Knead lightly into a ball. Divide into 32 equal portions. On floured board, roll out into bread sticks. Dip into melted butter and then into Parmesan cheese. Place onto greased cookie sheet (16 per bakers half sheet.) Sprinkle with lemon pepper. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. This gives the bread sticks about 10 minutes to begin to rise. Cook at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Go over to Confessions of a non-domestic Housewife for more Kid Friendly Friday ideas!

Bargin ALERT!

A few weeks ago there was a coupon in the Sunday paper for $3 off 3 Johnson and Johnson first aid products. These kits were 97 cents so, using two coupons, Walmart GAVE ME 18 cents for taking these 6 kits :) Great for the car and in diaper bags!

10 Things you should NEVER pay full price for

10. Cereal - You should be able to get it around $1 per box, sometimes much cheaper.

9. Juice - Stock up when the buy one get one sales are on and use coupons as well. Sales tend to be cyclic so pay attention and you'll know how many to purchase to get you through until the next sale.

8. Pasta - You should be able to get a box for under 25 cents. Stack coupons with BOGO.

7. Deodorant - Walgreens and CVS often have these on sale with their programs. Use coupons and save even more!

6. School Supplies - Stock up during Back to School sales in the fall as teachers often request more items during the year. Have you SEEN how much supplies cost later in the year??

5. Crackers (Ritz, Townhouse, etc.) - BOGO and coupons - less than $1 per box. Great to send in for school snacks and make-your-own lunchables.

4. Soda (pop) - don't buy it unless it's under 25 cents a can! Sometimes gas station/convenience stores have the best deals. Always remember to check expiration dates as the turnover seems to be less in these stores.

3. Contact Solution - FREE - Walgreens and CVS often have this on sale with their programs. Use coupons and save even more.

2. Razors - FREE - Pair the drug store sales with coupons and get high priced razors for free OR even make money buying them!

1. Toothpaste and Toothbrushes - FREE, FREE, FREE. I have a huge stockpile of these and end up giving much of it away. Almost every week you can find them free with the drug store deals paired with coupons.

I understand that prices and sales vary with region, so your prices might be a little higher, but if you take 20 minutes each week to pair coupons with sales you can save a TON of money on the things you already buy. It's rare that I buy something just because I have a coupon for it but if I can get it for free I will try new things!

What are your couponing/sale tips?