November 13, 2022
Fall is underway here in Massachusetts. The remnants of summer seem to have completely disappeared overnight as the chill air of November has taken over each inch of our home. With Z occupying most of our time, we did not even realize how much time has passed. In October, we finally brought Z out for longer strolls. We made our way through a couple local farms up north. On our first stop to Boston Hill Farm, we brought Z apple picking along with my parents. The moment we stepped foot into the apple orchard, we started excitedly filling up our bags with different varieties of apples. Macintosh, Honeycrisp, and Cortland were just a few of the varieties still available for picking. We filled our bags until they could no longer handle any more apples. Then, we swung by the farm stand to pick up some apple cider donuts and hand pies. These treats made for the perfect pick-me-up to round out a day’s worth of apple picking adventures. When Halloween approached toward the end of October, we dressed Z up in her first DIY costume, baby bubble tea! I could not resist dressing up as a mama bubble tea just to match her. Here are some photos from our fall adventures.
Aside from the wonderful fruits of fall, I also love fall for (college) football season. In our house, we anxiously watch Michigan football year after year. Kev and I both met at Michigan, so the school holds a special place in our hearts. Watching Michigan football annually still brings back fond memories of our time there – studying in the libraries, connecting with friends over delicious food, and witnessing the ups and downs of Michigan football. After Michigan’s performance last year, Kev and I have been glued to the television every Saturday as Michigan faces a new opponent on its schedule. To distract myself from the anxiety I often feel while watching Michigan play, I would pop over to the kitchen to prepare game day snacks for the family. My latest creation this month has been a version of my savory pockets filled with thinly sliced black forest ham and pepper jack cheese tucked into football shaped pastry dough. Served alongside these pockets is a simple dip made with one part honey to two parts grainy Dijon mustard. My fall football pockets are a variation of my favorite pastry pockets packed with a variety of sweet and savory fillings. Pastry pockets are one of my favorite snacks. I never go too long without baking up a batch of these treats to share with family and friends. When Kev and I moved from Ohio to Massachusetts, I baked up the most marvelous Ohio-shaped pastry pockets featuring a combination of my favorite flavors from a well-known Ohio-based ice cream shop. The Ohio-shaped pastry pockets were my way of bidding farewell to a place Kev and I called home for so many years. Fast forward to this year and the pastry pockets have been transformed into savory fall football pockets as a nod to our love of Michigan football. The part I love most about these savory football pockets is the perfect balance of savory ham and spicy pepper jack cheese packed into the most adorable football shapes. These fall football pockets make for such a simple and portable game day snack. To speed up the time it takes to make these pockets, I often prepare the pastry dough the night before or a few hours prior. Letting the dough chill in the refrigerator for a couple hours is essential to helping the pockets maintain their shape and their perfectly flaky, crumbly layers. Kev and I enjoyed these football pockets as we watched Michigan play over the weekend. Z is still too small to enjoy these football pockets, but we cannot wait for her to get a little older so she can enjoy these treats while watching Michigan football with us.
For the pastry pocket dough:
· 3 cups all-purpose flour
· 1 teaspoon kosher salt
· 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
· 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
· ½ cup cold water
For the filling:
· 2-3 slices of deli black forest ham, rolled and thinly sliced
· 2-3 ounces pepper jack cheese, sliced into small rectangular pieces
For the egg wash:
· 1 large egg
· 1 tablespoon water
For the honey mustard dip:
· 2 tablespoons honey
· 4 tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard
Directions:
1) Prepare the pastry pocket dough at least an hour before or the evening before. In a food processor, combine the all-purpose flour, kosher salt, and granulated sugar. Pulse the ingredients for about 5-10 seconds. Add the cubed unsalted butter, and pulse for another 5-10 seconds. Pour in the cold water and pulse until a dough begins to form, about another 5-10 seconds. Form the dough into a disc. Wrap the dough up in plastic wrap. Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough out to a rectangular shape, and store the dough in the refrigerator until ready to use. When the dough is ready to use, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let the dough sit for about ten minutes before rolling the dough out.
2) Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
3) On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a flat rectangle about ¼-½ inch thick. Use a football-shaped cookie cutter to cut out eighteen pieces of dough. Reshape and reroll the dough. Repeat this process with the reshaped and rerolled dough and cut out additional football-shaped dough pieces as needed or save the remaining dough for later use. Place the football-shaped dough pieces onto the parchment-lined baking sheet about an inch apart from one another and pop the baking sheet into the refrigerator to chill the dough until ready to use.
4) After ten minutes, remove the baking sheet with the football-shaped dough pieces from the refrigerator. Fill half of the football-shaped dough pieces with some of the thinly sliced ham and pepper jack cheese.
5) Make the egg wash by whisking together the large egg and tablespoon of water. Brush the edges of the filled dough pieces with egg wash. Gently transfer the other half of the dough pieces onto the top of the ham and cheese topped dough pieces. Use your fingers to gently seal the edges of the football pockets.
6) Remove the reserved pastry dough from the refrigerator and roll into a flat square. Use a sharp knife to cut off thin strips of the dough. These strips will be used to form the laces on the football-shaped pockets. Measure out a strip long enough for the longer length of the football-shaped pocket, about ¾ inch in length. This will serve as the longer lace on the football. Measure and cut out three shorter strips for the shorter side of the football-shaped pocket, about ¼ inch in length. These will serve as the shorter laces on the football. Use your fingers to gently press them onto the football-shaped pockets. Repeat for the remaining football pockets. Brush the egg wash all over the football-shaped pockets.
7) Transfer the baking sheet with the football-shaped pockets into the preheated oven. Bake the pockets for about 18-20 minutes.
8) While the pockets are baking, make the honey mustard dip by combining the honey with mustard. Stir until well blended. Transfer the honey mustard dip to a serving bowl.
9) When the pockets are done baking, set the baking sheet aside. Let the pockets cool for about 5 minutes before serving. Serve with the honey mustard dip on the side.
Takeaways: Leftover football pockets can be stored in the fridge for a couple days. To warm them up, pop them back into the oven at 350°F for about 5 minutes or pop them into the microwave one at a time for about 15 seconds each.