Second Place Sausage Pocket Apps

This summer, SCG had its annual party with the main event being the appetizer contest. I decided to make my very own “Second Place Sausage Pocket Apps”. Despite the name, I ended up winning first place – which created a great deal of brand confusion.

First place winning “Second Place Sausage Pocket Apps”:

1 lb ground pork sausage
3 T Italian seasoning (oregano, basil, parsley, rosemary and other spices)
1 T minced garlic
1 t onion powder
2 cups freshly graded Pecorino cheese
1 package crescent rolls
Secret ingredient: low expectations!

Cook the pork sausage in a frying pan over medium heat. Slowly add and mix in the Italian seasoning, garlic and onion powder. Once the sausage is fully cooked, strain the grease and let it cool. Separate and place the crescent triangles flat on a baking sheet. Spoon on ample amount of cooked sausage and top it off with the grated cheese. Pull up the three corners of the crescent roll and pinch the sides closed. Place the sausage pockets in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes until the crescent is a light golden brown. Once out of the oven brush with melted butter and sprinkle with graded cheese over the top.

Enjoy!

The only thing missing is a good sauce. If you have any ideas, please post a comment!

-Trevor Nolte

Eastern box turtle

In a recent issue of the Animal Humane Society’s eNewsletter I read about an Eastern box turtle that desperately needed a ride back home to Alabama. Bama, as he’s appropriately called, arrived in Minnesota in late July when a local family visiting relatives near Birmingham found him on the side of the road and brought him back to Minnesota. When he didn’t eat for several weeks, the family brought him to the Humane Society.

Wildlife staff worked diligently, but had no success in getting Bama to eat and decided he would thrive again only when returned to his natural habitat. So the AHS in Golden Valley sent Bama’s story via email, in hopes of finding an animal-loving soul traveling to Birmingham in the near future who could return the turtle to his natural habitat. Fortunately for Bama, Margaret Johnson and her two children (and two great danes!) were moving to Alabama and generously agreed to take him along. Margaret told Fox 9 News, “I feel great. This is definitely exciting for the kids to be able to do something nice for the turtle and have him accompany us on our journey.”

The Johnsons brought Bama to The Alabama Wildlife Center in Birmingham, who will release him back where he was picked up.

It’s really heartwarming to know there are people like the Johnsons who care about creatures great and small. Bama’s story reminds us that every act of kindness is important—no matter how small (and no matter the species!)

Sources: Animal Humane Society and Fox 9 News.

Jenny Silgen

My sister recently had a baby boy, marking the first addition to my nuclear family. While priorities quickly changed from “is he healthy” to “can I hold him” to “yuck, he needs his diaper changed,” one thought kept nagging at me, “how can I be a great uncle to help provide for his college education?”

One simple and easy decision I’ve made is to put my spare change to good use. Most of us keep a bowl or jar lying around for such matters. Instead of cashing that in every now and again -– or raiding the quarters for laundry – I’ve decided to put that money into a savings account for my nephew. While I’m only a few weeks into being and uncle, I’ve already collected $20 in coins. I’ll admit this may seem modest, but if I add $20 a month for 18 years, that’s more than $4,000 – without interest. And by the time my nephew is ready for college, that nest-egg will probably cover his books for the first semester.

-Jeron Udean