Taco Pizza and a gluten-free crust!

May has finally arrived!

Generally, I'm a pretty big fan of April, as temps warm up and new growth is apparent every where you look.  Well, since that wasn't really the case around Wisconsin this year, I'm ready to say good riddance to April and bring on the warmth and sunshine of May.

In addition to anticipating the full force of spring, we also have Cinco de Mayo to look forward, which is another great holiday for food!  If taco pizzas aren't your thing, there are also Chicken Quesadillas or Shredded Beef Burritos to check out in honor of the upcoming holiday.

Although I must admit, I feel a little bit like I am mixing two cultures here with the taco pizzas.  However, the rave reviews from the family were interpreted as seals of approval and a clashing of cultures is not such a bad thing.  I'll keep that in mind!

Their feedback included "This is the best pizza ever!" from both Landon and Alayna as well as Jerry's pure enjoyment over the gluten-free crust...not missing the wheat at all, hoping he gets to down the whole pizza himself!

Since the family usually requires two pizzas for a meal, I did make one with traditional crust and the other with the gluten-free, the toppings were the same, I'll just walk you through the gluten-free pizza.

The first time I had this gluten-free crust, I was at my sister's house and she made it for me.  Since then, as I've continued to research gluten free crusts, this still remains my favorite because it is made with all standard kitchen staples.  Cream cheese, 2 eggs, 1/4 cup Parmesan, 1 tsp Italian seasoning and 2 cups shredded mozzarella.  Easy enough!

Start by softening the cream cheese, then whisking in the eggs, Parmesan, seasoning and finally stirring in the shredded mozzarella.

This time around, I baked it on a parchment lined baking sheet.  This worked much better than the 9x13 glass pan, as it was quite a bit more difficult to get out of the pan.

Dump the crust mixture out on the pan, spread it into an even layer and bake it at 375 F for about 20 minutes.  Allowing plenty of cooling time before adding the toppings.

In true taco fashion, 1.5 lbs of ground beef were browned and seasoned.  The traditional pizza sauce was replaced with a thin layer of salsa, before the taco meat was piled on and topped with a taco blend of shredded cheese.

Bake for about 10 minutes before adding crushed tortilla chips.  Bake for another 10 minutes.

For serving, these tasty pizzas were topped with more salsa, sour cream and Libby's Chunky Guacamole.

RECIPE

Ingredients:

Gluten-Free Pizza Crust:

8 oz Cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1/4 cup Parmesan
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 cups shredded mozzarella

Pizza Toppings:
Salsa
1# ground beef, browned with taco seasoning added
Shredded Cheese
Tortilla chips - crumbled
Sour Cream
Guacamole

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together, starting with the cream cheese and eggs. 
Spread onto parchment lined baking sheet. 
Bake at 375 F for 20 minutes. 
Cool**

**The longer time allowed for cooling, the more the crust will resemble traditional pizza allowing for sliced to be picked up and eaten rather than requiring a fork.  

Top cooled crust with salsa, taco meat and cheese. 
Bake for 10 minutes at 375 F. 
Top with crushed tortilla chips. 
Bake for another 10 minutes. 

Pizza Pinwheels

Happy April Fool's Day…hopefully you have something great planned to get a good laugh at someone else's expense. I'm going to let my family cook me dinner.  April Fools!

Last week, Kraft's Food and Family magazine arrived and I was inspired to try their pizza roll up recipe.  Seemed to be the perfect balance between something different and something familiar.  I got to have fun experimenting in the kitchen and the family got to enjoy something familiar.

There is just something so perfectly wonderful about cheese melted on top of sauce, meats, veggies and bread that whether it is Buffalo Chicken  or Spaghetti Squash Boats, you just can't go wrong with pizza!

In fact, there aren't many things that would make my weekly menu on a regular basis, but pizza is one of those few exceptions.  In general, I prefer to make something totally different and new rather than go with something familiar, but I try to balance the old with the new to keep my family on board with all of the crazy recipes.

Starting with a tube of refrigerated pizza dough, roll it out on a lightly floured surface to keep it from sticking, a large cutting board would be best. I do believe that the recommendation was to roll it out to a symmetrical shape, which I ignored and experienced some lopsided ends of the roll as a result.  Still was delicious, just the same.

Top the dough with thin layers of pizza sauce and other favorite toppings.  We kept it simple sausage, pepperoni and mozzarella cheese, despite my favorite pizza toppings being onion and green peppers.

Now, the pizza is ready to roll, from the long side of the dough, roll it up until all of the toppings are enclosed in the dough.  Then slice the roll into pinwheels of desired thickness, this is where the cutting board would come I handy.  I think 16 was the recommendation, but I only got 14, which worked out just fine.

Place the pinwheels on a shallow pan for baking, but could see how the recommended 9x9 pan could work as well. Don't forget to spray first.

Sprinkle with some grated Parmesan and bake at 375 F for 25 minutes or so, to desired doneness.

Served these pinwheels up with a nice side salad, that is generally my go to veggie to compliment pizza.

RECIPE

One tube of refrigerated pizza dough
Classico pizza sauce
Sausage - cooked
Pepperoni
Mozzarella Cheese - shredded
Grated Parmesan

Roll out the pizza dough on a floured surface.
Top with a thin layer of sauce, pizza toppings of choice and cheese.
Roll into a long roll.
Slice into 14-16 pinwheels and place on baking pan.
Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 25 minutes at 375F.