Mexican Style Pizza

My local BJ's (Wholesale Club) has a large selection of McCormick spices and seasoning mixes in large, over-sized containers. This is how I buy my taco seasoning. I haven't actually broken down the price, but for less than $10.00 for a 24 oz container, the savings are much greater than buying the individual packages, even on sale and with coupons. If tacos and taco dishes are often on your menu, I highly recommend buying taco seasoning this way.
When making taco meat, I usually use a combination of ground beef and ground turkey. I'll make 2 or 3 lbs and freeze in 1/2 lb portions. One of these portions is enough for tacos one night and pizza the following night for me and the kids. (My husband's not a big taco fan so he fends for himself on taco nights). I also use this taco meat for soups, past dishes, and casseroles.
I've been making pizza with taco meat for a while now, but just recently found this recipe for a cornmeal pizza crust. It definitely adds something special.


Cornmeal Pizza Crust
1/2 cup yellow corn meal
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp olive oil

Combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt; mix.
Make a well in the center and add water and oil.
Combine and knead for about 8 minutes until the dough is elastic and shiny.
Makes 2 small (8 in.) or 1 large (12 in.) crust


Mexican Style Pizza
Cornmeal pizza crust (recipe above)
1/3 cup pizza sauce
1/3 cup salsa
1 cup shredded taco cheese
1/3 cup prepared taco meat.
1/4 cup sliced olives

Prepare crusts.
Combine pizza sauce and salsa; spread onto crust.
Top with cheese, taco meat and olives.
Bake in a 375 degree oven for 10-12 minutes.

Ground Turkey Sausage

While browsing recipes, I found a recipe for ground turkey sausage. I loved the concept of using ground turkey for a healthier option, but when I tried the recipe, I wasn't very impressed. I figured I would experiment with some ingredients and come up with my own recipe. I had every intention of doing this, but before I could get to it, I found this recipe

Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage
1 lb ground turkey
2 tsp dried sweet basil leaves
1 1/2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp nutmeg
I also add 1 tsp dried sage

I usually double or triple this recipe for freezing.
Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly.
At this point I leave in the refrigerator for at least a day to blend the flavors.
These can be formed into any shape you like, but what I like to do is cook it in 1 lb portions, breaking it up into bite-size pieces. When fully cooked and slightly cooled, I lay the sausage on cookie sheets and flash-freeze, then put into freezer bags. This will make it easy to take out just the amount I want when using in a recipe such as pizza, pasta dishes, soups and sausage and pepper subs.