5th of May

I'll pretty much use any excuse to make and eat Mexican food. So...Cinco de Mayo? Yes, we'll celebrate that! I told my son that the holiday was kind of like 4th of July for Mexicans and he went on to tell me in great detail what exactly is celebrated and why. He learned it at school today and knows more about it than me apparently. Smarty.

So, the other week we went out to Cici's for pizza buffet and as always one of my favorites is their taco pizza. And so I got to wondering...why have I never made it myself? Seems simple enough. So, coincidentally I got an email from Eat Better America the other day with a recipe for Mexican Chicken Pizza with Cornmeal Crust. Perfect timing! I did use their recipe for the crust but I changed the toppings somewhat.

the CRUST-
1 1/2 c flour
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/3 c cornmeal

1 T sugar
1 t yeast
3/4 c warm water
1 T oil

I used my bread machine and let it rise once then spread it out on the pan and baked it by itself @ 425 for 10 minutes.

TOPPINGS Round 1-
1 1/2 c shredded cooked chicken breast (I sauteed mine and sprinkled it with about 1/2 a package of taco seasoning)
1 can refried beans
1/2 c chopped onion
1 c shredded Mexican cheese blend

After the crust is baked, spread out the refried beans on top, then the chicken, onions and cheese. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes, just until the cheese melts and everything is warmed through.

TOPPINGS Round 2-
Top with shredded lettuce, more cheese, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, whatever you want really!

This pizza turned out muy bueno! One of my favorite things about it was that the crust was substantial enough to hold all the toppings without "bending". Very sturdy crust, I think that's important in a taco pizza.




And I cannot forget to mention my new absolute FAVORITE salsa! I found THIS recipe online and honestly, I do not think will never buy salsa again. It seriously tastes like an authentic Mexican restaurant salsa, it's so good and so easy and just tastes so fresh and yummy, you gotta try it! My only changes were to cut the ro-tel in half cause that stuff is spicy so I replace one can with plain diced tomatoes. And, I only use half a jalapeno too. It's plenty spicy this way, just perfect for our family.




I bought some Tostitos Scoops the other day to dip. Snack Girl recommends them, not because they are healthier than your average tortilla chip, but because your dip to chip ratio will be higher when your chip is perfectly shaped for dipping. Only beneficial, of course, when your dip is healthy, and I believe this salsa fits the bill.

AND, I almost forgot, I made some Mexican Wedding Cookies for dessert. Only half a batch though, they are so buttery and bad (in a really good way), so I figured a small batch was enough and it was. Here they are-




Happy Cinco de Mayo!