"The Border"...No Need To Make a Run For It!

I'm really big on finding a recipe that I think looks tasty, and then going to Kroger to find what I need to make the recipe.  The Voice of Reason, on the other hand, looks at what she has on hand...then decides what to cook.  She looks for recipes that call for what she already has.

There is no "right way" to go about cooking supper, but I like TVoR's idea.  And I've been trying it lately.  One night I found myself with 1 chicken breast, Chunky Beef Soup and a head of lettuce.  Clearly it doesn't work every time.

Last night TEN and I decided to use what we had on hand, and after doing some internet searching we decided to make a Taco Bell Mexican Pizza.  Honestly, I've never had a Mexican Pizza from Taco Bell...but TEN likes them.  A lot.  This is what they are supposed to look like when purchased from Taco Bell:

(from Taco Bell's website)

Here is a picture of what they REALLY look like:

(found by google-ing.  quite different than the picture above!)

So, although the Taco Bell advertised pizza looks pretty impressive...surely we can make something that looks better than the "real" picture, right?

The directions tell us to pour a bit of oil into a small frying pan to "fry" the tortillas.  This will help them crisp up a bit.

***SIDE NOTE - I used low carb/high fiber tortillas, reduced fat refried beans, lean ground beef & fat free sour cream.  Although this wasn't a "skinny recipe", I'm learning to make things "skinnier" on my own :)

Then, we covered the first tortilla (liberally) with refried beans.

Next, we layered the ground beef/onion/spices mixture.

Then, placed another crispy tortilla on top.

Next, cover the top tortilla with salsa.

We used two types of cheese...sharp cheddar & pepper jack.

Into the oven for 8 minutes.  TADA!

(this is TEN's Mexican Pizza.  looks pretty good.)

(this is MY Mexican Pizza.  apparently there is such a thing as too much cheese?)

Here is my finished product.  Minus the sour cream.  Which I also applied liberally.  Like the cheese.  I'm pretty sure using fat free sour cream & reduced fat refried beans didn't help at all after I piled on 3lbs of cheese.  Oh well.  Next time I'll know better :)

I had planned to use this for my Let's Eat Y'all link up over at Flip Flop & Pearls tomorrow, but then I remembered that I am off tomorrow.  And I have a full day that won't allow me to get on my computer.  At all.  Which is glorious, but I hate to miss Let's Eat Y'all. 

So, I guess I'll go ahead and give you the recipe now.  If you want it :)

Straight from WikiHow..............

How to Make a Taco Bell Mexican Pizza!

Ingredients

1/2 lb ground beef

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon diced minced onions

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder(Spanish is best)

2 tablespoons water

8 flour tortillas(6 "inch")

1 cup cooking oil

1(16ounce)can refried beans

1/3 cup diced tomatoes

2/3 cup mild picante sauce

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded Pepper jack cheese

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup sliced black olives

We left out a few of these items, simply because I didn't have them at the house. No green onions or black olives. I didn't have picante sauce, so we used salsa. I didn't have a white onion so we used a red one. You understand...

Directions

Get a skillet pan and place it over medium heat. Heat the ground beef and cook it until completely brown. Drain all excess oil.

Keep the beef in the pan. Add the chili powder, onions, salt, paprika, and water.

Stir and simmer for about 10 minutes.

While it's simmering, get a small frying pan and pour a little of cooking oil into the pan. Put it on medium heat. Place a tortilla into the pan, frying it for 30 to 45 seconds. Flip it over and fry that side for 30 to 45 seconds. Pop any bubbles that forms on the tortillas. You'll want to make sure that it always stays flat. Remove from the pan when it's golden brown and drain on paper towels. Repeat this step for each tortilla.

Cook and heat the refried beans in a separate pot. At this point also, you can go and preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

Grab one tortilla shell and spread a generous amount of beans on it. Scoop up some meat and then place another tortilla shell on top of the meat.

Pour about 2 tablespoons of salsa on top of the second tortilla. Spread cheese, onions, and tomato on the salsa.

Place the completed Mexican pizza in the oven for about 8 to 12 minutes.

I would recommend going a little lighter on the cheese than you may initially want to.  Also, this is a big meal for one person.  TEN made two of these Mexican Pizzas, as he usually eats two from Taco Bell.  However, our "home made" versions were so heavy on the belly that he only ate one.  I tried to clean my plate, but  wasn't able to do it :( 

Remember, sometimes less IS more.

 T