Jimmy's Mexican Pizza

Recipe by: Jimmy Simian

 "Jimmy's specially seasoned ground beef, refried beans, salsa and cheese layered in a deep dish style. A tasty and easy Mexican-style pizza with a flour tortilla crust I whipped up because I had the stuff to make it!!"

1/2 pound ground beef

1 medium onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 (16 ounce) can refried beans

4 (10 inch) flour tortillas

1/2 cup salsa

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

2 green onions, chopped

2 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced

1/4 cup thinly sliced jalapeno pepper

1/4 cup sour cream (optional)

To Make

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat 2 pie plates with non-stick cooking spray.

Place beef, onion and garlic in a skillet over medium heat. Cook until beef is evenly browned. Drain off grease. Season the meat with chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper.

Lay one tortilla in each pie plate, and cover with a layer of refried beans. Spread half of the seasoned ground beef over each one, and then cover with a second tortilla. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven.

Remove the plates from the oven, and let cool slightly. Spread half of the salsa over each top tortilla. Cover each pizza with half of the Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses. Place half of the tomatoes, half of the green onions, and half of the jalapeno slices onto each one.

Return the pizzas to the oven, and bake for 5 to 10 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven, and let cool slightly before slicing each one into 4 pieces.

Copycat Pizza Hut Pizza Sauce

1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce

1⁄4 cup water

1 teaspoon sugar

1⁄4 teaspoon dried oregano

1⁄4 teaspoon dried basil leaves

1⁄4 teaspoon dried thyme

1⁄4 teaspoon garlic powder

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

1⁄8 teaspoon black pepper

1 whole bay leaf

1⁄2 teaspoon lemon juice

To Make

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan.

Cook over medium heat until sauce starts to boil.

Lower heat and simmer, covered,for 30 to 45 minutes or until it is as thick as you like it.

Makes enough for 2 pizzas.

The Ultimate Pizza Dough

THE ULTIMATE PIZZA DOUGH

BY: IRENE FONG AND THE CANADIAN LIVING TEST KITCHEN

Canadian Living Magazine: March 2018

Our foolproof dough delivers the most amazing pizza crust you'll ever taste. The long rising time results in a lovely texture and extra-rich flavour. It's so easy to make and can be stretched into either a regular or thin-crust pizza. You'll never want to order in again!

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (approx)

 2 teaspoons quick-rising instant dry yeast

 1 teaspoon salt

 1 1/3 cup warm water

 2 tablespoons olive oil

In large bowl, whisk together 2 1/2 cups of the flour, yeast and salt. Using wooden spoon, stir in warm water and olive oil until ragged dough forms.

Turn out onto lightly floured surface; kneading, adding as much of the remaining flour as needed to prevent dough from sticking, until smooth and elastic (dough will be slightly tacky to the touch but won't stick to hands), about 8 minutes.

Divide dough in half. Transfer to 2 greased bowls, turning to grease all over. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate for 24 hours. (Or let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.) Remove dough from refrigerator; bring to room temperature before rolling.

Makes two 12-inch regular pizza crusts or two 14-inch thin pizza crusts, each about 8 slices.