Taco Ring...the Stacey way

I saw someone make this and it was really good! I didn't have the recipe, but I had what I thought were the ingredients, so I just tried to wing it. I believe it's a Pampered Chef recipe. It turned out great. The hubby loved it and so did Sophie. Here's what you need to make my version:

1 lb ground beef (I used the lean stuff)

2 cans of crescent rolls (I used reduced fat)

1 small onion

1 pack of taco seasoning (I only used about 1/4 of the pack, but you can use as much as you want)

shredded cheese of choice (I went with cheddar)

Step 1:

Lay out your crescent rolls in a sun shape. I started with the first can of 8 and made a circle with it...4 on top, 4 on bottom. Then I took the second can and filled in the spaces. I kind of pressed down where the crescents overlapped to thin it out a little and to make some extra space to make room for the meat to come. I don't have a Pampered Chef circular stone...so I went with the plain old round pan. Worked just fine!

Steps 2 and 3:

After I chopped up my small onion, I put it in a pan with a little olive oil for a few minutes. Then I added my ground beef and started browning it. As it was cooking, I sprinkled about 1/4 of the taco seasoning packet into the meat. My fam can't tolerate too much spice. Honestly, I really couldn't taste it much in the end product, so if you like the spice you may want to add more. I also didn't add any extra water, which, again, you may want to do if you add more spice. After the meat was browned, I drained the grease off. Then I spooned it straight from my strainer onto my "sun". It barely all fit on there. Then I sprinkled cheese on top. Honestly, I think I would've added a little more cheese.

Step 4:

Fold your edges over and press down in the middle. It's not a bad idea to make sure it's not too thick in the center, so you could give it an extra press to thin it out. Mine seemed just fine like it was.

Step 5:

I popped that baby in the oven! I set the oven temp. according to the crescent roll directions. It did take a little longer than normal for it to brown. I wanted to be sure that it wasn't mushy, but wasn't burnt. In the end, the crescents were done, although it didn't have a completely crispy texture...and that was just how I wanted it. If you like it really crispy, you'll probably need to let it get a little browner than I did.

And that's it! Yum, you guys. I served it with diced tomatoes and cucumbers, but you could do the whole taco sides thing...sour cream, more cheese, lettuce, salsa, etc. This is great for a simple meal or for a party. As I was making it, I was thinking of all the different ways you could go with this. You could do chicken (taco style or even like a chicken parmesan...a little spaghetti sauce and mozzarella would be good), ground turkey, or if you're really adventurous you could do lamb in a gyro style. I've never cooked lamb, so that may not work but it sounds good. I was even thinking a sweet route. Maybe some pie filling with a little drizzled chocolate or some nuts (sliced almonds maybe?) and brush some butter on top? There are lots of possibilities. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Enjoy!