This recipe is not only easy and delicious, it’s pretty fun to make.  It’s neat to see how it all comes together, and you can impress your family and friends with your mad food wreath-making skills.  (It may look difficult, but it really isn’t.  Trickery!)  It doesn’t take long to throw together, and it’s a nice alternative for taco night.

Ingredients: 

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 cup Colby-Jack cheese, shredded
• 1 tube canned crescent rolls (8 count, big and buttery)
• desired garnish for the middle (lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, etc.)

Preparation:

• Brown the ground beef and drain.
• Add taco seasoning and add just a couple of Tbsp of water. I find that adding as much water as the seasoning packet calls for makes it a little too soupy.  You want this mixture to be moist, but not dripping.
• Add 1/2 cup of cheese to the beef and mix well.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the crescents in a circle on a round baking sheet (I use a pizza stone), points out, pressing the flat ends together making a base in the middle.  Like this:

• Place some shredded cheese in the middle of the ring:

• Fill the middle with beef:

• Pick up each point, one at a time and fold over, tucking into the middle:

• You want the middle of the ring to be closed so no cheese or meat leaks out.
• Sprinkle more shredded cheese on top.
• Place in the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the dough is cooked through and golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and let cool for about 5 minutes.

This recipe makes a small wreath.  I would say it makes about 4 servings.  However, the Fella loves this so much, he could probably eat the entire thing by himself.  People may want seconds, so if you are feeding more than 2 or 3, you may want to make a larger wreath.  You can do this by adding another can of crescent dough and making the ring larger.  I had a little bit of meat left over, so I would stick with the 1 pound of meat, or maybe up to 1.5 pounds, for the larger ring.  Of course, you’ll also need more taco seasoning (if using more meat) and cheese.  Also, you can use ground turkey, ground or shredded chicken, steak, or any other meat you like.

You can use any blend of cheese you like.  Mexican blend would work really well.  Colby-Jack is just what I had on hand.  Step this up a notch by making your own taco seasoning with chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder.  I like to add some crushed red pepper for heat and some cilantro for flavor and color.  You can fill the middle of the wreath after baking with lettuce, sour cream, cheese, tomatoes, and/or whatever else you like.