Here’s a quick and easy way to whip up your own italian spice blend. There’s only a few ingredients and you can also mix and match with your own favorite spices:

Ingredients

• 2 Parts Basil
• 1 Part Thyme
• 1 Part Oregano
• 1 Part Marjoram

This is so easy to make, and is very versatile. You can use it as a rub, in a pasta sauce, in a soup or even mix with some olive oil and serve with crusty bread. You could also add sage, rosemary or tarragon to taste. Mix up a large batch so you always have some ready to go when you need it!

Here’s a delicious recipe for a twist on mexican pizza. This recipe takes only 30 minutes to make, can feed up to 8 people and costs under $5! Our family has made Mexican Cornbread Pizza part of our regular routine and hopefully once you try it, you will too. I originally got the idea for this recipe from an episode of 30 minute meals, but I didn’t have a cast iron pan big enough and our 9 x 13 pyrex baking dish is perfect for this kind of meal.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Ground Turkey
• 1 Large Can Diced Tomatos
• 1 Cup Frozen Corn
• 2 Packages Jiffy Cornbread Mix Prepared
• 1 Cup Shredded Cheese (whatever kind you like)
• Mexican Spice Blend (to taste)

Directions

1. Heat Oven to 400 degrees and Prepare 2 packages Jiffy Cornbread mix in a 9×13 baking dish (note: you will need 2 eggs and 2/3 cup milk to make cornbread). Also, stir in 1 cup frozen corn before baking.
2. Cornbread needs to bake for about 20 minutes. While cornbread is baking, prepare Mexican Spice Blend, and begin to brown ground turkey. At this time you can also chop onions and peppers if you plan to add any.
3. Once ground turkey is browned, drain any excess grease and stir in the Mexican Spice Blend and 1 large can of diced tomatos. Let simmer until cornbread is done cooking.
4. When cornbread is fully cooked, remove it from the oven and top with ground turkey and tomato mixture.
5. Top mexican pizza with one cup of your favorite shredded cheese.
6. Bake at 400 degrees for an additional 10 minutes, let stand 5 minutes and serve.
7. Serves up to 8 people

Options

The above recipe is a basic version, and this meal really has a variety of options. You could make this dish with ground beef, or diced chicken breast using the exact same preparation. You may also want to add a diced onion, bell pepper, or hot pepper while browning the beef. You could also add a can of drained black beans. You can substitute diced tomatos for crushed tomatos, or chop up 2 fresh tomatos. Optional garnishes include salsa, sour cream, jalapenos, or fresh cilantro.

Our Cost Breakdown

• 1 Pkg. Ground Turkey: $2.00
• 2 Pkg. Jiffy Cornbread Mix: $0.60
• 1 Cup Shredded Cheese: $1.00
• 1 Can Diced Tomato: $0.85
• 1 Cup Frozen Corn: $0.30

Total Cost: $4.75