[2] Buy Tex-Mex or taco seasoning, or make your own (recipe below—photo courtesy Pampered Chef.

October 4th is National Taco Day, but here’s some added fun for any Taco Tuesday: a taco ring, developed by Pampered Chef. You can save time with store-bought salsa fresca or pico de gallo.

For those who will miss a crispy corn taco shell: Serve a few tortilla chips with the salsa.
 
 
RECIPE #1: TURKEY TACO RING

Ingredients For 8 Servings (2 Rolls Per Person)

 
For The Salsa & Toppings

1. PREHEAT the oven to 375°F (190°C). Cut the onion in half and chop half of it (Pampered Chef used its Food Chopper). Set aside the remaining onion for the salsa.

2. COOK the onion, turkey and spice rub in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat, for 10-12 minutes or until the turkey is no longer pink. Break the turkey into crumbles. Drain, if necessary, and transfer the turkey mixture to a bowl. Meanwhile…

3. GRATE cheese. Stir 1 cup of the cheese into the turkey mixture.

4. UNROLL the crescent dough and separate it into 16 triangles. Arrange the triangles, slightly overlapping, in a circle in a round baking pan (Pampered Chef used its White Large Round Stone with Handles. The wide ends of the crescents should be 4 inches from the edge of the stone or pan; the points will extend off of the edge of the stone/pan. Roll the wide ends of the dough toward the center to create a 5-inch opening. To create the opening, place the storage container for the Biscuit Cutters in the center of the stone.

5. SCOOP the filling evenly over the dough. Bring the points of the triangles up over the filling and tuck them under the dough at the center, to form a ring. Brush the dough with the egg white. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

6. MAKE the salsa while the ring cooks. Cut the onion and jalapeño into chunks. Chop the remaining onion, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice, garlic, and salt until coarsely chopped (Pampered Chef used its Manual Food Processor; we used a wooden bowl and a mezzaluna). Add the tomatoes; process until the mixture reaches the consistency of salsa.

7. PREPARE the bell pepper if using it as a container. Otherwise, leave it whole as a decorative element, and use it in a subsequent meal. To prepare: Slice off the top, remove the seeds and white ribs and, if you like, use a paring knife to create the V-shaped rim.

8. REMOVE the stone/pan from the oven when the ring is golden brown. Serve with salsa, shredded lettuce, and optional sour cream.

Serve salsa in a bell pepper cup! Cut the top off of the pepper with V-Shape Cutter; scoop out seeds and veins with Scoop Loop™. Fill with salsa. Place in the center of Taco Ring and surround with lettuce
 
 
RECIPE #2: TEX-MEX RUB & SEASONING

Pampered Chef and other brands sell pre-mixed rubs and taco seasonings, but you can make your own by combining:

 
Any extra will keep in a tightly-closed jar for a few weeks.