Happy Joe's Taco Pizza Returns

 

 HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2022.  I tiptoe into this new year.  The last 2 Januarys have been harbingers of rough years.  Without detail, trust me, things really can go only get better.  I've been rethinking the blog, and wondering do I stick solely to cookies?  But no.  I faithfully post them all on my Instagram, go there! I am so much more than sugar cookies.  I love everything about making them, love selling them, love being a part of so many celebrations.  But oh do I love to cook.  So cook we will.  Let's continue this journey.  But I promise, there'll be no scrolling past multiple ads and senseless writing.  Recipes and stories, that's my life. I am happy to continue to share.  Let's start with a family favorite.

A few years back I wrote about my favorite pizza of all time, Happy Joe's Taco Pizza.  It turns out there are a LOT of you who feel the same way!  I have an old friend associated with the Happy Joe's Pizza of my childhood and he went to that blog post and admitted....I'm pretty close.  So I decided since I found some throwback Taco Doritos we may tweak this recipe.  

Hot out of the oven!

First a little history.  My first trip to Happy Joe's was in Clinton, Iowa.  It was my birthday, and I know that because we never really ate out in a restaurant unless we were traveling or a special occasion, and everyone said you had to go to Happy Joe's on your birthday.  After our pizza they brought me a sundae with a candle on it and they honked this big brass horn,  "May I have everyone's attention, we are celebrating a special birthday tonight at Happy Joe's, Susie is 12 years old today!"  I assume they all sang happy birthday as well.  The waitresses in their iconic short red dresses with crinoline fluff underneath and the red and white saddle shoes.  The guys wore red and white stripe shirts.  For the 70's it was vintage and nostalgic.  For 2021, it seems even more nostalgic.  

The costumes of course are gone, probably replaced by polyester polo shirts and baseball caps.  There's been times when the menu offered oddities like sit down dining with onion rings and burger fare, a frozen yogurt bar, and their new breakfast pizza (which I am not opposed to).  I miss the charming ice cream shop feel up front, barrels of penny candy and hand scooped ice cream, sundaes with whipped cream and cherries, and a model train running the rails around the ceiling, and lets not forget the horn and the singing.  But all things change, no wait staff anymore, order at the counter, fill your own drink, no trains, no horns, no ice cream parlor feel.  I miss the old ways, honestly.  But the pizza hasn't changed.  I still order an extra taco pizza and freeze it for the trip home.  I still ask for extra taco sauce because it's delicious and I can never have enough.  

My Happy Joe's friend is coming to visit, so I thought we'd brush up on the pizza before I made it for him.  Here's how this version went. Note that the Publix dough is one of my favorites, and the last time we had it was on a pizza oven outdoors on a Camp Chef Grill.  It was amazing.  We discovered this dough is not good for high heat oven cooking.  Its so fluffy it was impossible to get a thin crust, and it was a little doughy inside.  I need to just bite the bullet and make it from scratch.  However, Because of the nature of this pizza, a premade crust would not be terrible, a thin and crispy type crust is what it needs.  This crust was yummy, but very airy, big bubbles (which are the best with traditional sauce) but we ate all of it.  Every bite.  And we declared it the best version yet.

FOR 2 PIZZAS

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

Taco seasoning for the beef

2 pizza dough balls from Publix

cornmeal for dusting

1 can traditional refried beans

1 jar pizza sauce

1 bag shredded mozzarella

1 bag shredded cheddar 

shredded iceberg lettuce

chopped tomatoes

Taco Doritos

Happy Joe's Taco Seasoning

Brown the ground beef in a little olive oil and add the taco seasoning to it.  I am not opposed to a packet, but homemade is easy and delicious. Set the cooked and seasoned meat aside.

Take your room temperature crust and stretch and shape to desired size. We tossed and spread out the crust to about 12-14" so it would fit the pizza stone preheating at 500º in my oven. We did it on a pizza peel with a dusting of corn meal. A pre bake would have been a great idea here...but we didn't.

Mix the refried beans and the pizza sauce together.  The last time I added the Happy Joes Pizza Sauce, and I think it has no place here.  It is a topping and not an ingredient! Cover the crust with the sauce mixture.  I had about 1/3 of a cup left over, we ate it with some chips while the pizza cooked. 

Cover each pizza with the ground beef, then both cheeses.  Gently slide onto a preheated stone and bake, carefully watching.  I found with the fat crust baking for about 8 minutes and then cranking the heat down to 300 and continue to bake worked the best.  The dough was not totally raw, but it will be better with thinner dough and a fast bake.  

Remove the pizza and top with shredded lettuce and tomatoes and crunched up Taco Doritos. Serve with the one and only Happy Joe's Taco Sauce. 

As a footnote, we used Trader Joe's dough and the above recipe and cooked it on our Ooni.  The thinner dough is much better, but that Ooni is making me nuts.  We need some practice on it!  What are you waiting for?  Get in there and cook!

Cinco de Mayo Celebration!!!

An excuse to make margaritas, tacos, home made salsa, cookies?  I'm in.  It's also one of the prettiest times of year in the South.  We are likely running the AC, but not yet sweltering.  Lots of fun ideas this time of year, and I have a few to share.

The best version of a taco comes from the Taco Pizza.  This isn't just any pizza, it's an institution where I grew up.  The original blog, linked here, Happy Joe's Taco Pizza, is one of my most popular ever.  People move away and crave this stuff.  I encourage you to try it, I promise it is unlike any taco pizza you have ever eaten! And don't get fancy.  There is a reason this is so popular. But you know I make my mad money on cookies.  Lots of them.  So here are a few themed cookies perfect for the 5th of May!

It's an excellent time to plan a shower.  Instant theme, super colorful and an abundance of great food that people can bring! These were made for a girlfriend's party, and we watched the rain come down all day.  And miraculously at 5pm, the sun popped out!  It was a tiny bit humid, but no rain!!!

These were also a wedding shower, but it took place on St. Patrick's Day.  Funny right?  But the Irish food theme can only go so far, and the green beer could be problematic.  I'd much rather decorate with piñatas!  And eat fajitas!

This is my go to salsa.  I love this stuff.  It's delicious on a corn chip, but also great on fish, grilled steak, a beef fajita, or on a spoon.  You can alter the heat with jalepeños, and add anything that might be hanging out in your crisper!

Salsa of the Tropics

2 Mangoes, pitted, peeled, diced
4 Roma Tomatoes, seeded, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 orange bell pepper, diced
1 red onion, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
5 small jalepeños, or to taste, diced
1 teaspoon cumin
generous shakes Crystal Hot Sauce
4 Tablespoons Sherry vinegar
2 Tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
fresh chopped parsley (it calls for cilantro, but hey, I'm a Petitti!)
2 fresh limes, zested and juiced

Toss everything together and you are good to go!  If it is going to be chilled for a long period of time, you'll want to make sure your olive oil doesn't get hard in the fridge.  Some less expensive brands tend to do that.  

Headed Back To Happy Joe's Taco Pizza on The Grill

Yum!  We miss this original pizza here in the South, so we make it at home!!!

 I wrote a few years back a blog on Happy Joe's Taco Pizza.  I took a lot of Midwesterners, especially the ones who have moved away, down memory lane.  I love all the comments, and it is obvious we all pine for our Taco Pizza.  If you have never been to a Happy Joes, well, you just wouldn't understand.  This is a special pizza.  Please don't put salsa or guacamole on it, no jalapenos or chorizo.  This is sacred ground for a kid from the Quad Cities!  The first blog was 4 years ago, and still one of my most popular.  However, in that 4 years, Mr. Frito Lay decided to quit selling Taco Doritos in the South.  How dare him!  After doing a little research, I found out they are sold in the Midwest, and I beg everyone coming to visit to bring me some.  Last week my sweet son brought me 2 bags and we were all so happy, as it means just one thing...Taco Pizza!  And since winter doesn't mean snow here, we decided to take this outdoors.  Grilled pizzas are our favorite!

Before we get into the recipe, lets talk grilled pizza in general.  We have done this for big parties, and although it can be a lot of work, everyone loves the do it yourself aspect.  I buy lots of dough and divide it in small portions for individual pizzas.  I use my peels, but also flat cookie sheets, and have a long row of toppings available.  Scott is usually parked at the grill, but as long as he has a little company and a cold beer, he enjoys this!  It takes a little mission control to keep things moving, but I pass out a peel with a crust and send them out, they wait as it's grilled, and then come back in to top it and out again to finish.  When they bring their finished pizza in, we cut it on the peel and slide to its plate and put another crust on for another guest.  We did about 50 one New Year's Eve.  Needless to say everyone loved it!

The last time I blogged this, I had been using a frozen dough from the market.  It was fine, but not great, and certainly not as good as my homemade.   I have a great NY style pizza place up the street that is happy to sell me dough.  This is the best thing ever.  I can do grilled pizzas at the last minute!  When I get the dough, I stretch it out onto a pizza peel with a little cornmeal under it, and let it rest for about 5 minutes.  Then restretch and get to work.
Notice I said stretch, not roll.  Use your hands and gently stretch the dough.  Search this on You Tube,  there are dozens of videos to show you how.  I watched this one and think I might try his technique...

Happy Susie's (Joe's) Taco Pizza

2 dough balls (I get medium size from my pizzeria)
1 pound ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning (use the amount you prefer)

Brown your meat first, it is best to have it cooled, but not cold, direct from fridge.  I use ground beef, ground Bison, ground turkey, whatever you decide.  I believe once you sprinkle in that packet of seasoning, you can't tell what it was!  I sometimes use just half a packet, I think that seasoning is terrible salty.  Drain if your meat is fatty and set aside or chill if made ahead.

Preheat your grill.  Medium high is good.  This takes a little practice.  On our gas grill we keep the top and bottom burners on Med high and the center burner on medium.  On the Green Egg (which is far superior when it comes to taste), you have to work with the charcoal and the vent to keep the heat consistent.  But the flavor from hardwood is amazing!  Just takes a little extra time to get those coals hot and white.

1 can refried beans (best to find the kind that are smooth)
Pizza Sauce, about a cup
Taco Sauce (I buy Happy Joe's, but there are brands at the grocer. This is not salsa, it's Taco Sauce)
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Colby jack cheese, shredded
Shredded lettuce
Chopped tomatoes
Taco Doritos (seriously, these are the only kind...)

If you made your meat ahead and put it in fridge, let it come to room temp. Set aside.  Get all the toppings ready.  Cheese shredded, lettuce shredded (or bag opened!), and Doritos smooshed.

The crust on right is ready to grill, the one on the left has been grilled on one side, that is where the toppings go!

Your crust should be ready to go on your pizza peel.  Hopefully you have enough corn meal under it so it will slide off nicely... You will want a grill spatula handy to help maneuver on the grill.

Mix taco sauce, beans and pizza sauce together. How much? Well, I used a can of beans  and 1 cup pizza sauce. I have also added taco sauce to it, but it isn't necessary. You can alter it to your own taste.  I put this in a small saucepan and heat gently.  Refried beans get a little more pliable as they are heated, it will spread better if it's warm.

The sauce goes on, I find it easier to work with if it's been warmed up

A sprinkling of cheese over the meat. Cheddar, Colby, Jack, Mozzarella...we use all kinds.

Now, wipe your grill grids generously with olive oil on a paper towel, and very carefully slide the pizza (there is nothing on it yet!) onto the grill.  BEWARE, once that dough hits the grids, it will adhere, so there is no moving it once it is on!!!  But as it cooks, it releases, so don't freak out.  And a wonky shaped pizza tastes just as good as a perfectly round one.  We never have round pizza.  Close the lid and peek often.  It takes just a minute or 3, and the top will bubble a bit and dry, peek under, you don't want it scorched.  Carefully remove the pizza crust from the grill.  We use an enormous spatula and flip it onto your pizza peel, so the grilled side is up.  Got that?  Grilled side up.  The "raw" side is down, but it will dry out on the grill so sticking will not be an issue.  But you want that cornmeal on the peel so it does slide a little.

Generously spread your bean/pizza sauce on the crust.  Then top with the meat and cheese.  Back to the grill it goes.  You can turn the heat down a little here, you want that "raw" crust to cook, but not so fast that the cheese doesn't melt.  When the cheese has melted over that taco meat slide it back on your pizza peel.

This cheese could have been further melted, but if the grill is too hot the bottom of the pizza gets over-charred!

Let it rest for a minute and cut with a pizza cutter, maintaining the shape, and then top with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and the Taco Doritos.  You can cut it after you top, it's just messy!  Serve with taco sauce and beer!!  So what are you waiting for?  Get out there and grill!!!

Shredded lettuce and tomatoes...and then Doritos

A squirt of sauce, and the pizza disappears!!!

Enlightened Happy Joe's Taco Pizza on The Grill

Hot off the grill and delicious!

So I have had sister week, and what fun it has been.  My sister Lori has been here and we have been busy sewing (blog coming on that project), making cookies (yep, a blog on those), shopping and watching movies.  Her last night here I really wanted to take her out, but she insisted we cook, so I made a nostalgic dinner.  Happy Joe's Taco Pizza is one of my most popular blogs.  Anyone who grew up in the area around the Quad Cities knows this pizza, and likely has a hankering for it, right now!  The original recipe I made is at the above link on the earlier post.  We made it lighter and threw it on the grill, and honestly, we didn't miss anything.

Lightened Up Taco Pizza
1 whole wheat crust
1/2 can refried bean (no fat added)
1/2 can pizza sauce
3/4 # ground turkey breast
1 T taco seasoning
1/2 cup cheddar/monterey jack cheese, shredded
chopped lettuce
chopped tomato
1/2 avocado, chopped
Classic Taco Doritos, crushed
Happy Joe's Spicy Taco Sauce

Cook only one side to start.

The dough I buy is frozen, so after thawing I stretch it out on a floured pizza peel. You can also use a rimless cookie sheet.
Brown the ground turkey breast and add a little taco seasoning and water to moisten it.  Preheat the grill to high and oil the grates well with canola oil.  Mix the pizza sauce and refried beans together.  Turn the heat on the grill to medium and slide the crust onto the grill.  Close the lid, but keep an eye on things.  The crust should bubble up and dry out.  You don't want it burned.  When it is nicely browned, slide back onto peel. 

This is the bottom after the first time on the grill.  Put the toppings on this side.

In the kitchen, you are going to flip the crust over.  Your sauce and toppings are going on the cooked side.  We put everything but the Doritos, lettuce and avocado.  Now, slide back onto the grill to brown the bottom.

Cook on low this time to brown the crust and melt the cheese.

I usually drop the heat to low, and close the lid.  You want the cheese to melt.  Carefully slide back onto the peel and add the toppings.  We really, really skimped on the Doritos, but really, they are so flavorful we didn't miss mounds of them.  The taco sauce, which I buy 6 at a time when I get to Iowa is the key.  There really is nothing like it. It is Happy Joe's original sauce.  I didn't bother adding up all the WW Points, the wine was opened, the night was gorgeous and we were hungry!  So, what are you waiting for?  Get in there and cook!

Lighter but still delicious!

Happy Joe's Taco Pizza

I am a pizza lover. Love, love, love it. My favorite meal is pizza and beer. Can you believe it? I am this foodie writer, I'll eat anything, and my favorite meal would be pizza. My sister affectionately calls pizza "Circles of Death." I say, ya gotta go somehow, why not with a delicious whole wheat crust, hot, stretchy mozzarella and delicious toppings?

I make a lot of pizza. Mardi Gras Pizza with crawfish, peppers and andouille, Muffaletta Pizza with meat and cheese and yummy olive salad, Grilled Pizza with anything on it, and a few weeks ago a Caesar Salad Pizza, stupendous. But this week I was at the grocer, and there on the shelf was Taco Doritos, they even came in the throwback bag from the 70's. Taco Doritos mean only one thing...Happy Joe's Taco Pizza.

Happy Joe's is an institution in Eastern Iowa. It started in 1972 in Davenport, Iowa in an area known as the East Village. A charming street of shops, bars and restaurants. Happy Joe's was an old time ice cream parlor up front, pizza restaurant in the back. The floors were wood, there were barrels of taffy and candy sticks and an old fashioned bar where you could order ice cream sundaes and banana splits in a tulip glass complete with a sugar wafer. In the old days, the wait staff girls wore the cutest red and white short dresses with a little fluff in the skirt. Red and white saddle shoes rounded it out and the guys wore vests and straw hats. On your birthday they would honk an old fashioned bike horn and they would all sing to you and bring you a sundae.

Times have changed, the ice cream parlor is gone, the original Happy Joe's is gone, but the pizza has not changed and they boast more than 50 stores in the Midwest. Thank the Lord. Their signature pizza is Canadian Bacon and Sauerkraut. Trust me, it is a tasty pie. But my all time favorite is Taco Pizza. Forget any Mexican type pizza you have ever had, there is no comparison. Until today that is, I have finally mastered the taco pizza at home. Now I would really rather be at a Happy Joe's, but boy was my family excited when we had dinner tonight!

You will notice this Taco Pizza has no jalepeños, no salsa, no cilantro. This is not a pizza of 2011, this is a pizza of my childhood. Don't mess with it!

One recipe I found online is here at Pizza Maniac posted way back in 2004. He puts black olives on his, although I can't remember them on the original, and I didn't have any on hand. He also never mentions Happy Joe's, but most of the comments do. You see, people like me, never forgot how delicious that pizza is long after we move away.
I started with this whole wheat dough ball from the Fresh Market. They are super easy and work great in the oven and on the grill. I like to thaw them overnight in the fridge, although a half hour or so on the counter will do it too. One dough ball will make a pizza big enough for about 4 people (or 3 really hungry ones). When we do build your own pizza night, we split the dough into 2 pieces and make individual ones, with pizza leftover.

Happy Susie's (Joe's) Taco Pizza

2 dough balls
1 can refried beans (best to find the kind that are smooth, my Rosarita were too chunky)
Taco Sauce (I buy Happy Joe's, but there are brands at the grocer. This is not salsa)
Pizza Sauce (less than 1 cup)
1 pound ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Colby jack cheese, shredded
Shredded lettuce
Chopped tomatoes
Taco Doritos

Brown the ground beef, drain any excess fat. Add taco seasoning and a little water. When it is cooked through, remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Roll out, stretch, toss your crusts until they are the desired thinness. Preheat oven to 480° degrees. I baked my pizzas on a pan, but the crust did not get sufficiently crunchy, perhaps a stone would be better, or grilled is always good.

Mix taco sauce, beans and pizza sauce together. How much? Well, I used about ½ can of beans and ¼ cup taco sauce and ¼ cup pizza sauce. You can alter it to your own taste. Spread this over the crust. Top with a mozzarella, then ground beef, then Colby Jack.
Bake until cheese is bubbly and crust is golden, about 10 minutes in my convection. Let sit for a few minutes to allow cheese to set a bit and slice pizza. Then cover the pie with lettuce, tomatoes and Doritos (crush them into manageable pieces). Serve with additional taco sauce. It is, in many ways a taco salad on a pizza. It is not easy to eat, toppings fall off with every bite. But when you have nibbled the last of the crust, there is a little "salad" on the plate. I have to admit, I am quite enamored these days with salad on my pizza. The California Pizza Kitchen's Club Pizza is a perfect example. I am looking forward to my trip to Iowa this summer so I can indulge in the real deal at Happy Joe's. Until then, get in there and make it yourself!