I Have Eaten Over 6 Pints of Salsa Since Labor Day. And I'm Not At All Apologizing.

Concentration is key

On Labor Day, my mom and I canned 7 pints of salsa that I can eat. I love salsa verde so we made tomatillo salsa minus the onions and garlic and added extra jalepeno and red pepper flakes because I like salsa spicy.  Mom has a canning kitchen in their basement, which is awesome.  She also had some fresh frozen blueberries from her summer picking trip to Michigan, so we made some blueberry syrup and canned it as well.  I haven't had any of it yet, because I've been stuffing my face with salsa, but I bet it will be awesome on pancakes.

Stuffing my face with salsa has been a super fun past time these last three weeks. Chips and salsa for dinner, chips and salsa for lunch, chips and salsa for second dinner (It's a thing). When you haven't had salsa in over two years, you kind of lose your mind a little bit.

I now have ONE pint left from Labor Day Canning Fun because I used the last of Pint Six to make homemade Taco Pizza. If you aren't aware of what taco pizza is, you're definitely not an Iowan. Taco Pizza is one of the top twenty greatest dinners on the planet, and I decided to throw one together tonight for dinner. Most of us are familiar with either Casey's Taco Pizza (I love that I live in a state where a gas station is known more for their pizza than their gas) or Happy Joe's Taco Pizza.  My version is different (duh) but I like it.

I was tired and lazy tonight, so I did not make homemade pizza crust. There is a mix that I like that I have been able to find every once in a while at the co-op in my town, but it's kind of hit or miss. If you're only gluten free and not egg free too, you can use almost any gf mix.  I used the Schar pizza crust. If you can't find it at your grocery store, you can order it online. I tend to just use what I have around the house for ingredients, so feel free to add other ingredients if you like.

Taco Pizza
One pizza crust (gluten free, egg free, dairy free) and follow the directions for prep if you're using a mix
1/2 lb ground beef
taco seasoning, to taste* (I have to make my own, so see below)
Your favorite salsa (I don't measure, I just pour)
fresh tomatoes, diced
green chilies, canned or fresh (I had canned)
Pepper Jack cheese (I use Go Veggie**)
Gluten free tortilla chips, crumbled (I like yellow corn)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven according to pizza crust directions
2. Brown ground beef, sprinkle with as much or as little as you want
3. Pour salsa onto crust. Now layer your ingredients the way you want. I did salsa, tomatoes, green chilies, beef, more green chilies, cheese, and then finish with the chips crumbled on top. I bake the pizza with the chips on, but you don't have to.
4. Cook pizza according to crust directions and then enjoy!

Center stage is the LAST of my salsa. Time to make more!

I used the Cherub tomatoes and quartered.
Also, I couldn't find my pizza pan, so a cookie sheet it is!

Go Veggie! Cheese...again, not completely dairy free,
so don't use if you have a milk allergy.
I'm just intolerant of dairy. And people who are intolerant
of other people's cultures. And the Dutch.

All the layers except the chips!

*Taco Seasoning: mix together the following and store in an airtight container. I throw this stuff on everything. It's good sprinkled on French fries too.
1 T chili powder (make sure your chili powder is safe-I have to buy ancho chili powder)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp paprika
3 tsp cumin
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp red pepper flakes

**Go Veggie cheeses are gluten free and lactose free, but aren't completely dairy free, so if you have a milk allergy, use a different type  of cheese. I won't name names, but I really don't like the other option my grocery store uses because the texture is creepy.

Happy Taco Pizza Monday