You know… I am trying to remember how or why I got into canning.
My mother-in-law and sister-in-law joined me for my first stab at it in the summer of 2013, the first year Adam and I did a big garden together. That day, the three of us made pickles and I was hooked.
I have always been big on not wasting food and canning helped ensure our harvests were used and that I could enjoy them throughout the year.
After the pickles came tomatoes and I was so thankful to have that bit of canning experience under my belt. Not to mention, I was so excited! That year, I spent any free time in August or September in front of a large stock pot processing plump, red tomatoes and shiny glass jars.
The problem? I was a little too excited and a little inexperienced.
I didn’t know much or even think much about our eating habits … and I made about eighty jars of salsa.
Don’t get me wrong. I love salsa. I eat it with chips, put it on eggs, in cottage cheese and we do taco night often. But, I don’t love it THAT much.
Our occasional taco nights were not even close enough to putting a dent in our salsa stash. I knew that the next year I would have to reevaluate, but in the meantime, I had to get creative.
Because we were getting a little tired of just plain old chips and salsa out for a snack during game days throughout the winter, I decided to style it up a bit. When blended with melty cheese in a crockpot, a jar of salsa becomes a fresh and spicy queso.
So easy!
Perfect for a crowd at the holidays or when watching a game.
And, perfect to help get all that salsa off my shelf… until next August!
- 1 pound of pepper jack cheese, shredded
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 8 ounces sour cream
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 pint jar of salsa
- Add and combine all ingredients in a crockpot.
- Cook on low until smooth, creamy mixtures forms, stirring occasionally.
- Once melted, serve right away with tortilla chips or pretzels.
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