Calvin's mom loves beans. Calvin loves beans. The kids love beans. I grew to love beans. (Hey. You know what I just realized while typing that? I should have been born loving beans. My dad's middle name is Bean, my grandmother's maiden name is Bean, which mean her father's name was Bean which means . . . well, someone way back there had an affinity for beans or that wouldn't have been their last name, right? I mean Baker comes from the baker, Anderson comes from Ander's son, so Bean must have come from bean. Good thing I married Calvin so as to learn to love the bean.)
I often cook beans in the crock-pot now rather than on the stove-top. I've never soaked beans like the cookbooks suggest, I just sort and rinse them and put them on to boil.
Last week I made two pots of beans. The first pot was made into mashed (refried, except you can't call them refried if you don't refry them in a pan can you? and I didn't refry them) beans for tostadas and the second a pot of chili.
For tostadas I measured three cups of dry beans into the crock-pot and added chopped onion, chili peppers, and a couple of inches of water (measuring from the top level of the beans). I put them on high and left for work. When I came home I added more water (I'm sorry I don't have accurate water measurements, water and beans always vary) and also added salt, pepper, and spices (garlic, cumin, chili powder, what have you) and let them continue to cook. After they had cooked for six or seven hours total I mashed them with a potato masher. They were great for tostadas.
A few days later I made a pot of chili in the crock-pot. (I always use that recipe excepting this time of year I usually add fresh tomatoes and chilies instead of canned.) I added the leftover refried beans to the chili when it was cooked. Oooo-lah-lah. It was thick, rich, good, and chock full of nutrients.
Beans and a crock-pot . . . pretty hard to beat a more economical and easy meal.
6 comments:
I love beans, but my family does not. Waaah.
I have grown to love beans too. Ready for a good pot of chili too!
Thanks for the great dinner for tomorrow idea. I loved your bean story by the way...you are hilarious. I can't believe you aren't in our ward right now...such a bummer! I miss seeing you too!
I guess I should be apart of your family because I love beans. Okay, please don't think I am lame but I have never made beans like this so what kind of beans did you use? Is there a specific name?
Melinda, beans are pretty universal. Usually I use pinto, but last week I used pink, and I have used other kinds as well. It really doesn't matter, the white bean (or Navy) is usually what is used with ham and beans however.
I love beans, too. I could polish off refried beans and baked beans like nobody's business. Back when I had to pack a lunch, I used to be tempted to lick out a container if it had baked beans in it. Something about that creamy texture. Yum.
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