I LOVE BEANS!!!

I Love Beans! I live for the cool, rainy days when I have a great excuse to cook up a pot of pintos. Years ago I discovered my favorite flavor combo of my own, but this came years after having to endure the horror of "Bean Day" on those cold, rainy nights back in the 60's when I was just a kid. Coming from parents who were born and raised in SW Oklahoma (Dad, Fletcher, Mom, Apache) beans were a depression-era dinner. Ugghhhh.. the idea of walking home from grade school (yes, we walked!) and entering the house on a gray, rainy day and smelling those awful beans.....OH, it just set the mood. I don't know when, but at some point I began to love those beans. And of course you had to have cornbread with it. A few years ago I ran across a recipe in "Joy of Cooking" which SO much reminded me of my Grandmother Barton's cornbread. Oh, I do love this stuff. I have another cornbread recipe which Jim prefers and I'll post that the next time I make it, but this is such traditional southern cornbread. If Thanksgiving weren't next week and I need the leftovers for Sage Cornbread dressing, I could probably sit down tonight and eat the entire pan.

PINTO BEANS

Saute some diced onions and garlic. Add dried pinto beans. Cover with water. Let come to a boil and then turn heat down. After an hour or so, throw in some dill weed, celery seed, and some bay leaves. After a bit, throw in some salt. Cook until beans are almost mushy. I serve with white rice. This time I served it with Allen's Italian Seasoned Green Beans.

SOUTHERN CORN BREAD (from Joy of Cooking)

Whisk together:

1 3/4 cups white cornmeal

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

Whisk 2 eggs together. Whisk in 2 cups buttermilk. Add this to dry ingredients.

Preheat over to 450. When at temp, put in a Tbsp of bacon fat. When melted, add cornbread mixture. Cook 20-25 minutes (test with toothpick or knife). Let cool or rack or trivet for about 5 minutes before cutting.