Country Pinto Beans

It's about time for another dinner recipe. My mom made this for me growing up and it's awesome and super healthy for you. Just a few little hints before you start. First, you need to sort through your beans and make sure there are no bad beans, rocks, or foreign objects.

You don't want these to go into your pot. Once you've done this, wash your beans and put them into the pot. Something else you should know is that you want your water to reduce in the pot, but not get so low that the beans burn. So get a big pot! Your gonna want about a 1 to 3 ratio of beans to water. So 3 cups of beans needs about 8 to 9 cups of water. But what I do is in a big pot I fill the pot about 3/4 the way full, that way I know I wont have to add more water. Try to avoid adding more water unless it has reduced to the point that it is no longer covering the beans or is barely covering the beans. This shouldn't be a problem if you cook the beans at a low simmer. I know this all sounds complicated, but it is actually really simple. Just check on it every couple of hours and give it a stir. This recipe is also awesome with fresh tortillas.

Ingredients

• 3 to 3 1/2 cups pinto beans
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1/2 to 3/4 cups chopped onion
• 1 jalapeno, chopped and seeded
• 2 garlic clovers, minced
• 5 slices of bacon, cut up
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon pepper
• sour cream and cheese to top with

Directions
Sort through pinto beans and remove any foreign objects. Wash and place into a large pot.

Take butter and melt into a small saucepan. Add chopped onions. Saute onions until they have become translucent. Add to the pot.

Then add chopped jalapeno, garlic, bacon, salt and pepper. Quick Tip: The easiest way to cut up your bacon is to use kitchen shears if you have them. Also, you don't need to waste the time and separate all of your bacon. They will separate in the cooking process.

Fill pot 3/4 full with warm water. Place on the stove on high until mix comes to a boil. Boil for about 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce heat to bring water to a light simmer. Stir then cover. Cook for 6 to 8 hours. Check on beans about every 2 hours to make sure that water level hasn't dropped below the beans and to stir.

My favorite way to serve this is with a dollop of sour cream and topped with a little cheese. Enjoy!!