Anasazi Beans

I started answering Cousin J's comment with a comment of my own, but as usual I was too wordy and didn't have as much control as I do in the composing window, so here I am. J, you asked me previously what goodies I used in cooking my beans, and I replied with "not much" (or something like that). But, your question got me thinking and I decided that I needed to add more stuff...so for the next few pots of pinto beans I added bay leaves and maybe celery. This is what I did today.

Anasazi Beans

Washed the beans

Put the beans and a lot of water into the pot (we like a lot of pot liquor). I turned up the heat, but as soon as it started simmering I lowered the heat to keep it at a simmer. The lid was on, but tilted.

After only an hour the beans were soft enough that I could have eaten them then, but of course they weren't seasoned. I wish that I could give measurements, but except for half a large onion and 3 stalks of celery, nothing else was measured.

Here's what I added to the beans:

1/2 a large onion (I would have added more if I remembered the container of minced onion sitting in the fridge.) And not that they needed more, they were delicious. I just wish I had used the onions.

3 stalks of celery
I used the mini-chopper and minced the onion and celery pretty small. Wayne doesn't like to see evidence of veggies! Plus, this really thickens up the pot liquor nicely.

3 bay leaves

1/2 a small can of tomato sauce (I usually use ketchup but decided that the tomato sauce would be more economical. I probably could have used the whole can. Don't know why I didn't.

I ground some fresh pepper and tossed it and some kosher salt in the pot. It was maybe 3/4 to 1 tsp. salt.

I squirted some Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce in. Maybe 1/4 cup, maybe less.

I shook in some Louisiana Hot Sauce. Probably about 8 shakes. I don't find LHS to be very spicy, so I wasn't the least bit worried about it.

I also poured a little Worchestershire Sauce in. Maybe a tablespoon, maybe less.

I had some chicken broth in the fridge from last week, so I heated it and poured most of it in (about 1 1/2 cups).

I let it stay on a very low heat with the lid tilted for another hour and a half or so. I didn't use any garlic because Wayne doesn't care for it. If it were just for me, there would be garlic.

I spooned mine over rice. I also made a fresh pan of Golden Corn Bread and ate a piece of it with butter. Yummy! Wayne didn't show up, but Carolyn and Jax came over and she thought they were really good. We have been having beans and cornbread a lot! I found the beans in 1 lb bags at the local supermarket. They were a little higher than pinto beans, but still cheap. You Aggies out there should really like them. They're maroon and white! Actually, they look like little maroon and white Holstein cattle (without heads, legs or tails.)

Golden Corn Bread

1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1/4 cup sugar 4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cornmeal
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup oil

Sift together into bowl flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in cornmeal. In a small bowl, beat eggs with fork, add milk and oil. Add all at one time to cornmeal mixture. Stir with fork until flour is just moistened. Even if batter is lumpy, do not stir any more. Pour into well-greased 9 x 9 x 2 pan. Bake in hot oven (425ºF) 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Since the main subject of this post is beans, I'll end this with a joke Dee sent me recently. Somehow it seems apropos.

And elderly couple is attending church services.
About halfway through she writes a note and hands it to her husband.
The note says, "I just let out a silent fart. What do you think I should do?"
He writes back, "Put a new battery in your hearing aid..."