Pinto Beans and Some Awards

Southern food. It is something that has been a part of my whole life. I was born, raised, and I still live in the South. While I truly enjoy many cuisines, there will always be a special place in my heart (or rather stomach) for Southern food. One of my favorites is pinto beans. There is nothing fancy about it. A big bowl of beans with a side of cornbread can be a meal in itself.

Pinto beans are a great use for a ham bone. I had one in my freezer since Easter. The weather has been so hot I was not in the mood to make soup. I do have the occasional craving for soup in summer but it is usually a lighter soup or minestrone. If you do not have a ham bone then you can use ham hocks. The hocks are fairly inexpensive so it would be both hearty and budget-friendly dish.

The recipe is very simple. Only a few ingredients. It does take some prep the night before to soak the dried beans overnight. I cook them in a dutch oven or large soup pot. I have not tried making pintos in a crock pot – yet. I am sure they would turn out the same as long as they are not cooked too long and turn to mush. I cooked the beans for three hours and they were the right tenderness.

I recently received a couple more awards. Thanks to Kathia at Basic and Delicious for the Versatile Blogger Award. There are rules for the award and I have completed them in a previous post. See “Connections, Inspiration, and Awards” for all the details.

The second award is a new one. Thanks to C.J. at Food Stories for the Illuminating Blogger Award. The rules include me sharing one thing about myself and nominating five blogs for the award. Now what about myself to share? Something food related I suppose. Here goes: I do not like the texture of mushrooms. I love the flavor though. I will cook with mushrooms and then pick them out of my serving.

I nominate these blogs for the Illuminating Blogger Award:

1. The German Foodie – Because German cuisine is near and dear to me. Sofie’s posts have beautiful photography and would make anyone crave some good German food.
2. Juanita’s Cocina – Jen’s posts are lively, fun, and full of wonderful recipes. The occasional photo of her cat watching TV makes me smile every time.
3. Family Foodie – Isabel’s Sunday Supper mission is bringing people together with meals around the family table. Her Portuguese recipes are quite mouth-watering too.
4. Chocolate Moosey – Carla’s love of sweets and baking shines through. Her posts are written from the heart. She has won a few contests too.
5. The Lovely Pantry – Lyn is sharing her love of Jamaican cuisine with the world. The non-Jamaican recipes are quite fantastic too. She also has incredible photography in her posts.

Thanks again to Kathia and C.J. for the awards! It is an honor and very much appreciated. The support and recognition by the food blogging community warms my heart and soul. XOXO

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Pinto Beans

Southern-style pinto beans made with a simple recipe using dried beans and a ham bone.

Course Main

Cuisine American Southern

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 3 hours

Total Time 3 hours 10 minutes

Servings 4 people

Author Renee

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried pinto beans
• 1 ham bone or 4 ham hocks
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• Additional pepper and/or salt to taste if needed

Instructions

1. In a large pot (6 to 8 quart), add the beans and 6 to 8 cups of water. Let the beans soak overnight. Drain the water and pick out any bad beans or small rock bits (happens sometimes). Place the ham bone (or ham hocks), beans, 6 cups of water, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Bring it to a slow boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover loosely, and simmer for 3 hours. Gently stir occasionally. Add more water if needed during the cooking process.
2. Pull out the ham and remove any bits of ham from the bone and return the bits to the pot. Stir the ham bits into the beans. Discard ham bone(s). Season with salt or more pepper to taste.

Recipe Notes

Southern-style pinto beans made with a simple recipe using dried beans and a ham bone.