Refried Beans

WHY buy canned refried beans when you can make your own for a fraction of the cost and it tastes soooo good! This recipe makes a pretty big sized serving bowl. About those pinto beans - my local grocery store does not carry them so I often use those yellow sided beans instead - just as good. You need to think a day in advance for this recipe as you do need to soak the beans overnight.

2 cups dried pinto beans

5 cups water

large chopped onion

2 tsp vegetable oil

1/2 cup lard

2 tsp salt

1. Rinse beans well in a strainer. Put in a BIG pan with lots of water. Soak overnight. You need a big pan with lots of water because those beans will swell right up and you want those beans to stay covered with water as they swell.

2. Rinse beans and place them in a big pan with 5 cups of water, onion and oil.

3. Cook over medium high heat until beans are soft - about 40 minutes or so - STIR constantly because they like to BURN. The thicker the bottom of your pan, the better off you are.

4. Add lard and salt and slightly mash with either a masher or a fork.

5. Cook beans on very LOW heat, stirring all the time until done - usually about 10 more minutes.

Lard! Yup - I buy mine by the block - it looks alot like Chrisco. You could also use butter, but I like lard.

***A note about bean - there is not a single pinto bean to be found in my local grocery store! If I don't think ahead and buy pinto beans when I am off to do a big grocery shop, then I use what beans our local store has. The beans in the photo were made with a yellow sided dry bean - can't remember the name of it off-hand, but you don't have to use pinto beans!