Comfort Zone

When the weather turns gray, overcast and much cooler, like in the 60's for highs, (yes, it does get that way here!) I immediately start to think of comfort food. For some people a comfort food might be fried chicken, meatloaf, or stew. Me? My comfort food is beans and rice. Yep, just plain pinto beans and white rice. Mmmmmmmmm. Good!

You see, that's what I was raised on, beans and rice. I would come home from school and smell the pot of beans cooking on the stove with a fresh loaf of bread made or baking in the oven. I love it! It instantly takes me back to being a kid again.

When my parents got married, my mom learned how to make beans just like her mother-in-law. Having grown up in the Colonies of Mexico, my Dad was raised on them. My Grandma was raised on them from her mother and so on and so on. It's cheap to make and it feeds a lot of people. They freeze well to boot! This very simple dinner was perfect while my Dad was in medical school with small kids in the house and kids on the way. It just brings me back to simpler times and "the good 'ole days." In fact, my Mom still cooks her beans in "the original" bean pot that my Dad got specifically for making beans 40+ years ago. (My Dad swears it's all in the pot you make them in.)

So, although I got a late start on the beans, I am having my ultimate comfort food for dinner tonight. I am so excited! There's not much "cooking" involved and I really don't have to think a whole lot as far as preparation goes. Once the beans are on simmer, with the occasional stir from the bottom up, they are good to go.

Now that this "tradition" has been passed down for so many generations, there are a few little tricks learned along the way that I don't have to worry about. For instance, when the beans are done, add a little bit of salt, olive oil and either a can of diced green chili or a heaping spoon full of salsa for a little bit more flavor, NEVER add cold water to warm beans because the cold water will turn the beans dark, wait for the beans to cool off to just about room temperature before putting them in the fridge or freezer. Otherwise, the beans will sour more quickly. (Trust me, if you've ever smelled sour beans, this is the first trick you learn,) Owen loves them -they have great fiber benefits for kids if you catch my drift- and Cari likes them as well. Start the kiddos out very young eating them and chances are they will get use to them without any problems.

More over, I cannot only freeze some for a dinner later on down the road, but the portion I don't freeze, I can make refried beans later in the week and have tostadas or bean & cheese burritos for dinner. Two dinners in one night. Can you really beat that?