Recipe(tried): Paula Dean's Pinto Beans and Hamhocks recipe

Tonight, the men of our little association are outdoors, cooking up some ribs and chickens for our club dinner tonight. Side dishes to be made by everyone else.

The other day, Paula Dean had a program on Tugboat Cuisine and she had a recipe which I obtained from her website for a slow cooker version of Pinto Beans with Hamhocks. Her recipe called for 1# pinto beans, but I doubled the entire recipe to fill my large crockpot.

It is smelling delicious right now as it finishes cooking.

SLOW COOKER PINTO BEANS

1 pound dry pinto beans
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. garlic powder (my addition since I didn't have her House Seasonings made up - recipe below)
1/2 pound ham hocks
4 cups water
1 onion, chopped coarsely
House Seasonings (recipe follows below)I added salt and pepper to taste because I didn't have the House Seasonings made up)

Wash the beans and soak overnight in cold water. Drain and rinse a second time the beans and dump into slow cooker. Stir in the chili powder and oregano.

If using ham hock, presoak ham in a separate pot for at least 2 or refrigerated up to 24 hours, depending on how salty you want your stock to be. (I put the hamhocks in a pot with water and simmered it slowly for a couple of hours earlier in the morning - that's what Paul had done - that way the liquid is also hot so it doesn't take so long for the slow cooker to bring it up to cooking temp.) Add ham hocks to slow cooker with beans and pour in ham soaking liquid. At least 4 cups, and add more water to cover the hamhocks.

Add onion to slow cooker with beans and meat. Stir well. Season to taste with House Seasonings. Cover the pot and cook on high until beans are very tender, about 5 hours.

House Seasonings:
1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder
Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

This is a nice change from the usual baked beans and should go well with the BBQ'd ribs and chicken tonight.

I also did the Easy Carrot Cake recipe that was posted over on the Baking and Breadmaking board a few days ago - it came out great. Perhaps Betsy can post that link here, too.

Enjoy your weekend everyone! June