So-Easy "Un"Refried Beans in the Crock Pot

I wish everything in life were as easy as these "un"refried beans. (If any of my students are reading this, your final tomorrow night will not be-so be forewarned and study hard.) They are so simple, that I stumbled upon them quite by accident. I'd spent the last decade convinced that to make good Mexican style beans, I had to soak, boil, mash, fry. There was so much labor involved, I might as well have grown the beans myself and picked them on a sweltering hot day, dressed in a pioneer gown with a screaming baby pinned to my back. Sisters, it wouldn't have made things much harder. One night, feeling rebellious, I put the dried pintos into the crockpot, turned them on low and went to bed (in a pioneer nightgown, I bet; they don't call me Prudy for nothin'). I didn't know what would happen, but since beans don't cost much more than-well, beans-I thought I could afford to chance it. But nothing happened, except exactly what I'd hoped would happen. The beans retained their shape, but they were soft, cooked, and creamy, willing to surrender to the slightest mashing of the fork. I hadn't added anything for flavor-no onion, garlic, hot pepper, not even a sprinkle of salt. A blank canvas of legumes lay before me. I sauteed some aromatics and sprinkled in some chili powder. But then the next time, I poured in some tomatilla salsa and a can of green chilies. Once in desperation, I dumped in I mixed in some packets of taco sauce, leftover from midnight quesadilla run at Del Taco. Sometimes I'd mash them to creamy; other times I'd leave most of the beans whole. Each time they came out stupendous, or estupendo (which is much more fun to say), if you will. Estupendo! I'm giving you the recipe, but think of it as an outline. You can't fail. No matter what you will succeeed. (Now if only I could say the same about my students on tomorrow night's final.) Hay caramba! And Happy Cinco De Mayo!

So Easy "Un" Refried Beans in the Crock Pot

Estimated Cost: about $1.00 for 6-8 servings

2 cups dried pinto beans-no need to presoak

8 cups water

start with 1/4 teaspoon salt (or use granulated chicken bouillion)

1/2 -3/4 cup flavorful liquid-taco sauce, red or green salsa, enchilada sauce, tomato sauce (my favorite is El Pato spicy tomato sauce), or even a 14 ounce can of undrained Mexican style petite diced tomatoes

Optional Add ins: sauteed garlic-onions-jalapenos, bacon grease, chopped cooked bacon, roasted red peppers, diced green chilies, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped cilantro

Put beans and water in the crock pot. Cover and cook on low overnight, or about 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours. (Every crock pot is different, so give yourself plenty of time.) When the beans are very soft, remove all of the liquid that you can with a small ladle or measuring cup. You don't need to strain the beans. Just get out as much of the cooking water as possible. Mash the beans with a potato masher, getting them as creamy as you like, or leave them whole, if that floats your boat. Add salt and your flavorful liquid. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Up Next:

The Quiet Man's First Ever Guest Post for a Mother's Day Menu

Cinco De Mayo with Ay Mamacita Red Chile and Cheese Enchiladas

I love how Cinco de Mayo never sneaks up on you. You always know what day it will be because with even a cursory understanding of espanol (never have mastered the tilde over the n on the computer), you've got the date etched in your memory. When do I need to have the enchiladas ready? Why, on Cinco De Mayo, of course. Easy. Other holidays, like Easter for example, require constant flipping of the calendar. Easter-who knows if it will be in March or April? Sometimes it even gets squished so far into March that the Peter Cottontail and Lucky the Leprechaun have terretorial gang fights. Not so, Cinco de May-o. Cinco De Mayo (like Fourth of July) looks you straight in the eye and lets you know right when it's coming and how long it'll be staying. And isn't long, either. Put on your sombreros and get ready, mis amigos. This year, we're making cheese enchiladas just because they are so darn delicioso, that's why. Here's how you're going to make them:

Start with some homemade enchilada sauce. Don't be scared- it's muy sinchy. I like the sound of that. Muy sinchy. I'm getting a little carried away with this Spanglish thing, huh? I'll try to cut back, but I can't promise ninguna cosa.

Throw together some filling. I've got shredded sharp cheddar, green chilies, sour cream, and a bit of onion.

Lightly fry some tortillas.

Roll them around in the sauce.

Fill er' up, boys.

Stack them on top of each other while you're rolling them up, just to save some work space inside the pan. Spread them out in the pan with plenty of room to breathe. Cover with any extra sauce and just a sprinkle of cheese.

Bake it just an itty bit, just to get things bubbling. Tengo hambre all over again.Oh, don't eat them yet. You'll burn your mouth on hot melted cheese. I'm just guessing because I didn't do that. No senor, I always wait and let things cool. Tengo paciencia.

I serve them with some homemade refried beans and a little bit of shredded cabbage with a lime and sour cream dressing, and some chopped red tomatoes. But even all alone, they're worth every last bite. So what are you waiting for? Cinco De Mayo is just a few dias away. Hasta Manana.

Money Saving Tips:

Hey-you're already ahead of the game. You're going to feed four for less than the price of one plate at a restaurant. Making the sauce on your own saves you cash-especially if you use chicken bouillion cubes for the broth. Save even more buy stocking up on your favorite cheeses when they're on sale. Buy tortillas in bulk and freeze any extras or better yet-make a big bag of healthy baked tortilla chips.

Red Chile and Cheese Enchiladas

Estimated Cost: $8.00 for 12
For Enchiladas:
2-4 tablespoons vegetable oil
12 tortillas
1/2 cup shredded cheese, for top (I used cheddar and jack)

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro, or sliced green onions, for garnish

For Sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoon flour
4 tablespoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dried cumin

1 teaspoon paprika
1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
1 cup tomato sauce (if you can find it, try El Pato spicy tomato sauce in the yellow can)

For Filling:

2 cups shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar)

1 (7 ounce) can diced green chilies

1/3 cup finely minced onion or scallions

1/2 cup sour cream (I used Daisy light)

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add tortillas, one at a time, and lightly fry just until softened, adding more oil as needed. Stack tortillas atop one another on a paper towel. When finished, in same skillet heat oil for sauce. Whisk in flour; cook for one minute. Add chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, and paprika. Stir for one minute. Whisk in chicken broth and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionaly. Prepare filling while sauce simmers, by combining shredded cheese, chilies, onion, and sour cream in medium bowl. Preheat oven to 425 if you are baking the enchiladas now. Grease a 9 by 13 inch baking pan and an 8 inch square baking dish. Pour about half of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of the large pan. Pass the tortillas through the sauce, on both sides. Add about 1/4 cup filling and roll up. Stack rolled tortillas atop each other in pan, so that you still have workspace to dip tortillas in sauce. Repeat until all tortillas are rolled, then arrange tortillas between the two pans. Pour remaining sauce over the top and sprinkle lightly with cheese. (Can be prepared up to this point. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate for up to two days.) Place tortillas in 425 degree preheated oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until just bubbly and cheese is melted. Sprinkle with cilantro and let cool for five minutes before serving. (If baking refrigerated enchiladas, increase baking time to 20-25 minutes. Keep covered with foil for first ten minutes of baking, to prevent drying.)

Next Up:

So Easy Un-Refried Beans-in the SlowCooker

Un-Fried Ice Cream for Cinco De Mayo

If only Mexico and France could have planned their battle on the 27th of May, then maybe Cinco de Mayo wouldn't sneak up on me. But here it is, just two days away. I've got all kinds of yummy recipes from last year's archives, so please click on the link in the left side bar to get recipes for from scratch beans, salsa, yummy rice, carne asada tacos, guacamole, etc. For now, here's an easy dessert recipe for un-fried ice cream. Ice cream seems naughty enough without the added corruption of a hot oil bath. Good heavens, what's next, deep fried twinkies? Oh, they already do that, don't they? All you need for this quickie is something crunchy, like cornflakes, crisp rice cereal, and a bit of cinnamon sugar. (Coconut and crushed tortilla chips also work well, and I bet pretzels would be great too.) Scoop up your ice cream, roll it around in the crunchy crumbs and refreeze the scoops. Just before serving, heat up some hot fudge (or make your own with 1 part hot cream and 2 parts chocolate) and slice up some strawberries. Ooh, it's good. And easy. And cheap. Be back tomorrow with more Cinco De Mayo comida. Hasta Luego.

Best of the Week; Food and Furthermore

Cinco De Mayo was our first grilling day of the year. More to come, my friends, much much more to come.....Yes, the food was muy muy buena this Cinco de Mayo, but my two little muchachos in their giant sombreros were awful cute, too. You just can't be in a bad mood when you are wearing a giant sombrero. Maybe I'll put one on next time I'm grouchy.

The two men in my life went on a Father-Son campout this weekend and my little cowboy got to catch a fish with his Daddy.

Someone at the campout made some homemade rootbeer that froze overnight. In the morning, my little cowboy snuck out of his tent and.....

...dug right in. Can you see his lightsabers in the background? He never travels without them. You never know when you might run into Vader or Palpatine, and you can't run the risk of being unprepared. Not when so many people are depending on you.
While the men were braving the wilds and snacking on frozen root beer and lake trout, my little girl and I went to an Osmond Brothers concert. Yep, those Osmonds. (We got free tickets from our lovely, generous neighbors.) Jimmy even snuck out of the audience and shook hands with my girl. You know, they were actually toe-tappingly wonderful and talented and just plain entertaining. And some great news for me: a generous compliment, in the form of a blog award, has been bestowed by fellow blogger Camilla Saulsbury of Enlightened Cooking.
Camilla has a dizzying array of talents, including being a stellar competitive cook and cookbook author, sociology professor, mother, and fitness instructor. Perhaps most impressive of all her culinary feats, she has managed to create a truly healthy chocolate ganache. Check out her blog for proof. The idea of this particular blog award is to pass it on, so I'm hoping to do that very soon...just as soon as I can figure out how to do it....

To Come this Week: Cinco De Mayo leftover remakes and Mother's Day Recipes

Pineapple Rasberry Orange Sherbet

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

I always overdo it when it come to Mexican food. Maybe it's because chips and salsa come in big baskets and bowls, and not in 100 calorie foil bags. Maybe it's because I grew up in southern California and I'm yearning for the flavors of my childhood. Maybe it's because I'm greedy and I can always get a lot of chow for my dollar.....Or maybe it's just because the food is so darn good! The times that I have been the fullest in my life have not been on Thanskgivings. No, they've been after the chimichanga combo platter. So when it comes to dessert, I want something (and yes, I still want something-even when I'm full) that is light and refreshing. Something fruity to play off the spiciness of the meal. This sherbert is a delicious and fitting choice. It's tropical, creamy, orange, and soft with little bits of rasberry, banana, and pineapple. (Please don't tell my sister Leslie that you put in a banana. She'll curl up in a little ball.) Just a little scoop will hit the spot that your spicy dinner missed.
Pineapple-Rasberry-Orange Sherbert

Estimated Cost: $4.50 for about 1/2 gallon

Notes: You can make this without an ice cream maker. Just freeze the mixture in a big bowl and give it an occasional whisk while it's firming up. It works well, albeit the end result is a little less creamy than with an ice cream maker. Just be sure to let it thaw a bit and stir in a bit of extra orange soda before serving. (If you're short on time, make it even easier by mixing the fruit into store-bought orange sherbet.)
Leftovers make a spiffy punch mixed with some extra soda.
1 (14 ounce) can condensed milk
4 cups orange soda (diet works, too)
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juices
1 small banana, chopped
1 and 1/2 cups frozen rasberries, slightly crushed
In a large bowl, stir together milk, soda, and pineapple. Process in ice cream maker until almost set; add in banana and raspberries. Freeze until serving time.

Great Movie Choices for Cinco De Mayo
Nacho Libre-Hilarious Jack Black goes from spartan robes to stretchy pants.
Giant-Rock Hudson and Liz Taylor in a multi-generational Texas epic.
Three Amigos-Silly Chevy, Martin, and Steve in Mariachi gear.
Three Caballeros-Disney's animated tribute to Latin America
Did I miss any? Leave a suggestion in the comments section!

Cinco De Mayo Shopping List

Hay Caramba, it's almost time for Cinco de Mayo. I hardly need an excuse to glut myself on Mexican food. I'm loco for the stuff. (It should really be loca since I'm a girl, but I didn't want to confundir/confuse everyone.) I'll be making Mexican favorites for the next five days, from chips and fiery tomato salsa, to grilled flank steak tacos with cilantro slaw, classic rice and beans, and pineapple-orange-raspberry sherbet for dessert. (By the way, the picture is from my recipe for Salsa Picante on CookingLight.com) Here's what you'll need from the grocery store if you want to follow along. It's going to be fantastico. No le va a costar mucho, tampoco. (It's not going to cost you too much either.) See how much you're learning over here at Prudence Pennywise? Think how much money you're saving on your Spanish lessons!

4 white onions

1 head garlic

4 hot chili peppers, either jalapenos or serranos

2 fresh tomatoes

1 big bunch cilantro

3 limes

1 large Haas avocado

a very small banana (please don't tell my sister Leslie-she'll cry)

1 lb. flank steak or skirt steak, or premarinated carne asada or meat of choice (or grill some mushrooms and go veggie)

1 (14 ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes

lots of chicken broth

1 lb. sack dried pinto beans

1 cup long grain rice

olive oil

corn tortillas

tortilla chips

6 ounces angel hair cole slaw (in a bag)

8 ounce can crushed pineapple

frozen raspberries

4 cups orange soda

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk