Ode to the Pinto

75 cents. That's how much I pay for a pound of dried pinto beans. That pound makes 13 servings (well, that's for normal people---it's half that many for me) which comes out to LESS THAN 6 CENTS PER SERVING. Is that the most unbelievable thing you've ever heard? Oh, but wait, you also have to add water and salt (or, Cavendar's if you're me) so that really might get the cost all the way up to a full 6 cents.
But, of course, after you add a big piece of corn bread and some kind of hot pepper jelly or chow-chow, why, you might actually be approaching something crazy, like 10 cents per serving. For what must be my favorite meal, since I make it once a week. Nutritional value: TOPS. Ease of cooking: Please, what is there to actually DO when cooking a pot of beans?

When I was a kid, we called these "red beans" at our house; but at my friend Nancy's house they were "brown beans." Now I just call them fabulous.

I love you, pinto beans.