Heavenly Refried Beans

"Touch that clock, and you can never come back!" a quote from All Dogs Go to Heaven that was burned into my little four year old brain. This recipe illustrates that quote: once you touch these refried beans you'll never go back to canned. I know I can't.

For starters you don't need to soak the dried beans over night. Which is great in case you forget important steps like that. It's a crockpot recipes, can't beat the ease of that! (added bonus: it made the place smell amazing all day). You can control the consistency: Mr. Lawyer likes things chunky so I lightly mashed the beans but left in most of the water/broth for a more creamy-chunky texture. And the flavor! So rich and delicious. It's suppose to freeze well too. The original post doubled this recipe, that's a lot of  refried beans! But it's so delicious I could have just had the beans for dinner, I didn't even want the quesadilla! A note on the quesadilla: Mushroom Onion Provolone Quesadilla. Mr. Lawyer thought it was an odd choice of cheese but it was a marvelous combination.

Crockpot Refried Beans

(Adapted from Pennies & Pancakes)

Ingredients:

1 lb dried pinto beans
1/2 large onion, chopped

1 jalapeno, chopped (could be omitted, I didn't taste the spiciness)
2 tablespoons jarred minced garlic
1 1/4 tablespoon salt (or less if desired)
1/2 teaspoon fresh pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

2.5 cups chicken broth

2.5 cups water
Directions:
1. Rinse the beans in a colander. Pick out any bad beans.
2. Combine all the ingredients in the crockpot. Remove any floating beans. Cover, and cook on HIGH for 6 hours or until beans are soft.
3. Uncover, and remove extra liquid. Leave enough liquid to reach the desired consistency when the beans are mashed. Mash beans with a potato masher to desired consistency. If it is still too soupy just let it simmer in the crockpot for an hour or until the desired consistency is reached (which is what I did).
4. Serve warm. Store in air-tight containers in the refrigerator and use within 2 weeks, or freeze in ziplock bags for later use.