Two brains...

Marriage Tip #10 - Your spouse's brain is not wired like your brain.  There used to be some things about my honey that really frustrated me until I watched "The Tale of Two Brains" by Mark Gungor on You Tube.  It was one of those "Oh!" moments for me.  Now what used to frustrate me, just amuses me.  Really!  Check it out and watch your frustrations melt away.

You can also get Mark Gungor's book, Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage, for more humorous but practical help.

Decor

The seed pods I had in the hurricane on the mantel would work with my fall decor, but they just aren't colorful enough.

So, I took them out, cleaned the glass and fill it with the jeweled pumpkins and a few silk fall leaves.  Much better!

Today's Recipe - Pinto Beans
Barbecue Biscuits & Beans - Chuckwagon Cooking
Pinto beans are a must at every Texas barbecue, as they were on the long trail drives to Kansas.  Chuckwagon cooks knew they could stretch a pot of beans through at least a couple of meals - they were easy to serve in a tin cup if a cowboy didn't have time to sit for a meal.  And they had a medicinal use:  if a cowboy had a bad tooth and couldn't chew, mashed up beans kept many from starving on the prairie.

2 pounds pinto beans, picked over and washed
6 thick slices bacon, chopped
1 cup chopped yellow onions
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 dried red chile peppers, crushed (I replace with a 7 oz can of diced green chiles)
2 Tbsp kosher salt or sea salt
water

Soak beans overnight if preferred.  Brown bacon in pan used for cooking beans.  Place beans, onion, garlic, chile peppers and salt in pot.  Cover with water about 3 inches above beans.  Bring to a vigorous boil.  Reduce heat to simmer.  Place lid on, but do not cover completely.  It normally takes 3 to 3 1/2 hours until beans are soft.  Check about every 30 minutes.  If water is needed, add only very hot water.  Taste and add more salt if needed.

Note:  Beans and cornbread are what my honey requests for his birthday every year.  You can replace the dried beans with canned pinto beans, if you'd prefer.  Just drain and rinse the beans before adding them to the pot. You can also cook this recipe in your crockpot on low all day.