Spicy Beans

Have you ever visited Pioneer Woman's blog? If not you haven't you definitely need to take a gander. She has wonderful recipes and is so witty, it's a blast to read her posts. When I saw this recipe I knew I had to make it right away! You see beans and I go back a long ways. In fact I love beans so much that my nick name when I was a kid was"frijolia," which means little bean in Spanish. These beans were fantastic! I like to just eat the beans with the broth over rice and then I add sour cream and feta cheese. Yum. If that's not up your alley you could always just have a bowl with some cornbread. 
Recipe Courtesy of Pioneer Woman 

Ingredients

• 4 cups Dry Pinto Beans
• 1 whole Ham Hock
• 1 whole Onion, Diced
• 2 whole Red Bell Peppers, Diced
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 whole Jalapenos, Sliced ( I only use one because it was a little too spicy for me with two)
• 2 teaspoons Salt, More To Taste
• 2 teaspoons Chili Powder
• 2 teaspoons Black Pepper, More To Taste ( can also reduce so it's not so spicy)

 Instructions

Rinse beans under cold water, sorting out any rocks/particles.
Place beans in a stock pot with the ham hock and cover with water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover the pot and simmer for 2 hours, checking occasionally to make sure the water level is fine. Add more water as needed.
Then throw in diced onion, red bell pepper, garlic and jalapeno. Cover and continue cooking for another hour or two, remembering to check the water level.
Add salt, chili powder (if desired) and pepper, then cover and cook for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until beans are lovely and tender. Serve with cornbread as a meal, or spoon on top of nachos, tacos, etc.