Slow Cooker Refried Beans

 This is a simple recipe for homemade refried beans, however in the high altitude, I let them soak in cold water overnight first then turn on the slow cooker to get them cooking. I also used home processed lard instead of oil. Be careful to drain (and reserve) ALL of the liquid and then slowly add it back in until it reaches the desired consistency. In order to keep the beans in the pot, I just used an electric immersion blender to puree the mix. I didn't see salt in this recipe, so I added some. 

1 bag dry Pinto beans

Water

1 lb. pinto beans

1 sweet yellow onion

2 Tbsp. cooking oil

4 chicken bouillon cubes

2 garlic cloves peeled

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

6 cups water

Salt to taste

1/2 cup salted butter (wait to add this at the end)

Crumbled cotija cheese or grated cheddar cheese (optional)

Sour Cream (optional)

Fresh Cilantro or green onion (optional)

https://www.themagicalslowcooker.com/slow-cooker-refried-beans/

Chia Pudding

I've been reading about the health benefits of chia seeds and decided to try chia seed pudding. Oh my goodness, it was delicious. I just put some seeds in a mason jar, add the milk, vanilla, and maple syrup (which is the best sweetener!), stir and put it in the refigerator the night before and have it for breakfast. 

4 Tablespoons chia seeds

1 cup almond or milk of choice

½ Tablespoon maple syrup, honey or sweetener of choice*

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

Toppings of choice: fresh berries or other fruit, granola, nut butter, etc

https://www.eatingbirdfood.com/basic-chia-seed-pudding/#wprm-recipe-container-33190

Potatoes Romanoff

Chef John's Youtube channel "Food Wishes" is one of my favorite cooking shows. Not only does he cook great food, but his sense of humor is just my style.

Last week, I came across  his video for Steakhouse Potatoes Romanoff and decided to cook it for Christmas. Usually I do mashed or scalloped potatoes, but this was a winner hands down. 

A few changes I made: 

1. I used Yukon Golds from our garden. They were smaller and so probably took 2-3 times as many as the russets. I put them in a 13x9 pan covered with foil rather than individually wrap them. Cooked for 1 hour then refrigerated overnight. The cold potatoes worked best for grating. 

2. Easy on the white pepper and cayenne if your guests aren't fond of spice. 

3. I used shredded Mexican cheese blend. Next time, I'll take Chef John's suggestion and shred my own white cheddar. 

4. I added mild - it's likely that my sour cream was too thick, but the milk helped thin it out and mix everything together. 

5. I forgot to buy shallots, so yellow onions worked fine. [Next year hoping to use onions from our garden.] 

1 teaspoon butter, or as needed

3-4 large russet potatoes, scrubbed

¼ cup minced shallots

3 teaspoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste

2 ½ cups grated sharp white Cheddar cheese

1 ¾ cups sour cream

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/276526/steakhouse-potatoes-romanoff/