I don’t claim to have any heritage in my background whatsoever that would make me a pro at cooking Mexican food. But I grew up eating a lot of home cooked Mexican food. Whether that was because it was quick, easy, and delicious or because we lived in Arizona I don’t know. 

I make Mexican food at least once a week for dinner and my husband and kids seem to love it as much as I do. In my effort to decrease my food budget, I decided it was time to start making my own refried beans. They are so good and so easy when all you have to do is throw everything in the crockpot and then mash them up with a hand mixer. Use them in burritos, tostadas, tacos, enchiladas, on nachos or fry bread or as a dip . . . so many options. 

Crockpot Refried Beans

2015-05-18 21:12:21

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Ingredients

1. 2 lbs dry pinto beans, rinsed well!
2. 14 cups water
3. 5 cloves minced garlic
4. 4 chicken bullion cubes
5. 1 tsp onion powder
6. 1/2 tsp paprika
7. 2 tsp salt
8. 1/2 Tbs chili powder

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to the crockpot and cook on high for 8 hours. Turn the crockpot off and carefully remove 2-3 cups of liquid - don't throw it out. Save it in case you need to add any liquid back to the beans if they come out drier than you like them. Use a hand mixer or submersion blender to blend the beans until you reach the consistency you like.

Notes

1. This makes a large batch of beans. If you won't be using it all in the next couple of days, you can put cooled beans in a gallon freezer storage bag and freeze for later.
2. Rinse the beans in a colander under running water while sifting through them with your hands to remove any dirt or small pebbles.
3. For picky kids: I have one kid that doesn't like the seasonings in these beans. So we've started making them with just beans, water, and 5 tsp of salt. The rest of us are okay with it and he eats them that way, so its a good alternative if you have a picky one 🙂

By www.kimathome.com

Kim At Home http://www.kimathome.com/

When I was a kid, every so often, my mom would make Guacamole Tostadas and it was a real treat!  Super simple, but so good!  Just take some guacamole and spread it on a tostada shell, then top with shredded cheese and lettuce.  I love my guacamole homemade and WITHOUT chunks of tomatoes and onions (no salsa add ins for me – it takes away from the taste of the avocado) and its so easy with just a few ingredients.  All you need is:

• ripe avocado
• sour cream
• seasoned salt
• lemon or lime juice

I typically just throw it all together, but because I wanted to share my favorite guacamole with you, I did some measurements.  Feel free to change up the measurements to better suit your taste, but here’s a starting place:

PERFECT GUACAMOLE

(recipe from www.kimathome.com)

1 ripe avocado

1 Tbs. sour cream

1/4 tsp lemon or lime juice

1/2 tsp seasoned salt

Mash it all together to your desired texture and enjoy!

My good friend Mindy made me try some sweet potato fries a few years back and I fell in love!  I grew up knowing sweet potatoes as that stuff from a can with marshmallows on top for Thanksgiving.  I know some people love it but I was not a fan.  I’ve been experimenting with sweet potatoes ever since those amazing fries (thank you, Mindy!). Here’s how I make them – I usually just throw the ingredients together, but tonight I did a few measurements.  Anyway, you could add more or less of any of these ingredients and they’d probably still turn out awesome.

Parmesan Garlic Sweet Potatoes

Peel 3-4 sweet potatoes and cut into cubes.  Stir together with:

2 Tbs olive oil

1/2 Tbs dried rosemary

2 tsp minced garlic

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Spread out on a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (otherwise, they’ll stick to the pan) and sprinkle with salt.  Cook at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until tender.

If you have a recipe for a sauce that would be great with these, please share — they’re great on their own but I love to dip!