Beautiful Beans (and bags!)

We made fajitas for supper last night and I found the best recipe for refried beans from scratch.  My friend Michelle showed me how to make them years ago but I've never been thrilled by my results.  They are served to you in piles in any Mexican restaurant but I've never been able to get the flavor and creamy texture right.

Oregano is an herb I always associated with Italian food and was surprised to find it in the fajita recipe we always use.  I bought that box of oregano in Greece when I backpacked years ago.  It was used in everything there and was my culinary souvenir from that country.  I've long since used up the contents but I keep filling up the box with bulk oregano from Cossetta's.  I got that wooden citrus reamer in Denmark at a viking ship museum of all places.

 Here are my lovely picked over dry pinto beans.  I love dry beans because they are CHEAP and you can feed an army with a single bag.  This recipe makes the perfect amount and I learned right away that I was cooking too many beans with too few aromatics.  And I love that you don't have to soak them overnight first.

 I threw my beans in my small crack pot for 2-3 hours and used 1 tsp of dried oregano instead of the epazote sprigs. Oregano again!  Who knew?!  For the fat I used 1/2 lard and 1/2 bacon fat.  DEE-lish!  Everything in this recipe is stuff you already have in your pantry.

I finished my beaded bag tonight and took a terrible picture of it.  It was just getting dark outside so I had to take a picture of it under a lamp.  I used all but a dozen or so beads and 2 yards of thread.  Stash busted!