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Guess what?! IT’S THURSDAY! You made it past Hump Day! It’s almost the weekend!

The weekend makes me happy. And in the spirit of being so happy, I’m sharing with you guys two of my favorite things…

Favorite Thing One: Empire Records.

If you haven’t seen this movie, get thee to a video store. STAT. It may very well be my favorite movie of all time. It’s about the staff of an independent CD store, that is in danger of being taken over by a corporate music company. And there’s lots of great music in the movie, and the characters are absolutely unforgettable.

Voila, my favorite scene…

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The fella in the black turtleneck is Lucas. When I was little, I used to dance EXACTLY like Lucas. And not because I had terrible dancing skillz - I was awesome, of course – but just because I thought Lucas was the SHIZZ. I wanted to be like Lucas when I grew up. I specifically remember my mom asking me to stop dancing in public places.

Also, Ethan Embry in this movie is brilliant. I heart his face so bad!

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Oh, and Johnny Whitworth is in this movie. Which means that you get to watch this the entire 2 hours:

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Swooooooon

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This weekend I’m getting the Empire Records Special Edition DVD. With deleted scenes!!! Be still my heart!

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Favorite Thing Two: Magical Spicy Pinto Beans.

It is now Thursday, and I made these beans Monday night. I’ve eaten them for lunch both Tuesday and Wednesday, and I swear… they just keep getting tastier. Perhaps I shall now refer to them as “the magic beans.” Would that be weird?

I used bacon from our frozen bacon collection (we have over 10 packs of frozen bacon in the freezer – you know, JUST IN CASE.) The combination of the bacon and tomatoes and jalapeno is to. die. for. It’s smoky and spicy and almost sweet all at the same time. These are excellent served over rice – it’s filling, but it won’t send you into a Food Coma. And it’s peasant food (read: super freaking cheap food). So, I implore you to get to a grocery store, buy some beans, and make this immediately! You won’t regret it. <space>

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Frijoles a la Charra

Adapted from the Homesick Texan

Printable Recipe

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Ingredients:
1 pound (2 cups) dried pinto beans
1/4 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup diced onion
1/4 cup jalapeno juice (from canned jalapenos)
1/4 pound salt pork
4 slices of bacon, chopped into 1 inch pieces
2 cups fresh chopped tomatoes, or 1 14-oz can of diced
3 jalapenos, chopped
2 chipotles in adobo, chopped
1 cup of chopped cilantro, plus additional for garnish

Soaking the Beans:
Fill a large bowl with room temperature water. Sort through the beans to ensure there are no pebbles in the beans. Put the pebble-free beans into the bowl. The water should cover the beans by at least an inch. Add more water if necessary. Soak for at least 8 hours, or overnight.

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Can we say pork products?

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Cooking the Beans:
Drain the water from the beans. Put the beans into a large stockpot. Cover with 7 cups of fresh water. Add the garlic, onion, jalapeno juice, and salt pork to the pot. Bring to boil, cover, and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 1 hour. Test the beans for doneness as the 1 hour mark approaches. The beans are done cooking when they are tender and no longer grainy. Remove salt pork and discard. Strain beans and onions from cooking liquid; reserve cooking liquid for later use.

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Making the Charra Sauce:
Saute the bacon in a large stockpot over medium heat until crispy. Add the tomatoes, jalapenos, chipotles in adobo, and cilantro to pot. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Let bacon mixture cool, add 1 cup of bacon cooking water and puree in a food processor. Return puree to saucepan and add in the cooked beans. Add 1 additional cup of cooking liquid and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve beans over rice. Garnish with additional cilantro if preferred. Makes 8 servings.

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Now Playing in the Kitchenette: The The / This Is the Day – Best. Song. Ever.

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