Pinto Beans and Corn Bread

Recipe

Beans:

Rinse beans and soak in a bowl overnight.  Beans should remain covered with water

In morning, turn on an empty 2.5 quart slow cooker (crock pot) and allow to warm.  Line bottom and lower sides with bacon.

Drain and again rinse the beans.  Place in slow cooker, being careful to keep bacon against the sides of the crock pot.  Add water so that there is about 1/2 inch of water covering the beans.  Cover pot and cook on high setting for 6 to 8 hours, checking occasionally to see that beans remain slightly covered with water.  Add salt to taste shortly before serving, and stir to mix bacon into beans.  Beans should be served fairly soupy -- the liquid part should be about the consistency of heavy cream or just a bit stiffer.

Corn bread:

Preheat oven to 400°F. 

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.  Add milk, egg, and butter and mix well.  Do not add all the milk at once, but add until dry ingredients have become a "just moist" batter.

Place batter in the prepared baking pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes (edges and top should just be turning a light brown.)  Do not over bake as corn bread will become too dry.

Serve in a bowl with beans heaped on broken corn bread.