Sissie's Beans

Sissie is my grandmother. She died about 4 years ago, but I think of her every day. She loved birds, gardening, and cooking. Birds scare me, and I have the opposite of a green thumb. But I do love to cook. Sissie's signature dishes were biscuits and gravy for breakfast and brisket and beans for super.

Biscuits and Gravy.... I can't make the gravy. I have tried and it just hasn't worked out. My mom makes GREAT gravy that tastes just like Sissie's, so she is going to have to teache me how to do that.

Brisket.... my cousin Dana and Aunt Nita make brisket just like Sissie's, they will have to teach me that. I have a lot of learning to do!

Beans... I can say, I make Sissie beans almost as well as Sissie used to. The most important part of making beans is the pot. I am lucky enough to have Sissie's special pot. It needs to be BIG, have a cover, and seasoned.

The ingredients are simple...

• dry pinto beans (small or medium package)
• 4-6 slices uncooked bacon
• sugar
• salt

The steps are also simple...

1. Pour beans into a colander and pick through them, taking out all the rocks and "bad beans" (the ones that look wrinkled and old, etc)
2. Rinse and put into a BIG pot. Fill pot with water enough to cover the beans plus a little more
3. Bring to a boil
4. Reduce heat to medium, put in uncooked bacon, sprinkle sugar and salt on top. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring often.
5. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 2-3 hours on low. You may need to add more water so the beans do not get too dry and burn.

Serve on white, Mrs. Baird's bread.