Best Homemade Refried Beans Ever!

I got this recipe for homemade refried beans at a recent Enrichment, I mean Relief Society Meeting meeting, courtesy of realmomkitchen.com.  It is AMAZING!  One try and you will never go back to boring ol' refried mush from a can.  Once you make them, you can use them in burritos, tacos, salads, or whatever you use refried beans with.  Here is the recipe:

3 cups dry pinto beans (rinsed)

1 onion, diced

9 cups of water

5 teaspoons salt (I used less - because you can always add more)

1 3/4 teaspoon pepper

2 T minced garlic (I used about 1 - it's totally up to you)

1/8 teaspoon cumin

Put all ingredients in a crockpot and cook on high for about 8 hours.  After they are done, drain all of the liquid out, saving the liquid!  Mash beans with a potato masher (I put mine in the blender because my beans were a little old) or whatever you mash with.  Add liquid, a bit at a time, to desired consistency.  Makes about 6 cups.  Freezes well.  Love 'em!

Five Dinners in One Hour (Really) and a Giveaway!

Do you ever get tired of trying to come up with something to cook for dinner every night?  Or am I the only one?  Actually, if truth be told (and that is what we are into here at Musings of a Mother), what I get really tired of is NOT cooking dinner, or not knowing what is for dinner, or staring at the refrigerator at 5 or 6 o'clock and thinking we have nothing to eat for dinner and we are going to have cold cereal again!

I have tried every system I can find, from The Food Nanny, to Simplify Supper, to cooking a months worth of food in one day - never again - to simply doubling everything I make, to actually, well, having cold cereal just about every night for dinner.

Well, Michelle, over at Make 5 Dinners in One Hour has literally saved me.  She puts together a shopping list, menu, assembly and cooking instructions in one handy little packet, all good for one weeks worth of dinners.  If you go over to her site, you can click on a link and Michelle will send you one week free so you can try her system.  I tried it last week and let me tell you, it works!  Her meals are very good, her recipes are easy, and it really does take just one hour to put it all together.  My kids even enjoy helping me put together the meals.  I can't tell you how nice it was to have 5 meals lined up in the refrigerator (or freezer) ready to go.

Michelle charges $15.00 for a three months subscription (that is only $1.25 per menu).  But she has given me two one month meal plans to give away!  For a chance to win, leave a comment below (come on, I am dying to see some comments from my dedicated readers!).  That's it!  I will choose a winner by Friday, July 8th of this week.  Good luck and thanks Michelle!