My husband knows how to make beans taste really, really good.   His mom does too.   I have never been that good at it, probably a lot of that has to do with the fact that I rarely try!

But  now, since my diet (which is still working well, by the way!) calls for lots of beans,  I need to try a lot more often!   And in order for me to do that, I have to find a way to LIKE them.  

I asked James to show me how to make some beans the way he makes them...that way I can start making them more often.   He also can make them in less than 2 hours without even soaking them beforehand.   He chose northern beans and used about half a bag, added water and a pork neck, then set it to boil.    I had previously sauteed onions and jalapenos earlier that day, and he added them to the pot.    That really added some flavor!  He let them boil, checking the water level and stirring the beans every 20 minutes or so, for about 1 hour, then turned it down and let it simmer for less than an hour, when they were really soft.  

He added cayenne pepper, regular pepper, and salt to the pot of beans.     I am not usually a fan of beans, but I honestly couldn't get enough of these.  They were absolutely delicious! 

Oh, if you make these, don''t forget to add a carrot to the beans, then remove the carrot once it's finished- it's supposed to keep the beans from causing gas.    Don't let anyone eat the carrot!