Hillman Family Recipes

My little family has refried beans in a few different dishes and I decided to try to make our own from our dried pinto beans.  We really like the flavor of this recipe, which we found on the blog, Near to Nothing .  These are made in the crock pot, so it is pretty easy. 2 lb. dry pinto beans (about 5 C) 1/2-3/4 large onion, roughly chopped 8 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed 3 T cumin 1/2 T dried oregano 12 C water 4 t salt In a large crock pot, place all ingredients except  salt. Cook on high for 5-6 house, until beans are very tender, adding water as needed to keep beans covered.  Ladle out 4 C cooking liquid; reserve.  Stir in salt.  Mash beans with back of spoon or potato masher or in a food processor.  Add reserved liquid as needed for proper consistency.  Freeze in an air-tight container.  Makes about 12 C. Note: I freeze these in portions for each dinner (3/4 C-2 C) in freezer bags. An easy way to fill the bags is to pla...

I had this at my sister's, Marni, house. It was so great on our Cinco de Mayo Mexican salads. 1/8 C lime juice (about 2-3 juicy limes) 1/8 C white wine vinegar or rice vinegar 1 t sugar 1/2 C canola oil 1/4 C cilantro, roughly chopped, stems removed In the jar of your blender, combine lime juice, vinegar, and sugar. Blend until ingredients are completely combined. With the blender running, add the oil in a steady stream. Add cilantro and blend until the cilantro has broken down but still maintains some of its texture. Serve with greens, on any type of Mexican salad, or use as a marinade.

My sister, Lindsey, requests this cake from her mother-in-law every year on her birthday.  She says it tastes like "chocolate chips reincarnated."  Yum! Preheat oven 425 . 2 1/2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips 1/2 C butter 4 large eggs, separated 1 1/2 t flour 1 1/2 t sugar 1 t hot water 1. Melt chocolate chips and butter together. 2. Beat in egg yolks one at a time. 3. Add flour, sugar and water to the mixture. 4. Beat egg whites until stiff and then fold into the chocolate mixture. 5. Spoon batter into greased  8" round pan lined with parchment paper. 6. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes.  Note: it won't look done in the center. 7. Cool on rack and then refrigerate until served.  Top with a dab of whipped cream.