Pinto Beans

• 2 cans –  27 oz. pinto beans
• 6  oz.  thick sliced bacon (4 slices) diced into 1 inch pieces
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 1 medium green pepper, finely diced

Saute bacon, onion and pepper in heated  8 inch dutch oven until bacon is slightly brown and onion and pepper are soft.  Add beans with liquid from can.  If more liquid is needed, add chicken stock.  Simmer over fire for 1  1/2 to 2  hours.

Corn Bread ( from 1830 )

• 3 c.  stone ground corn meal
• 1 1/2    c.  white flour
• 1 T. sugar
• 2 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t.  salt
• 2 T. molasses  or  2  T. honey  or 1  T. of each 
• 4 eggs
• 3 c.  buttermilk
• 3 T. lard
• 3  T. veg. oil

While preheating 12 inch cast iron dutch oven to 375 degree(use oven thermometer inside oven , remove thermometer before adding batter to oven):

Combine dry ingredients.  Add molasses, oil and buttermilk to beaten eggs.  Add to dry ingredients and mix to combine.

Melt lard in preheated dutch oven, add ingredients to dutch oven.  Cover and bake for 30 minutes or until inserted knife comes out clean.

Fruit Crisp

• 1 box of yellow cake mix
• 1 cold stick butter cut into cubes
• 2 cans pie filling
• 1 1/4 c. chopped or finely diced walnuts

While heating 12 inch cast iron dutch oven to 375 degrees (using oven thermometer ):Remove from oven before adding ingredients’  Lightly grease dutch oven with cooking spray

Cut cold butter into cake mix and add nuts.   Add fruit to bottom of dutch oven.  Spread dry cake mix with cut in butter over top of fruit.

Bake in covered dutch oven for 30 minutes.