I've eaten them since I was old enough for solid food, and honestly, my folks must be doing it wrong b/c I really don't care for them.
When my dad's feeling lazy he'll just zip the top off a can and dig in like it's the most wonderful thing ever.
His taste may be clouded by being raised in a dirt poor tobacco-farming community that survived the Great Depression on the things, or perhaps I just lack the frame of reference having come up in abundant times.
Usually we ate pintos with boiled cabbage or greens and cornbread (cast iron skillet, hell, dad found one in the woods one time, cleaned it up, and it's been his primary for about 15 yrs).
This reminds me of interesting discussions with the wife concerning "Soul Food" vs. "Tuesday Night Growing Up", but I digress.
What with all the "SHTF/TEOTWAWKI/ZOMGZ!!!!" threads and people buying pintos by the ton, I wonder if I'm a mutant, or if there's a trick I need to know.
I love black-eyed peas, black beans, and can stomach kidney beans in stand-alone chili (no beans should ever touch a hot dog IMO, it's a local thing).
Red beans and rice were like crack once I discovered it, I also enjoy refried beans and don't really know how they go from icky pintos to brown sludge of yum.
But seriously, can someone PLEASE school me on how to properly prepare this culinary delight?
Pinto connoisseurs, I require assistance!
(I'll cook up the 3 most promising suggestions per your specs and include them in my 1st Ever Dinner Pic!)