I was trying to use up some of the odd-and-end things that I had leftover in the kitchen this week (mostly to start making room for Christmas foods), and one of the ways that I like to do that is with a nice pot of homemade beans.

Black beans are one of out family favorites, in fact for several years there it was one of the only sources of protein that I could manage to get my little girl to eat. She was basically a vegan for the first four years of her life, by her own choice of course. She's always had a pretty sensitive palette, especially when it comes to spice, so I'll blame it on that.

Beans have always been in her 'safe zone' so, I've made myself rather familiar with making beans in my crock pot over the years. I've found that beans are one of my favorite and most versatile ingredients...