On a cold winters night

Mother Nature has been fooling us a little this year as there hasn’t been much weather that suggests its winter. But the recent rain (I have been doing my rain dance every night, religiously) has out me in the mood for a nice, hearty winter meal. This recipe is staple in our house and was crafted by my Grandma Helen Bacigalupi. My mom tells me that Buckaroo is also a term of endearment for a cowboy! Who would have thought that it is also a tasty bean? Enjoy this dish with a nice bottle of John Tyler 2004 Zinfandel!

To start you need 2 ½ cups dry pinto beans. Wash, and pick out any rocks or unsightly beans. Add 6 cups water to the beans and soak overnight. After soaking overnight measure the water the beans were in and then rinse. Add back in fresh water to equal the amount that was measured.

Place the beans with the water in a heavy gauge pot with:
1 large onion coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves mashed
1 bay leave
1/2 pound smoked ham, salt pork or slab bacon. (Can put bacon rind or any left over bone in ham i.e.: honey sliced ham bone with some attached meat)
2 cups solid pack tomatoes
½ cup green pepper chopped
2 tsp chili powder or more
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
½ Tsp dry mustard
¼ tsp crushed oregano
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper

*Cover and simmer for 1 ½ – 2 hours on the stove top or may also place in pressure cooker for 20 minutes.
Pressure cooking saves time by cooking a wide variety of foods in 1/3 to 1/10 time it would take for stove top cooking.

A holiday recipe

From our Kitchen to Yours!
Persimmion Cookies
Fall is officially here and it is one of my favorite times of year. The leaves on the vines are changing colors and the weather is just starting to get cooler. One fruit that we always have in abundance on the ranch are Persimmons. This fruit although not well known is a great addition to many dishes. The following recipe is my own creation, a little twist on the traditional chocolate chip cookie. To view our wines that pair perfectly with all our recipes go to http://www.johntylerwines.com
~Pam Bacigalupi

Ingridients
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cup persimmon pulp
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cups walnuts– optional

Directions
Melt butter and combine with sugars.
Beat in eggs and vanilla.
Combine dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture along with the Persimmion pulp.
Stir in chocolate chips (nuts and raisins optional).
Drop by tsp on greased baking sheets.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes