Chocolatey-burnt black beans

I often eat black beans and brown rice with a nice side of sour cream and salsa. It is easy to make, tasty, and deliciously filling: a nice lunch to bring to work.

Last night, I cooked rice in a pot (because our rice cooker has been dropped one-too-many times by my main man Squeeze) - it went well. Pre-rice cooker, I could never get rice right; now I realize it was because I never put enough water in the pot. (I've been trying to learn how to cook the last few years.)

I boiled black beans simultaneously; but since they take longer to cook and I was distracted by our new obsession - Twin Peaks, I burnt the crap out of them. I only noticed because of the terrible smell wafting in from the kitchen. I ran in, doused them with fresh water, and went back to Twin Peaks. I am hooked. I can see why the show (and subsequent movie) was an instant cult classic - it is filled with atmosphere, intrigue, humor, endearing characters, mystery, and has a certain sultriness to it. I can't stop thinking about it. All the red hues, the throw-back to 40's glamour, and the music - it is fabulous. I highly recommend it.

Back to the black beans, I've discovered I can eat just about anything - if it was me who cooked it (the exception being the split pea soup that smelled like rotted carcass when we were first married). In addition to hating waste, there is something about the work going into food that makes me able to stomach just about anything. (Honestly though - I've worked myself into being a pretty good cook. I swear it!!)

Anyway, so - like usual, I combined the rice and beans, added a little salt and pepper, and brought the concoction to work today for my noon meal and made the most interesting discovery:

Black beans, once burnt, taste chocolatey in the charred kind of way. It was, as my father-in-law says, "Nummy-nummy-good-good". I probably won't make a habit out of it, but I'm not complaining about this particular botch-up. It tastes good!