Purchase a 1-pound package of "Small Pink Beans" at your favorite store and follow these instructions. If you can find "Santa Maria Pinquito Beans, " all the better. We have seen them at the Nut Tree Restaurant Complex.

Wash and sort 2 1/2 (1 pound) cups of beans. Cover beans generously with water and soak in 4-quart crockpot overnight. Next morning, drain, rinse and refill with fresh water. Cook on high setting for 2 hours.

In the meantime, prepare the following ingredients.

1/2 lb. bacon, diced into 1/2 inch squares
1 lb. ground beef
1 lg. onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 pkg. prepared chili mix
1 can hot and spicy V-8 juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the bacon in a skillet until is not quite browned. Remove and drain. Add onion to bacon grease and cook until yellowed. Remove and drain. Drain off all the bacon grease. Cook the ground beef in same skillet until it is browned and in crumbled state. Remove and drain.

Add the cooked bacon, onion, and ground beef plus all the remaining ingredients in a large skillet. Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

At this time you can remove and hold in the refrigerator the mixture until the next morning when it can be added to the beans. You may also prepare this mixture the next morning and add to the beans without cooling.

When beans have boiled on high for a couple of hours. Use a turkey baster and remove most of the water in the beans while saving at least 2 cups of the solution. HINT: Use a small strainer below the baster opening to prevent the beans from plugging the nozzle. Add the prepared mixture to the crockpot. If the level of the fluid does not cover the beans, you can add either more V-8 juice or the solution you removed form the beans earlier. Cook on low for 8 hours until serving.

ADDITIONS OR CHANGES YOU CAN MAKE TO THIS RECIPE:

Use ham hocks instead of bacon.

Add bell peppers, chopped Ortega chili peppers or for real "spicy" beans, finely chopped jalapeno peppers.

Add additional chili powder if you want beans to have more of a chili flavor.

If you find your beans are to "salty, " add a raw peeled potato to the mixture while it is cooking. Remove the potato and dispose of before serving the beans.