The Small Stuff & The Big Stuff with Mexican Charro Beans with Ham

Dress up pinto beans with a bit of bacon, leftover Easter ham, and pico de gallo salsa to make this Mexican Charro Beans with Ham recipe that’s stick-to-your-ribs delicious!

Happy Monday, Friends. Do you need inspiration for your leftover ham? I love this recipe that I made a while back from Bush’s Beans, because it’s a lovely side dish, main dish, or even delicious served in a wrap, and it includes ham!

I hope you enjoyed Easter and were filled with love and inspiration. This time of year brings so much introspection for me, with so much hope and newness of life. And with that comes spring cleaning, and looking at ways I can do things differently. I don’t know about you, but I never want to stop being inspired, and changing to improve myself in areas where I know I need to. When we don’t live our lives this way, I really think we get into ruts.

Mexican Charro Beans with Ham.

I also get into ruts with cooking. I love the simplicity and taste of this easy recipe today, made with beans, leftover ham, and salsa.

You can serve it as a main dish (on rice), side dish (with chicken), or even in a wrap. Or, how about as a quick snack? I eat several snacks throughout the day. Mini meals are the best!

The small stuff.

My days are filled with long to-do lists, as I’m sure yours are as well.

I know I need to focus my time and energy on things that I’m passionate about. With that comes a level of time management, and organization, to keep me from getting distracted (easy to do). I don’t want to waste myself on small stuff, but want to accomplish the big stuff. But sometimes the small stuff is necessary (like taxes, yard word, cleaning the house, dishes, laundry), so once I can get those crossed off my list, I can move on to bigger things.

Over the weekend I was spring cleaning my living room, removing all the cushions from the sofa and vacuuming every nook and cranny. Plus I got the nozzle and vacuumed the cobwebs from the window seals and walls. I don’t know how we get so many cobwebs, but we do. I think bugs love our house, and spiders love the high ceilings, where they go to town creating their beautiful webs.

The big stuff.

I was thinking about this quote when I was at yoga on Saturday morning. It’s an hour and a half class, so there is lots of time to meditate. I love to turn my meditation into prayers for things I know I should improve on, and things that God is showing me. I don’t mean chores and my “to-do” list, but deep heart issues.

Others are affected by what I am and say and do. And these others have also these spheres of influence. So that a single act of mine may spread in widening circles through a nation of humanity. —William Ellery Channing

That, to me, is the big stuff.

It’s scary sometimes to think how we are accountable for our time, and how we use it. For friends who know me well, and my passion for hosting dinner parties, that to me, when it involves people and food, is the big stuff.

There’s a lot that happens when you host a gathering. I’m not talking about all the details of cooking and planning, but the big stuff, like when the people arrive, and life begins to happen around the table.

Sometimes the food begins to take a back seat, but that is okay with me.

Our circles widen, our influence spreads, good things begin to happen.

Do you think about the influence that you have on others, and how to use it for good?

Mexican Charro Beans with Ham

Use leftover ham for this delicious side or main dish recipe. A BUSH’S® Beans recipe.

Yield: 8

Total Time: 30 minutes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 slices uncooked bacon chopped
• 1 cup diced precooked ham
• 14 ounces prepared Pico de Gallo sauce
• 4 cups BUSH’S® Pinto Beans
• 1 medium onion
• 1 pinch Salt to taste

Directions:

1. In large skillet, fry bacon with diced ham. When done, add Pico de Gallo and saute (approximately one minute). Add beans and all ingredients to stock pot.
2. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Add small amount of water as needed. Add salt to taste.

From Bush’s Beans.

All images and text ©Sandy Coughlin for Reluctant Entertainer.

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