There's also Carol's recipe for Southwestern Corn Relish (no black beans, but I'm sure you could add those just before serving). Southwest Corn Relish Tuesday, October 11, 2005 The Oregonian Makes 6 to 7 pints This condiment is a delightfully corny blend of tang and heat. The jalapeno chiles are tiny islands of spicy flavor that can be avoided by folks with more sensitive palates because they are relatively large in size. The relish is great to have on hand to top a platter of nachos or other Southwest-flavored dishes, or to scatter over green salads. It's also wonderful stirred into rice, along with a bit of cheese and a dollop of sour cream.  20 ears sweet corn (to yield 21/2 quarts -- 10 cups -- of corn kernels)  2 cups chopped yellow onion  1 cup chopped green bell pepper  1 cup chopped red bell pepper  1 cup seeded and chopped Anaheim chiles  3 jalapeno chiles, stems removed and sliced into very slender rings  1 cup chopped celery  4 cups cider vinegar  11/2 cups water  3/4 cup granulated sugar  1 tablespoon salt  2 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds  1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds  2 teaspoons celery seeds If you plan to store the corn relish in jars at room temperature, wash 7 pint canning jars; keep hot until needed. Prepare lids as manufacturer directs. If you want to store it in the refrigerator, follow the directions below. Cut kernels from enough ears of corn to measure 21/2 quarts of kernels. Add the corn to a large, heavy-bottomed pot, along with the onion, bell peppers, chiles, celery, vinegar, water, sugar and salt. Make a spice pouch for the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and celery seeds with several layers of cheesecloth or a clean square of cotton fabric (from a clean T-shirt or a handkerchief, for example) tied with string. Add the pouch of spices to the pot and stir to mix up the ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is slightly thickened but there is still plenty of vinegar solution remaining, about 20 to 30 minutes. Retrieve the spice pouch and, before removing it, press it firmly against the side of the pot with the back of your spoon to extract as much flavor as possible. To store in the refrigerator: Place the hot relish in plastic freezer containers or glass jars, cover with tightfitting lids and refrigerate for 6 months or longer (quality may suffer after that, but the relish will be safe to eat). For long-term storage at room temperature: Ladle the hot relish into 1 hot jar at a time, leaving 1/2-inch head space. Wipe jar rim with a clean, damp cloth. Attach lid. Fill and close remaining jars. Process in a boiling-water canner for 10 minutes (15 minutes at 1,000 to 6,000 feet; 20 minutes above 6,000 feet). Jan Roberts-Dominguez

Here's the one I use: Navy Bean Soup From Food Network Kitchens 1 lb navy beans, picked over, rinsed and drained 10 sprigs parsley 2 sprigs fresh thyme 1 bay leaf 2 large smoked ham hocks, about 1-1/2 lb 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped 1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped 8 c cold water 1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper Butter for garnish Place beans in a large saucepan and cover with cold water by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, remove from heat, cover and let sit for one hour. Drain and reserve. Tie parsley, thyme and bay leaf together with kitchen twine. In large soup pot or dutch oven, combine the beans, herb bundle, hocks, onions and garlic with the water. Bring to a boil, cover and adjust the heat so that the soup cooks at a gentle simmer. Cook until the beans and hocks are completely tender, about 1-1/2 hours. Turn off heat and remove hocks. Cool slightly. Remove meat from hocks, discarding the bones, fat and skin. Cut meat into small cubes. Remove herb bundle from soup and discard. Puree about 3 cups of the beans with some of the liquid in a blender. (For a smooth soup, you may puree all the beans). Stir the puree and diced meat into the soup. Heat the soup and adjust seasoning as needed with salt & pepper. Ladle into heated bowls, place a small pat of butter on top of each bowl of soup, serve. Linda

WAX BEAN SALAD: Ingredients: 1/2 lb. wax beans, cooked until crisp tender 3 green onions, chopped 1 sm. diced red or green sweet pepper 3 tbsp. oil 1 tbsp. wine vinegar 1/4 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. pepper 1 tbsp. chopped parsley 1/4 tsp. oregano Directions: Combine all ingredients, toss and refrigerate 1 hour at least.

I (don't cringe) put a little bacon grease in my pan and get it hot and stir the beans around in that, you can add chopped garlic or onions or both. Add water and simmer until tender. Add about a teaspoon of sugar and salt to taste after they are tender. If you don't have bacon grease substitute olive oil.