I have no idea why I've been craving beans of late. But it finally got to the point that I just had to make them, even though beans are supposed to be hours worth of cooking -- and work has been recently keeping me there until close to 8 or 9 every night.
But, I remembered to start the beans soaking before leaving the house in the morning and I also remembered to make use of the most important bean-cooking tip. Use not nearly as much water to cook them as you think!
Beans are interesting in that they cook faster in less water. You have to keep them at least covered by it, of course, but in no way do you need to use a large pot. Mine got done in just over an hour!
Added some chicken stock, chilli powder, cumin, oregano, garlic, and onions to the batch. And I held off the salt until the end (this also speeds the cooking a bit). Oh yeah, and some really great chipolte salsa called "Bufalo".
I served it with homemade tortilla chips and some finely shredded very sharp cheddar cheese. Boy did it hit the spot.