1. Soak the bean overnight. Rinse and drain.

2. Place all the stew ingredients in a crock pot on high for two hours, then turn to low. In lieu of a crockpot, cook covered in a large stew pot the same way-over high heat for two hours, then on a low simmer.

3. When the pork is tender, shred the meat and put it back in the pot. Continue cooking for a total of 8-10 hours over low heat, stirring occasionally. Uncover for the last hour prior to serving.

4. In individual serving bowls, ladle the stew over a bed of bite-size corn chips. Serve accompanied with bowls of toppings, including shredded lettuce, chopped onion, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese, sour cream and salsa.

salt to the stew while it cooks. Karen's Notes: I used black beans in place of pinto; salsa and sour cream bite-size baked Tostitos for the corn chips.