Easy Beans

Re-fried Beans (Without the Re-fry)
1 onion, peeled and halved
3 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed
1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded & chopped
2 T. minced garlic
5 t. salt
1 3/4 t. black pepper
1/8 t. ground cumin
9 cups of water

Directions:
Place the onion, rinsed beans, jalapeno, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin into a slow cooker. Pour in the water and stir to combine. Cook on High for 8 hours, adding more water as needed. Note: if more than 1 cup of water has evaporated during cooking, then the temperature is too high.
Once the beans have cooked, strain them, and reserve the liquid. Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding the reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency.

From: http://spergerswoman.blogspot.com/2010/04/easy-beans.html