Cooking Improv

In an effort to build the Christmas spirit in the land of 90-degree days with a hot wind blowing and no chance of rain, let alone snow, we decided to have a Christmas movie marathon. We watched a different Christmas movie every night, ending with a "Jingle All the Way" and "It's a Wonderful Life" double feature. And what better meal to make it feel like Christmas, even if it doesn't, but chili and beans? I knew we didn't have corn chips, so I had Jesca make cornbread instead-- no biggie. I went to the grocery store to make sure I had everything I needed. A friend who owns a supermarket had given me several cans of stewed tomatoes, so that was taken care of. No canned tomato soup, but I can use tomato paste instead. Ground beef, check. Chili seasoning, done. All I needed was the beans. And there was the problem. I've never cooked beans from scratch, and I definitely didn't want to start now. I've bought canned beans in Arua before, but the day I went, there were none to be found. Anywhere. The only canned beans I could lay my hands on were baked beans. Oh, well, I guess it's better than nothing. And what's chili and beans with no beans??? So baked beans it was. Fortunately for me, the chili turned out great! I'm just glad my mom taught me how to improvise!