This Global Kitchen | Day 25: Botswana
Hi! My name is Sarah Witt. I've been a full time missionary in Botswana Africa now for 15 years. I've been married to my husband Kevin for 21 years and we have three children Andrew, Piper, and Isaac. We serve with a ministry called Word to Africa which focuses on discipleship and reaching the un-reached. I am a Revelation Wellness Instructor as well and use that as a ministry tool to bring fitness and the gospel together. I love to cook, bake, and fellowship... so our kitchen is the natural “hub” of our home and where I spend a lot of my time.
We just moved in January to a home that needed a lot of TLC. The kitchen is a lot of make shift and we used what we had. It's not ideal, but I've also learned to make it work and still find joy in there doing the things I love.
Welcome to the hub of the Witt Home. I have two entrance spots to my kitchen as our home is well, quirky. Our table really is a gathering place not only for meals, but homework, mentoring and my morning quiet time place.
Because our people spend a lot of time here, I like to have things that we believe as a family. Choose Joy is one of my favorite phrases and well, I remind my kids often....”check your heart”....so these two phrases remind us daily! And what's that cord hanging down you ask?
It's to my PLUG IN ceiling fan! Not many can say they have a ceiling fan that plugs into the outlet, but my kitchen does! As you can also see I have a tin/zinc roof that will soon be covered with a proper ceiling, but let's just say all types of things dust down onto your surfaces and food when you don't really have a proper ceiling. It's a quirky kitchen for sure!
As of now, I don't have a lot of counter space so the kitchen table also acts as as prep station. I was gifted a Kitchen Aid mixer from a missionary friend who left the field. For so long I had wanted one but as you know, they are heavy! I couldn't contain my excitement when she said she was leaving me hers, along with a lot of other things she knew I would love and use. Community is a beautiful thing!
Once our kitchen is remodeled I'll have an actual “farmhouse style” sink that I brought over from the US (so yes, I can say I have literally packed the kitchen sink!) but for now this works! Our “Big Berkey” has also been a staple in our missionary life, traveling the world with us and keeping our water safe for drinking! It's a must have for every overseas person!
The view out my kitchen window. My husband likes to garden so sink water, shower water, and washing machine water all lead out to help keep our garden watered! It's not the most beautiful of views, but I also like my little seedling pots in the window and the sun is usually always shining here!
Because this mom runs off of coffee, I visit this spot often. All my coffee mugs mean something and that's not even all of them. They remind me of people and places that I love! Sometimes it's small things like this that can change my day around when I am sad or missing the other side of the world.
My Must Haves For My Expat Kitchen:
For me my #1 must have in my kitchen and most recommended item for anyone moving overseas is our British Berkfield Big Berkey Water Filter. This thing has literally traveled all over the world with us and paid for itself 100 times over in convenience and water drinking. We actually have two, a larger one and a regular sized one. They aren't cheap, but they are easy to travel with as they break down easily and the water filters inside can last a long time with routine maintenance. Easy!
Second must haves are my Electric Hot Water Kettle (I miss this the most when I go back to the US... microwave water/ stove top water just is too slow!!!) and a Stainless Steel French Press. I have two. I can't tell you how many glass ones I went through before I just went with the stainless steel and like the Berkey, they have traveled all over the world with us. If you're a coffee drinker, it's such an easy way to have coffee even on the go if your traveling! You can get various variety and sizes on Amazon for around $25.
Also, the instapot! We use that and our crock pot weekly! I was able to get both of those here in Botswana with 220volts.
My Favorite Expat friendly Recipe:
Crazy Cake
by Sarah | TakingRoute.net
This cake has become a family favorite and is SO easy to put together quick. It has no eggs or butter and we usually always make sure we have the ingredients on hand. My kids love to make this one and can do it without my help! Our friends in Botswana have dubbed this "Sarah Cake".
- 3 Cups Flour
- 2 Cups Sugar
- 1/3 Cocoa Powder
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 Tb. white vinegar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2/3 Cups Oil
- 2 Cups Water
Mix your dry ingredients and add your liquid ingredients and mix together well! Easy! Pour batter into a greased cake pan and bake at 350/190 degrees for 20 minutes. You can literally double and triple this recipe to feed a large group. It makes great cupcakes as well. We usually just dust icing sugar/powdered sugar over the top, but you can also frost with your favorite icing as well.