This Global Kitchen | Day 28: Egypt
Hi! My name is Kristin! I live with my husband and three kids in Cairo, Egypt. This is our eighth year living in Cairo. My husband and I are teachers at an American International school here, and our kids attend school with us. It's great to all be together at school each day! I've come to love this dusty, busy, noisy city, and we all call it home.
Here's my kitchen!
A fun fact about kitchens in Egypt - apartments and homes here don't come with a kitchen. Kitchens are like furniture - you have to purchase and install them yourself. And when it's time to leave... you take your kitchen with you! Yep...not just your appliances, but your cabinets and counters as well! Thankfully when I left my last house, our landlord purchased our kitchen from us and we didn't have the added pressure of trying to sell our kitchen piece by piece.
I'm super fortunate to have a kitchen that is open to the rest of my main floor. Most kitchens in Egypt are boxed rooms down a hallway (in the past, it was considered rude to have the smells and sights of the kitchen for your guests to experience). Although this is the smallest kitchen I've had since living here, I absolutely cannot complain about the open concept. And, it doubles as a lego-building station, so...bonus!
Depending on the week, this cabinet does or does not have a door attached. This week...no door.
I hauled over a crockpot AND an instant pot throughout the years. It's been worth every ounce of suitcase weight. I'm still hooked on my crockpot, so if anyone has amazing IP recipes that will win me over, please send them my way!
I've had this oven through multiple house moves in Cairo. In the past, I had gas canisters that I had to get filled when they ran out. I was thrilled to find that our current house had piped gas. However, for some reason (that no Egyptians have ever been able to help me solve), the temperature in my oven will not regulate. Often it gets over 500 degrees fahrenheit if I leave the door closed! So I have to self-regulate while I'm cooking by opening and closing the door. This definitely makes baking cookies a challenge.
This tile was here when we moved in. BBQ? A to-do list? Coffee? A random assortment of kitchen items all over my tiles.
I'm so grateful to not be closed off from my family and friends while cooking. And I love having a window in my kitchen!
My Must Have for My Expat Kitchen:
As I mentioned above, I love my CrockPot and Instapot. They were worth every ounce of luggage weight!
My Favorite Expat friendly Recipe:
Maple Chicken Breakfast Sausage
by Kristin | TakingRoute.net
I live in a no-pork country, and this really does the trick for our family! We use the crumbled meat in egg quiche/casseroles, egg burritos, scrambled eggs, or on its own. I like to freeze half the mixture once it's cooked to save for an easy meal later. Originally from peaceloveandlowcarb.com.
- 2 lbs ground chicken (or turkey, or even beef)
- 3 Tbsp maple syrup (pancake syrup works fine)
- 2 tsp Himalayan pink salt (or table salt)
- 1 3/4 tsp rubbed sage
- 1 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix until ingredients are well incorporated. (I find it's best to let this mixture sit all day or overnight to let the flavors meld together). Options for cooking:
- form into 2 oz patties by rolling into balls and then flattening
- cook crumbled like ground beef
Heat a skillet over medium heat. Lightly oil the skillet. Place patties or meat into the pan, cook until browned and cooked all the way through.
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