Unwrap the true spirit of Christmas

On day 11 of the True Spirit of Christmas Trip, Kirsten and team took some special cooking lessons from Joyce, the recipient of a goat from World Vision’s Gift Catalog. Of course, their favorite part was enjoying their delicious baked creation at the end.

 

The kitchen is hot, and the smoke is causing my eyes to well up to the point where I cannot see. But Joyce hums happily away, working as hard as ever.

I talked to my mom, and we are going to try these scones out for Christmas Eve breakfast. Facebook me back if you test out the recipe — and let me know how it goes!

Ours had a nice crunchy crust on the outside and an amazing moist, tasty center. The sugar content was perfect, because they didn’t taste overly sweet, but you almost tasted a hint of honey.

Preparation not included in this recipe: walking a half-mile to fetch and return with heavy water.

Recipe: ‘Scone-mazing’

I am not exaggerating when I tell you that the scones I ate today were among some of the best-tasting scones I have had. It was just as Joyce said; she has created a recipe with the perfect balance of sugar and salt.

Without any further ado, here is the recipe as shared with me by Joyce.

Add the following to a clean, dry container:

• One bag of flour (2.5 kg)
• 3 handfuls of sugar
• 1 tsp of salt
• 2 tsp of baking powder

Mix these dry ingredients together. Add 1 cup of cooking oil, and mix well. Add water until you get the right texture — about 1 cup. Pour into a muffin pan. Bake in wood-fire oven until ready. Check regularly.

I asked Joyce three questions about the scones while we cooked: Where did she come up with the idea to make scones, how often did she cook them, and where did she sell them?

Joyce told me that a few other women in her village make scones, and that once she could afford to buy baking materials (because of the sale of a baby goat), she learned from these neighbors. It is known that her scones are the best because she has tested and balanced out the mixture over time.

Twice a week, Joyce makes about 60 scones. She makes them in a small pan, so the cooking process takes well over half a day.

Joyce sells her scones to a family who have a small hut that sells a few items at the clean water well. This well is a congregating point, as everyone goes there at least once a day. Joyce brings her scones to the hut, where they are bought for the equivalent of 10 cents each.

If you do the math, you will realize that Joyce is still just scraping by. But to see her smile, to follow her on a tour of her goat hut, maize farm, home, and kitchen, you would never know. Joyce has come a long way, she is healthy, her children are in school (two are sponsored through World Vision), she has a safe house for herself and her children, and she has the goats.

If anything goes wrong, she can sell a goat to feed or care for herself and her family. She hasn’t named the goats, but she does admit she has a few favorites, and she treats them all like special pets — because the goats have helped to change her life.

Help change even more lives — give a goat today!