I am not much of a morning person. Usually I crawl out from under my warm covers, interrupting cuddle time with my dog, to silently make coffee while the haze gradually (VERY gradually) clears from my eyes and I can join the world of the awake. Some mornings it takes all my strength not to hit the snooze button for the umpteenth time. Other mornings, residents of our apartment complex apparently think I need some extra early waking-up. They call taxis at 4:30am, loudly explaining where they need to go. Conveniently, this happens right outside our first floor bedroom window. As these exchanges occur, I’m typically imagining what would happen if I walked outside and gave them a piece of my mind. But I’m too tired to move, let alone yell at someone broken Japanese that doesn’t make any sense. Too much effort before the dawn has cracked.
This morning was classic. The dog had to be let out at about 3:00am, then an hour later a taxi pulled up outside followed by a 5 minute conversation that seemed to be happening in my room because the walls are paper thin. Then, at 7:00am, an ambulance drove by. At 8:30am I finally decided to give up trying to sleep and make some coffee and breakfast. I have to say that it was worth it. The smell of scones baking was enough to make me see the bright side of life.
Walking with Callie and looking at the beautiful plum blossoms that have been bursting over the past few days only made things better. Who can complain about a day that began with scones, coffee, and soaking in Japan’s beauty?
What are you favorite ways to begin a weekend morning?
*I used the pinewood boat, medium, from restaurantware.com in this post. You can purchase eco-friendly products like catering supplies and plastic plates from restaurantware.com and receive 10% off by entering the coupon code: tokyoterrace. For the dish used in this post, click here to purchase.
Cranberry-Citrus Whole Wheat Scones
Makes 1 dozen small scones
1 cup all-purpose or bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup dried cranberries
zest from 1 orange and 2 meyer lemons/1 regular lemon
8 tablespoons butter, frozen for about 30 minutes
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 egg
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, 200 degrees C.
In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda and powder, salt, sugar and cinnamon. Add the cranberries and zests. Use a cheese grater to add the butter. Break up the butter in the dry ingredients with your fingers until crumbly.
Combine the egg and yogurt in a small bowl and mix together with a fork. Add to the dry ingredients using a fork to combine. When the dough has begun to cling together but is still a combination of sticky and dry, use your hands to create a ball of dough.
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and gently knead until the dough’s consistency is nearly smooth. Form about an 8-inch round. Cut the dough into triangles and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
