Pumpkin cranberry scones non butter

Mornings are getting cooler, and today was a bit chilly.

On such days, i really need hot soup to start my day,

so cabbage & tomato herb soup was for breakfast.

topped with fried onions ( lovingly made by mum~ brought a BIG bottle home)

And, for my mid morning break...

Freshly baked pumpkin cranberry scones

Autumn cakes are out all over in the stores & each time i have my tea break at some cafe, there is always something pumpkin. This pumpkin scone that i had twice at starbucks was so addictive I so wanted to make some on my own! The ones at starbucks were filled with raisins, but since i dont have any in my stock, i filled them with cranberries. which was good too!

I simply love scones because it is like having bread in a cookie, but popping too many at a go, also means too much calories since it is usually made with quite a bit of butter. But this version i learnt from a book is totally butter free, and just as yummy! the replacement, egg yolk and condensed milk.

Makes 5

• Flour 117g
• Pumpkin flakes 23g
• Cornflour 20g
• Baking powder 1tbs strong
• Salt 2/5 tsp
• 1 Egg yolk
• 1tbs condensed milk or milk jam
• 30g brown sugar
• 50ml milk
• Cranberries (as much you like)

Stir well the wet ingredients with the brown sugar, and mix into the sifted dry ingredients.

Soaking the cranberries with the wet ingredients helps soften the dried fruit a bit.

Divide the dough into 5 triangle pieces (or using the mouth of a jar, round pieces). Brush some milk on each piece and bake at 180degC for 15min.

Js after work super late coffe break

I was standing in the kitchen for quite a long time today.

Peeling off the shells and skins off chestnuts.

YES, they are in season already!!!

My fingers really hurt, but at the end of the day...

Smelling the chestnut rice just made the pain dissappear

the sweet chestnuts are absolutely appetising. J had an extra large serving of rice

and... a dish which is just so comforting on a cold day

Nikujaga

which literally means meat & potatoes.

This is a really simple shoyu simmered beef and potatoes dish, but took me some time to get the hang of making it. The ratio of sake, shoyu and mirin (sweet wine) and timing of simmering.

I figured, simmering the onions, potatoes & carrots in sweet broth (just broth and sugar or mirin), till soft, then adding the meat & shoyu lastly makes a HUGE difference. Reason being, simmering the potatoes in shoyu makes the potatoes too salty and adding the meat in too early makes the beef slices hard.

My version of nikujaga

3 medium potatoes

1/2 a carrot

1 large onion

100g thinly sliced lean beef

300ml dashi (clear broth)

1tbs sake

1 and half tbs brown sugar

2 tbs shoyu

Pour dashi & sake & sugar into pot, bring to boil the onions, potatoes & carrots and simmer with a droplid on low heat for 20min.

Bring heat to high, and add beef & shoyu. Simmer for 2 mins.

Serve with blanched french beans or sweet peas.

And salad today took a bit of time too...

Okara salad

This took a bit of time because the vegetables had to be simmered before adding okara to the pot. But Okara being soy pulp, together with all the vegetables is really a fibre powerhouse. And the both of us love this salad so much, we gobble down quite a lot each time. which is good =)

Weather forcast says some parts of Tokyo will go as low as below 10deg in the wee hours of the morning tommorrow. Time to watch my blanket.