Easter recipes

Garlic has a strong smell that lingers on the hands and breath for hours. This can be neutralised  by chewing fresh parsley or mint, drinking a glass of yoghurt or milk, chewing spearmint chewing gum, flossing and brushing teeth. Lettuce, apples, lemon juice, green tea and water can also work. 

Hot cross buns
l  2 packages active dry yeast or 2 cakes compressed yeast
l  1/3 cup water
l  1/3 cup milk, scalded 
l  ½ cup vegetable oil or melted shortening 
l  1/3 cup sugar
l  ¾ teaspoon salt
l  3 ½ to 4 cups sifted wheat flour
l  ½ to 1 teaspoon cinnamon
l  3 beaten eggs
l  2/3 cups currants
l  1 slightly beaten egg white
l  Sifted icing sugar  
Method
l  Soften the active dry yeast in warm water or compressed yeast in lukewarm water. Combine milk, vegetable oil, sugar and salt and cool until lukewarm.

l  Stir together, 1 cup of the flour and the cinnamon; stir into the milk mixture. Add the eggs and beat well.
l  Stir in the softened yeast along with the currants before adding the remaining flour (or a little more or less to make soft dough.) Cover with a damp cloth and let rise let rise in a warm place till double. This could take an hour or less or eve more depending on the temperature. Punch down.
l  Roll or pat dry out to ½ inch on a lightly floured surface and cut in rounds with a 2 ½ inch biscuit cutter. Shape in buns and place on a greased baking sheet about 1 ½ inches apart. 

l  Cover and let rise in a warm place till almost double. If you so desire, cut shallow cross in each bun with a sharp scissors or knife. 
l  Brush tops with egg white and bake at 375 d FH for about 12 minutes until done.
l  Add icing sugar about ¾ cups to the remaining egg white and use this as a frosting for piping crosses on warm buns. 

Eggs in toast cups
You will need some day old bread so be sure to plan ahead. Trim crusts from slices of day old bread and brush both sides with melted butter or margarine. Fit each into a custard cup or a large muffin pan will do. Toast in a slow oven (325 d FH) for 15 minutes and remove from oven.
Break an egg into each toast cup and season with salt and pepper and dot with butter. Cover with aluminum foil paper and return to oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until done. 

Get hold of a spatula, and loosen toast from sides of cups or muffin pans. Serve hot. 
NB. Or poach eggs and serve in toast cups. 

Toast blintzes 
Blintzes are thin pancakes that typically lack a leavening agent similar to crepes, not to be confused with blinis that are typically thicker and container a leavening agent. 
l  16 slices good salted either white or brown bread. 
l  3 tablespoons milk, 1 cup cottage cheese
l  3 tablespoons melted butter or margarine. 2 cups sweetened sliced strawberries or use tinned if fresh is unavailable

Method:
l  Using a cookie cutter, cut 3-inch rounds from the bread and brush the top edge of the bread rounds with milk. 
l  Put 2 tablespoons of cottage cheese in the centre of each 8 rounds and place plain round, milk-brushed side downBrush the tops with butter.
l  Toast on a baking sheet in a hot oven (400 d FH) for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Makes 8 Blintzes or 4 servings.