[1] Enjoy hot cross buns for breakfast on Good Friday, and at tea time or coffee break all Easter weekend (photo courtesy King Arthur Flour).

Hot cross buns are sweet yeast buns made with raisins or currants, and decorated with a cross.

The cross, symbolizing the Crucifixion, was originally made with knife cuts in the dough. Today it’s piped or spooned on with icing.

The buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF HOT CROSS BUNS

The first recorded use of the term “hot cross bun” appears in 1733. However, the buns have much earlier roots.

As with some other Christian traditions, this one is believed to predate Christianity.

 
Hot cross buns are so tasty, we wish they were available year-round.

Here’s a great recipe from King Arthur Flour.

You can make the dough and the icing the day before, and bake them in time to serve them warm for breakfast on the morning of Good Friday.

Potato salad as first course?

Sure, when it’s as elegant and complex as this Stacked Purple Potato & Cucumber Salad recipe, from the Idaho Potato Commission.

The recipe is a fusion of American potato salad and Middle Eastern tabouli (tabbouleh).

Of course, you can still serve the potato salad, unstacked, as a side dish.
 
 
RECIPE: STACKED BLUE POTATO SALAD WITH TABBOULI

Ingredients

 
For The Side Salad

 
Preparation

1. BRING salted water to boil in a medium pan. Add the red wine vinegar and then the diced potatoes. Cook until just al dente, then shock the potatoes in ice bath. Drain well and pat dry.

2. COMBINE the potatoes, parsley, olive oil, sherry vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper in large bowl.

3. PLACE a 4-inch ring mold in the center of each plate. Pack the potato mixture firmly into each ring mold. Reserve the extra vinaigrette in a bowl.

4. SPREAD the chopped cucumber on atop. Carefully remove the ring molds. Top the tabouli with mini cucumber (optional).
Garnish plate with feta cheese and Asian greens. Drizzle the greens with remaining vinaigrette.
 
 
CHECK OUT MORE POTATO RECIPES
FROM THE IDAHO POTATO COMMISSION.

[1] Purple Potato stacked potato salad (photo © Idaho Potato Commission).

[2] Purple Peruvian potatoes (photo © Mona Makela | Istock Photo).

[3] Blue potatoes (photo © Burpee).

*The miniature potatoes used as garnish in photo #1 have their blossoms attached. Unless you grow your own, you won’t find them in stores. Instead, you can substitute miniature gherkins.

April 14th is National Pecan Day.

Since we got our taxes in the day before, we treated ourself by making this layered Butter Pecan Chocolate Fudge yesterday.

The recipe is below, but first…
 
 
THE HISTORY OF PECANS

Pecans are the only major tree nut indigenous to America, native to the southeastern United States. They are not found naturally (i.e. wild, uncultivated) anywhere else in the world. Even though they can be cultivated elsewhere, American growers produce more than 80% of the world’s pecans (source).

The pecan appeared more than 100 million years ago. Flash-forward 100 million years: Wild pecans were a staple in the diets of Native Americans, who called them pecanes—an Algonquian word that refers to any nut requiring a stone to crack, such as pecans, hickory nuts and walnuts.

The nutritious nut kernels were a major food source for Native Americans in the fall and winter, months when there were no crops to harvest. They also created a nut milk called powcohicora, by fermenting powdered pecans into a drink.

After centuries foraging wild pecans, Native Americans began planting pecan trees (photo #2) and trading the nuts (photo #3) to European explorers.

It takes nearly 10 years for a pecan tree to yield a full output of nuts. But it then produces nuts for 100 years or more.

Pecans are one of our favorite nuts. With their rich, buttery texture, sweet taste (no “bite” as with walnuts) and protein and other nutrition*, we give them two thumbs up.
 
 
RECIPE: BUTTER PECAN CHOCOLATE FUDGE

Thanks to Pampered Chef for this yummy layered recipe of chocolate fudge and butterscotch fudge with pecans (photo #1).

Cut into bite-size pieces, you can have a piece without guilt. The fudge keeps well in an airtight tin.

Ingredients For 60 Bite-Size Pieces

 
Preparation

1. LINE the bottom of a 8-1/2 X 10-inch pan with a piece of parchment paper.

[1] This delicious chocolate fudge has a top layer of butterscotch fudge with pecans (photo courtesy The Pampered Chef).

[2] A groove of pecan trees (photo courtesy Perfect Plants Nursery).

[3] Beautiful pecans. Their shell is one of the prettiest among nuts (photo courtesy Home Depot).

3. RESERVE 1/2 cup (125 mL) of the chopped chocolate for a garnish. In the same saucepan, combine the remaining chocolate and the remaining frosting. Stir over low heat until melted and smooth.

4. CAREFULLY POUR the chocolate mixture over the butterscotch layer in the pan, spreading evenly. Refrigerate 10-15 minutes or until set.

5. INVERT the bar pan onto a cutting board. Carefully peel the parchment paper from the fudge.

6. PLACE the reserved chocolate and oil in a microwaveable bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on MEDIUM for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.

7. SPREAD the chocolate evenly over the top of fudge. Refrigerate 15-30 minutes or until firm. Cut into 60 small squares.
 
 
HOW ABOUT SOME CHOCOLATE PECAN BROWNIES?

Here’s the recipe.

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*A one-ounce serving of pecans (approximately 20 halves) contains 196 calories, 20.4 grams total fat (1.8 saturated fat), 0 mg cholesterol, 0 grams sodium, 2.7 grams dietary fiber and over 19 vitamins and minerals including vitamin A, vitamin E, calcium, potassium and zinc. They are one of the heart-healthy nuts recommended by the USDA: You can have an ounce a day to keep the doctor away.