Today is Holy Thursday. It's been a long time since I went to Mass at Eastertime. I was thinking about the traditional things we used to do during Holy Week, because Laurel said something about not getting Easter baskets any more, now that she's no longer a little kid .

Tomorrow is Good Friday. I decided, since I'm off on Fridays, to make Hot Cross Buns. I found my grandmother's recipe, handwritten and slipped between the pages of a scrapbook she used to hold her recipes. Typically, for her, she included only the ingredients, and not the directions.

Gramma Lucy (Picadura) Schulmeister was a baker by profession, making the bread served in the Farrington High School cafeteria in the 1940s and 1950s. We used to enjoy home-made breads and rolls regularly, usually tied to seasons of the year, but not always. We had malasadas on "Malasadas Day" (mardi gras), hot cross buns and sweet bread (Pao Dulce) for Easter, and fruitcake and Three Kings Bread for Christmas. And white bread at other odd times during the year, when the spirit moved her.

So, tomorrow, I'm off on an adventure - to re-create the Hot Cross Buns she used to make every year on Good Friday. Here's her recipe:

HOT CROSS BUNS
2 package yeast, 1/4 cup luke
warm water, 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup milk, 2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shortening, 2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 " " nutmeg,
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 " mixed glazed fruits
5 cups flour soften yeast in warm
water