If you’re hampered and hammered by the constraints and bugaboos of too little time and money (and who isn’t, right at the moment?), you don’t need one more thing to worry about.

But Easter’s right on top of us now, so here’s a plan to lift a load off the Easter Bunny’s mind with two easy-do, fast-fix specialties.

The first, a great waker-upper, or breakfast brightener, comes to us from faithful contributor Carol Wilson of Everett.

“When I was growing up,” she says, “my mom always made hot cross buns. It seemed like spring was just around the corner when she made them.”

Although she doesn’t have the exact recipe her mother always relied on, she says, “This one is very close to the one Mom used.”

The second is a salad so popular I could have papered a wall with Forum readers’ unending pleas for reprints. It came to us from legendary Lynnwood cook and longtime Forum helper-outer Bonnie Teeters and first appeared in an Oct. 18, 2004, Forum column, wherein she told us she was responding to a request from Violet Counsellor of Everett for some easy recipes.

“Well,” Bonnie said at the time, “I have three salad ones that are so easy I am almost embarrassed to give them out when asked. They all taste completely different, but I tend to like the better-than-s-e-x salad myself.”

In addition to the people-pleasing ingredients, the salad even comes with a couple of built-in bonus points — it’s made ahead to eliminate any last-minute muss or fuss, plus it makes a LOT, plenty to feed a mob. It’s a good keeper, too, if there’s any left over.

Hot cross buns

1cup white or whole-wheat flour

2teaspoons baking powder

1/2teaspoon salt

2tablespoons butter, margarine or shortening

1tablespoon honey

1/2teaspoon cinnamon

1/4cup raisins

1/3cup milk

Frosting (recipe follows)

In a mixing bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt together; cut in butter, margarine or shortening with a fork until it looks like coarse crumbs. Add honey, cinnamon and raisins and toss lightly. Make a well in the middle and pour the milk in all at once, stirring around quickly with a fork to form a ball.

Divide the ball into 6 small balls. Grease a baking sheet and place the balls on it, about 2 inches apart. With a knife, cut a deep cross through the top of each ball. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. When the rolls are slightly cool, dribble the frosting over each.

Makes 6.

Frosting

In a small mixing bowl, combine 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons milk and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, stirring or whisking until smooth.

Bonnie’s better than s-e-x salad

1container (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed

1can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

1small carton (8 ounces) sour cream

1large can crushed pineapple, drained

1large can fruit cocktail, drained

1can cherry pie filling

In a large mixing bowl, combine whipped topping, sweetened condensed milk and sour cream; mix on low speed of electric mixer or blend with a wire whip until ingredients are smooth and thoroughly combined. Add pineapple and fruit cocktail and mix well. Fold in the pie filling (mixture will turn pink), cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours before serving.