Chocolate Bunny Butts

March 31, 2013: Easter

As a reward for surviving Lent (and giving up chocolate for 40 days), Islander gets a chocolate bunny from Highlander as an Easter gift. Whether it is a hollow or solid candy bunny (she likes the latter better!), Islander can indulge in all that chocolate goodness after sacrificing sweets for a few weeks.

As an alternative to chocolate bunnies, Chocolate Bunny Butts are a differently delicious dessert made with deviled food cookies, miniature marshmallows and melted chocolate.  They look especially cute with colorful candy eggs—and they are quick and easy to make.

Eat an Easter fun food and have a Chocolate Bunny Butt. Hoppy Happy Easter from HI Cookery!

Recipe

(Inspired by Hungry Happenings)

Ingredients

• Chocolate-covered round cookies (such as Nabisco brand Snackwell’s devil’s food cookies)
• Miniature marshmallows
• Dark chocolate, melted (semi-sweet chocolate chips or confectioner’s chocolate/candy melts)

Directions

Place the bunny head pattern on a cookie sheet. Lay waxed paper over it. Melt the chocolate according to the package directions. Cool slightly.

Flatten a miniature marshmallow. Dip one flat side in the melted chocolate. Attach it to the cookie. Fill with melted chocolate a pastry bag outfitted with a round decorating tip (or fill a plastic bag and snip off a small hole in the corner). Carefully trace the bunny head pattern with the melted chocolate leaving a small tab at the end.

Place in the refrigerator to cool and harden the chocolate. Carefully peel off the bunny heads from the waxed paper. Use the remaining melted chocolate to attach the cookie to the head. Refrigerate to set the chocolate. Arrange the dessert on a platter and serve.

Notes

• Download a PDF of our bunny head pattern here.
• Search our blog for other Easter or egg recipes.

Creole Turkey Neck

and Cabbage Soup

March 30: National Turkey Neck Soup Day

Highlander sometimes eats turkey giblet gravy and Islander gobble-gobbles up the oven-roasted tail at Thanksgiving meals. We enjoy our leftovers and try not to waste any of the turkey meat. But we rarely save other turkey parts, such as the neck, because they do not look or sound too appetizing to cook. Yet we decided to try making a Southern soul food-style dish, Creole turkey neck and cabbage soup, in observance of National Turkey Neck Soup Day. Islander did not like it at all and practically gagged at the “aroma” of the boiled neck pieces (a foul-smelling fowl?). The cabbage, along with the spicy seasonings, did tone down the odor a bit. Highlander agreed that it was not worth the effort and few ingredients of making it again since it took a few hours to prepare this dish in our kitchen. However, for those who are more adventurous with their appetites and cooking experiments are welcome to try the recipe below.

Recipe

(Adapted from Live Strong)

Ingredients

• 1 turkey neck
• 1 head cabbage
• ¼ cup sugar
• Creole seasoning to taste
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• hot sauce (optional)

Directions

Cut off the bottom core of the cabbage. Halve it and rinse well. Slice into strips and drain in a colander.

Cut the turkey neck into three or four pieces. Place in a pot and pour enough water over the pieces. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the neck pieces and skim the debri out of the liquid. Add the sugar.

Stir in the Creole seasoning. Return the neck pieces in the liquid. Boil on medium low heat for another hour. Remove the neck pieces again and strain the liquid. Put the neck pieces back in the pot, then add the cabbage strips and strained liquid.

Pour in the chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover with a lid and let the cabbage cook for about 30 minutes or until wilted. Turn up the heat to medium and cook for another 45 minutes to reduce the liquid. Adjust the taste with Creole seasoning. Stir gently. Ladle the cabbage strips and liquid into soup bowls. Top with a turkey neck piece. Serve with a splash of hot sauce.

Notes

• Turkey neck is a tough meat so it needs to be cooked for a long time to become tender.
• Smoked turkey neck, if available, would lend a more unique flavor to this recipe.
• Although Thanksgiving is many months away, try our traditional turkey recipe (simple oven-roasted method). Or prepare our popular Oreo turkey cookies.

Spinach Salad with

Warm Bacon Dressing

March 26: National Spinach Day

Popeye loves spinach and Olive Oyl, but we love our spinach salad with bacon just as much! The healthy-green-vegetable leaves go well with a not-so-healthy-but-delicious dressing. The caramelized red onions and sauteed mushrooms lend a yummy flavor and the eggs add a bright color to this hearty and tasty salad. Prepare what Popeye would love, too, and make a spinach salad with warm bacon dressing for National Spinach Day!

Recipe

(Adapted from Pioneer Woman)

For the spinach salad

• 8 ounces baby spinach, washed and dried
• 1 small red onion
• 1 cup white button mushrooms, sliced
• 2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
• 6-8 slices bacon

Directions

Prepare all the ingredients for the salad. Slice the red onion thinly and separate into rings. Slice the mushrooms. Boil, cool and shell the eggs. Slice them and set aside.

Fry the bacon until cooked and crisp. Reserve 6 tablespoons of bacon grease for sautéing the onions and mushrooms and for making the salad dressing. Remove the bacon from the skillet and drain on paper towels. Crumble and set aside.

In the another skillet, heat two tablespoons of bacon grease and slowly fry up the onions until wilted and caramelized. Transfer to a plate and set aside. In the same skillet, fry up the mushrooms, adding another tablespoon of bacon grease, if necessary. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Make the warm bacon dressing.

For the warm bacon dressing

• 3 tablespoons reserved bacon grease
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon dijon or honey mustard
• dash of salt

Directions

In a small pan, mix the reserved bacon grease, vinegar, sugar, mustard and salt. Mix well over low heat.

Assemble the salad. In 2-3 individual salad bowls, layer the spinach on the bottom. Top with the caramelized onions, mushrooms and crumbled bacon. Pour the warm bacon dressing over the salad and toss lightly to combine. Garnish with boiled egg slices. Serve immediately.

Notes

• Learn more about the comic strip sailor who loves spinach at the Popeye website.
• We bought our egg slicer at Walmart.