While grabbing an image for my Globe and Mail post, I came across the attached picture from the Joy of Cooking in 1953.

My, how times change.

At the very least, I guess squeamish cooks can be thankful that the book chose to use illustrations and not actual pictures. I mean, look at the squirrel images! Take yar thar boot, step on that tail, and PULL! At least they let him keep his "pants." I suppose that's dignified skinning.

At least the rabbit is a white-eyed zombie with a creepy look that certainly cuts down on cuteness.

Thanks, atduskgreg!

Put all thoughts of Bambi's Thumper out of your head: it's time to talk about rabbit. Inspired by iFoods online video of how to skin a rabbit (not for the squeamish. Or maybe the squeamish are the ones who need to take the hardest look?), I've decided to do a rundown of rabbit grilling recipes. Skinning your own is not necessary, though fresh rabbit can be a bit difficult to find. If you don't have a local butcher (I've also found it at Whole Foods in the past), you can order it online at D'Artagnan.

With a deep, gamey flavor, rabbit meat is relatively low fat and can be tough. This makes rabbit stews and braises especially popular, but, for summer, grilling is also an option provided you take steps to get the meat nice and tender.

It has been several years since the lever corkscrew design first catapulted to popularity, going from a gadget that was almost strictly for big wine drinkers to a staple in any home that also has a bottle or two of red. The style was popularized by the Metrokane Rabbit corkscrew, but there are any number of similarly designed openers available today. The last time that Cook's Illustrated put these openers to the test was about 9 years ago and in their most recent issue, they decided that it was time to revisit them and see how some of the more expensive brands stacked up to some of the less expensive newcomers.

Their "ultimate opener" was the Screwpull Trigger from Le Creuset, which has a unique mechanism that adds an extra grip to the cork, ensuring a fast and clean uncorking. But out of the 13 models, 12 made a respectable showing, so CI's conclusion seems to be that you will do fine with almost any lever-style wine opener. Their advice, if you're not going for their "ultimate" model, is to try to select openers with longer handles, which will make removing the corks easier.

Who could resist seeing a couple of adorable bunny pancakes on their plate of Easter morning? Best of all, these little guys take no longer to prepare than ordinary pancakes - which is to say that they take about 5 minutes from start to plate. I used this recipe for buttermilk pancakes and, instead of dropping the batter into one large round, I used a smaller spoon to "pour" the batter into shape. Bunnies are a fairly simple shape, so there is no need for a mold to form them. I used chocolate chips to make eyes and noses, but fruit slices would work just as well. If you do want chocolate chips and three isn't enough for you, you could always try adding a few chocolate chips into the batter. And, of course, serve with maple syrup!

As if eating Cadbury eggs, chocolate bunnies and marshmallow peeps in the same day wasn't excessive enough, a blog called Asteroid has a step-by-step guide to making a turducken-style creation that combines all three of these Easter sweets. It begins by making incisions in several peeps and stuffing mini Cadbury eggs inside. The newly fortified marshmallow critters are then stuffed into a hollow chocolate bunny whose base has been removed (above). The whole deal then gets sealed up again; chocolate welding is optional, apparently. Take that, giant Cadbury egg.

[Photo: Asteroid]

Yes, really. Folks in the town of Felton, England, near Newcastle, claim that a giant rabbit has been tearing through their vegetable patches and eating their crops. As you might expect, there have been plenty of references to Wallace and Gromit. Felton residents have even posted an armed guard, according to a Reuters article. Witnesses say that the beast is black and brown, with one ear longer than the other. The bunny pictured here is a German breeding rabbit, just to give you an idea of what the people of Felton may be dealing with. Breeds such as the Continental Giant commonly grow to this size, according to an AFP article about the Felton monster.

Perhaps this beast has learned to swim and is also responsible for the Massachusetts parsnip theft mentioned earlier.

[Via Knit Flix]

 Peeps and grocery-store chocolate candies are all well and good, but the end of Lent calls for something of a splurge. Fortunately, the purveyors of fine chocolate and other goodies are more than happy to oblige the impulse to celebrate the season. Here at Slashfood, we are happy to indulge whenever the opportunity arises, but these luxury Easter chocolates are really ideal for a special occasion.

1. Harry and David may not be the "go-to" chocolatier for some, but their Chocolate Praline Eggs are somehow shaped inside a colorful, real eggshell and need to be broken out before eating. A half dozen eggs are $29.99.
2. Robert L. Strohecker's Assorted Rabbits are chocolate bunnies designed to have three different flavors of filling inside different parts of the rabbit: toasted almond ears, an almond butter crunch head, and a caramel pecan body. Available in both milk and dark chocolate, this is one bunny you won’t get bored with. They are $30.95 a pair.
3. Neiman Marcus' Chocolate Easter Bunny is hand poured, hand decorated and hand wrapped. At nearly 5-pounds, it is one very big, but festive, bunny. Use it as a centerpiece, then serve it for dessert. Each bunny is $99.