Savvy Entertaining

Today is Groundhog’s Day and a great excuse to gather friends for a fun meal.

You might want to start the festivities by highlighting the reason for celebrating the forecasting talents of furry Punxsutawney Phil.

The legend of the groundhog’s forecasting powers is said to  date back to the early days of Christianity in Europe when clear skies on the holiday Candlemas Day, celebrated Feb. 2, meant winter would continue for many weeks. The tradition was carried to Germany, with the German twist being that if the sun made an appearance on Candlemas, a hedgehog would cast its shadow, predicting six more weeks of bad weather. Many of Pennsylvania’s earliest settlers were German, and they continued the tradition after noticing a large population of groundhogs, which resemble the European hedgehog.

So gather your friends for an relaxed evening together. Serve a meal with sausage as the main course  and finish  with these adorable cupcakes.

Use any flavor cupcake, unfrosted. Remove a piece of cake the width of an Almond Joy candy from the center of a baked cupcake. Set the candy upright in the hole, then spread a layer of white frosting on the cupcake. For the groundhog’s eyes, trim the ends from a white jelly bean, stick them in place with frosting, then dot them with black decorators’ gel. Add a tiny triangle cut from a watermelon slice candy for a nose, brown M&M’s Minis for ears and cheeks, and a tiny rectangular piece of white jelly bean for teeth. Sprinkle chocolate cookie crumbs around the partially emerged groundhog, and he’s ready to greet his fans.

Happy Entertaining!