Food | Easter Bunny rolls with spinach dip

(Family Feature) If you are enjoying this Easter with loved ones and family you may not have seen much of over the past 12 months, these Easter Bunny Rolls with Spinach Dip, as eye-catching as they are delicious, make a great appetizer or mid-day snack.

Not only will the kids love its shape, but the layers of taste will wow your guests or bring praises from your hosts if you are taking a dish to dinner on Sunday.

Eyeing the table, you notice all the colors popping off the dishes. Fruits and veggies make the feast come to life, but a warm Easter dip paired with rolls is a perfect way to start.

While visiting and catching up with family and friends, there is nothing better than diving into a marvelous Easter spread while enjoying warm conversations about life over the past year and what the future holds.

Here's a quick look at how to put this on your table for Easter or anytime during the year.

First, you will combine a 16-ounce package of frozen spinach, cream cheese and garlic in a skillet. Once heated, add mayonnaise, salt, onion powder, chili powder and Italian seasoning. And then add in Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses then stir until thoroughly mixed.

Next, roll out crescent rolls. Stretch the dough and cut into 24 rolls.

Form the bunny shape and scoop your spinach dip mixture into the center of the bunny and its ears. Sprinkle the spinach dip with mozzarella cheese before baking at 375º F for 18 minutes.

This dish is made for a crowd, served warm and full of cheesy goodness. You can watch as your family dips into the spinach and one-by-one, before you know it, the rolls will have disappeared and the dip will be devoured.

Easter Bunny Rolls with Spinach Dip

Serves: 24

16 ounces frozen spinach, thawed
8 ounces cream cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
2 crescent roll tubes (8 ounces each)

Heat oven to 375º F.

In skillet, over medium heat, cook spinach, cream cheese and garlic 3-4 minutes until cream cheese is melted. Stir in mayonnaise, salt, onion powder, chili powder, pepper and Italian seasoning. Stir in Parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Cook until cheese is melted. Keep skillet on burner over low heat.

Remove dough from tubes. Leaving dough intact, roll and stretch into 18-inch ropes. Cut each rope into 12 pieces for 24 total.

On baking sheet with parchment paper, form bunny head by placing one piece of dough in middle then surrounding it with six more pieces. Use 13 pieces to form round body. Use remaining pieces to form ears on top of head.

Scoop hot spinach dip into center. Spoon small portions on each ear. Sprinkle ears and belly with remaining mozzarella cheese.

Bake 18 minutes, or until crescent dough is golden brown and thoroughly cooked.

Find more Easter recipes at Culinary.net.

Community Poll | How worried are you about recent COVID uptick?

Locally, after enjoying a nearly two week period of 32 or fewer active cases, that number surged to 69 one week ago. Today, The Sentinel area has returned to its pre-outbreak level down to 29 active cases. The daily average of new cases has also returned to its two per day average.

Meanwhile, it has been more than a week and the state has not met the governor's metrics to enter the Bridge Phase Reopening. The increase in hospitalizations and positivity in Chicago, Cook County, and Region 1, which includes the Rockford area, has been trending upwards there as well as in a few other parts of the state. The uptick in the spread has led to the creation of state Rapid Response Vaccination Teams that will handle mass vaccinations in five counties and the expansion of vaccine eligibility in those 'trouble' areas around the state.

"Since March 8, Illinois has seen 10 days of increases in the seven-day rolling average for hospital admissions. The COVID-19 test positivity on March 10 was 2.5%. Today’s reported test positivity is 3.3%. While these rates are certainly significantly lower than the peak, they represent a potential early warning sign about a possible resurgence," the Illinois Department of Public Health said in a release on Friday. "Chicago has seen its daily case rate increase by nearly 50% since last week, along with six days of increases in test positivity. Suburban Cook County has seen its daily case rate increase more than 40%, along with nine days of increasing hospital bed usage. Region 1, the Northern portion of the state including Rockford and surrounding communities, has seen eight days of increasing hospital bed usage and six days of increasing test positivity."

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