Hotdog! It's almost Groundhog Day.

The groundhog - everyone's favorite weather forecaster - is getting ready to take center stage. This February 2nd, make him the center of your plate by creating these hotdog groundhogs for dinner. They're a silly way to celebrate an even sillier holiday tradition.

Place him inside a cornbread muffin mound, a "snow pile" of mashed potatoes, or a buttermilk biscuit bunker. He'll be delicious, no matter what kind of gourmet, hole-in-the-ground he pops out of.

For the super-simple (and certainly-silly) tutorial, pop over to SheKnows.com.

And don't forget dessert! These no-bake groundhog cookies I made last year are guaranteed to make your celebration complete.

Pop-up Punxsutawney Phil Cookies

This ridiculously fun and easy-to-make groundhog cookie occupied my thoughts and dreams for weeks. Seriously, just ask my husband. I was completely obsessed with creating an edible version of Punxsutawney Phil that you could move up and down. (Insert much-deserved kuddos to Eric, for making this animated gif. It really helps sell the fun factor of this cookie. If it's not already moving, click on the top image.)

After five or six failed attempts, and about 10 trips to the grocery store later.... I'm happy with how they finally came together. Just  a simple chocolate no-bake cookie, on top of a Tootsie Roll groundhog, sandwiched to a Keebler Fudge Stripe Cookie (or any cookie with a hole big enough for your finger.) 

The complete recipe and assembly instructions can be found at SheKnows.com.

Go ahead, play with your food!

Wanna add some snow to his mound? Just sprinkle some powdered sugar on top.

Happy Brownhog Day!

No. That's not a typo. The other day, after I made these Groundhog Day macarons, my five-year-old daughter asked: "Are you going to eat that brownhog?"

My husband and I got quite the chuckle over that one. From now on, Groundhog Day will be known as Brownhog Day at the Denneler house.

This little critter, coming out of the ground to find his sugary shadow, is actually a Chocolate Teddy Graham. If you attach a mini chocolate chip to his face with some frosting and add some white decorator candies for the teeth, you've got yourself a mini groundhog. The "dirt" on top of the macaron is a mixture of chocolate frosting and crushed Oreos.

It's hard to believe that spring is right around the corner. We've barely had any kind of winter. Feels weird, but I'll take it.

Oh, and if you'd like to see more silly macaron ideas, then maybe you should join me at my next macaron class? I'm doing another Social, in-home cooking demonstration, at Adriene Rathbun's on March 24th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. - Spring & Easter Macarons. Sign up here. I'd love to see you there!