I'm Biggie: avid cook, speedy lunch packer, mom in San Francisco, & former expat fluent in Japanese. 
How to make sausage rabbits
Just a quickie today with one of the easiest decorative sausage shapes around to thrill your child. Make a rabbit head out of little cocktail sausages or hot dogs, a little faster than making “octodogs” (octopus-shaped hot dogs). I made this particular lunch quite a while back when I was dabbling in food art; read on for the how-to.
Split the mini sausage in half lengthwise.
Cut a V-shaped incision into the end of the sausage, creating the ears. Either simmer or lightly fry in a pan with a bit of oil to give a little curl to the ears and heat the sausage through for maximum food safety. Wondering what to do with the excess sausage? See my top 7 things to do with leftover food scraps.
Below is a comparison between lightly simmered sausages that I cut straight through the middle (at left) without making a V-shaped incision, and one that I did cut the wedge out of (at right). I think the one on the right more closely resembles rabbit ears.
If you’re inclined, you can make little eyes for your “sausage rabbit” with sliced cheese and nori. If you don’t have tiny cutters or craft punches for this, you might try using a straw or the end of pastry bag tips to cut out small circles. Do you have a clever alternative to dedicated cutters? Share it with us in comments!
FURTHER READING:
- Decorative Food on Lunch in a Box (main page)
- How to make an octodog (octopus-shaped hot dog)
- How to make apple bunnies
- How to make decorative banana wedges
- Biggie’s list of top speed tips, tutorials and equipment reviews
March 4th, 2008 | Categories: for kids, meat, tutorial or how to | 
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March 4th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Too cute!!! I will be trying this one soon.
March 5th, 2008 at 7:11 am
Hi Biggie,
I’ve been reading your site for quite a while now and I really enjoy it–I get lots of inspiration for dinners while reading your lunch descriptions! I have a question, and I won’t be offended in the least if you don’t have the time to answer it, because it’s really just me asking a favor. I have a tray of the Costco spanakopita in my freezer, the kind you’ve talked about using a few times. My problem is that I threw away the box in a fit of trying to make more room in my freezer, thinking that I would use the rest of them right away so I would remember the baking instructions. Of course, now it’s been several months and I cannot remember the oven temp and cooking time. Do you happen to have a box on hand/or know the temp and time off the top of your head?
Like I said, I won’t be offended at all if you don’t answer this. I have no claim on you for favors after all.
Thanks again for your site!
Kara
March 5th, 2008 at 10:29 am
@1 from LoriAnn: Cool! It’s a real quickie — hope you enjoy.
March 5th, 2008 at 10:31 am
@2 from Kara: I’ll tell you the temp & cooking time tonight when I get home and can check the package. I tend to throw the big boxes away too, but use a Sharpie marker to scribble the oven temp. & cooking time onto the plastic wrapper before putting it in the freezer. That much I’ll definitely have once I’m back home!
March 5th, 2008 at 11:34 am
I like to use a three hole punch to make eyes for my octodogs out of nori.
March 5th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
@5 from reece: A three-hole punch? I like it!
March 7th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
Two bunnies out of one wiener!…so close to easter. Hehe
March 8th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
@7 from Wendy: The Easter timing hadn’t occurred to me — woo hoo on coincidence!
March 17th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Hey Kara, just wanted to say I have a box of the spanakopita at my house too.
The temperature that you cook them at is 375 degrees and you cook them for 20-25 minutes.
March 18th, 2008 at 10:09 am
@2 from Kara: D’oh! I forgot to close the loop with you. As reader Alexander points out in comment #9, you cook them at 375 deg. for 20-25 minutes.
March 18th, 2008 at 10:09 am
@9 from Alexander: Thank you for checking on the spanakopita cook time, Alexander. I appreciate it.
October 26th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Biggie,
I teach in a preschool where we eat what the kids eat, and the kids eat breakfast, lunch, and snack served by the school. Ever since finding your site, I have been inspired! Although I am unable to pack a lunch for work, I look for so many of the products you use in you and your family’s lunches to prepare on the weekends and for dinner after work. I finally found spanakopita today and I want to try and find all of the interesting fruits and vegetables you post!
I love your site and your tips.
December 7th, 2008 at 11:58 am
Well with my rabbit hotdogs I use a knife to cut out the eyes they are normally a scaline triangle shape with about a 1mm cut deep. the bottom of the eye is between 1/2 cm and 1cm and they are slightly tilted. Lol I made a koala bento the other day useing 1cup of ramen the generic of course, useing diced seasoned potatos for the ears, two triangles made of apple peel,the mouth as well, and the nose is made of a whole green grape.This was all made in a Panda head shaped bento box. and the top teir had a flower made of 5 dole mandarin oranges, and half a grape in the center. Other than that on the outside of the flower halved grapes and diced apples.
December 7th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
btw I’m 13