Braised Rabbit

Soak the joints in cold salted water for at least two hours.

Pat pieces dry with paper towels.

Toss bunny pieces in seasoned flour, while singing little bunny foo-foo and ruefully whispering "I told you so..." to the pieces.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Heat the oil and butter together in a flame proof dutch oven on a stove burner.

Shake off (and reserve) any excess flour from the rabbit joints and brown them on all sides; lift out and set aside.

Drink from your cider collection. (The trick here is that you only use one bottle for the recipe...that leaves five you have to get rid of...imbibe!)

Add the bacon to the dutch oven and cook to completion, then set aside with the rabbit. Make inappropriate animal jokes when children are not present.

Add the vegetables to the dutch oven and cook gently until just coloring.

Add the reserved flour to the veggies to absorb the fats left in the dutch oven.

Stir over a low heat for 1 minute to cook the flour; seems like a good time to have more cider.

Add the stock and alcohol, stirring to make a smooth sauce. For an extra challenge, swig while stirring and not spilling from either you bottle or the Dutch oven. High-five yourself upon completion.

Return the rabbit and bacon to the dutch oven with half the chopped parsley and a light seasoning of salt and pepper.

Mix gently together while reciting double double toil and trouble, then cover with a lid and put into the preheated oven.

Cook for 15-20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 300°F for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the bunny is tender.

Add the remaining parsley and serve with some rustic sides.

This was a recipe I found in an Irish cook book; the instructions were modified to my liking.