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Are you working on planning your Easter Feast? This great Guest Post will give you some wonderful ideas on using chocolate in the meal.

Isn’t chocolate one of the best parts about Easter holidays? We get to see Easter baskets filled with chocolates and even colorful plastic Easter eggs filled with chocolate candy for children. It’s the best sweet treat for everyone. Then why not incorporate it in your Easter meal and make some chocolate treats for all the guests? Here are 4 ways to use chocolate in your Easter meal this year.

1. IN HORS D'OEUVRES
Yes you can introduce chocolate in the hors d’oeuvres or snacks. Here are a few ideas to get you started off.
a. Chocolate coated strawberries
It is Easter and the time and spring has just started. Use some fruits as hors d’oeuvres for your guests to nibble on till dinner is served. They are fairly easy to make. All you have to do is melt a few bars of bittersweet cooking chocolate in a pan and dip the strawberries in it. Place them on a sheet covered with butter paper and leave to cool in the refrigerator.
b. Chocolate coated almonds
Almonds are a favorite and when you chocolate coat them they look like little eggs, perfect for Easter. Coat them with chocolate the same way as above. You can even find them in the store if you don’t have time to coat your own almonds. Every store has a big variety of these.
2. IN MAIN DISHES
Who would have thought that you can have chocolate in your main dish as well? Don’t be surprised, cocoa powder and cooking chocolate is an ingredient in an increasing number of main dishes. Here are a few main dish ideas to get you thinking:
a. Mexican Moles
b. Seared Pork Tenderloin with Cocoa Spice Rub
c. Cincinnati Chili with Chocolate Recipe
d. Chicken chocolate enchiladas
3. IN DESSERT
Chocolate is a popular dish in the dessert section. You can keep that tradition too. You will find dozens of chocolate dessert recipes in cookbooks and online. Chocolate cake is a favorite dessert for any occasion and if you have an Easter Bunny made on it or it is shaped liked an Easter Bunny that will just add to the festivity of your Easter meal.
4. IN THE EASTER GIFT BASKET
Chocolates in the Easter baskets are a must along with other candies like colorful jellybeans and sugar eggs. You can also make these treats yourself. Here are a few ideas.
a. Make chocolate eggs
Use colorful plastic eggs, the ones that snap open in half. Drill a hold on one side. Spray them with non-stick spray inside. Pour in melted chocolate from the hole and refrigerate them till solid. Snap open the plastic shells and your chocolate eggs are ready.
b. Make chocolate bunnies
Just as there will be bunny-shaped cookie cutters available in the market, you will also find plenty of bunny-shaped molds. Use them to make chocolate bunnies yourself.

Allan loves chocolate hampers and anything to do with chocolate. As a regular blog contributor, Allan loves sharing tips and ideas.

Today we went to the Angell and Phelps Chocolate factory for a tour. Taft invited his friend Emma and her mom, Shelly. He also invited his "girls next door" Cate, Alex, and Sarah, and their mom, Lauren. We all loaded up in the baby bus and Shelly drove for us since I still only have one contact. Hopefully it will come in soon.
The tour was nice and short and the girls got to see them mixing tons of chocolate and cherries. They were working on chocolate covered pretzels and sailboats. At the end of the tour you get samples.
And on the way out they have the store so of course you have to buy chocolate. I got some pecan turtles for myself and a little chocolate fish for Taft to try.
Taft wanted to get his ladies a gift, so he picked out chocolate palm trees on a stick for all the little girls. They seemed to like them.
We let the big girls pick where to have lunch and they wanted to go Dustin's BBQ because they liked the theme song on the commercial. It was good though and everyone got plenty to eat. Taft and Sarah both feel asleep on the way home.