I suppose defining Peeps, a favorite of my childhood, as "good" food that goes bad, might be a bit of a stretch.

Those marshmallow chicks that come in an array of unnatural colors go stale REALLY quickly. You open the pack, and about five minutes later, they're as good as inedible.

Despite the fact that we are all diabetics, my mum still buys each of her offspring a pack of Peeps every year. I'll nibble one or two, realizing that they're not nearly as sweet as I remember them. But honestly, I can't eat the whole box, so I usually end up throwing them away. That, and I have issues with anthropomorphic foods, meaning that I only ever eat the chocolate bunny (poor bunny!) once someone else threatens to take it away from me.

Anyway, it's my mother's thoughtfulness that leaves me with two boxes of uneaten Peeps this Easter Sunday. Thank goodness a local chef has come up with a way to prevent waste and consume strange dishes using the poor, innocent, marshmallow chicks.

Seattle chef Jason Wilson had the brilliant idea of melting down the Peeps and pretending that they are actually edible. Below is one of the recipes, the only frugal one to be found. The other recipes involve truffle oil and foie gras, two ingedients that no self-respecting chef would cook without, especially now that arugula has fallen out of favor, but certainly not two items that most people have simply lying around the house. Hence, I'm only posting the frugal ones, but check out Wilson's recipe for Green Eggs and Ham at Weekend America's site. You can download and listen to the show's podcast here.

Peep Fondue

Ingredients:
2 rows of Peeps, one blue, one yellow
1 tbsp. Butter
1/3 cup water
1/2 pear, sliced
1/2 apple, sliced
chocolate cookies
cheese, sliced into logs

Procedure:
In a saucepot on low heat, slowly melt the Peeps with the butter and water, stirring consistently. When Peeps are melted and fondue is ready, serve in a fondue pot, keeping mixture warm because it will become solid if left to be cold.

Terri's Peep Hut also offers up some fun, if more conventional, takes on how to use up Peeps for all seasons. My personal favorite:

Peepuccino

Dissolve one peep in a very hot cup of black coffee – species and color
of peep is of your choosing. Stir until frothy.

Geekbabe also has some excellent Peeps links.