Cornish Hens

Cornish Hens With Pecan Stuffing And Port Wine Sauce

I always have thought that cornish hens are a wonderful backdrop for trying so many different flavor combinations along with being a pretty presentation opportunity, especially when the challenge arises for last minute entertaining. This recipe is one of my favorites for just such occurances! Starving friends that I haven't seen in a decade just showed up out of the blue and I had 3 hours to come up with something. Now, if they could have waited just a couple more days. . .like let's say, for Thanksgiving, there would have been enough food to feed half the country side and I would have completely been ready to impress! Instead, I am left thinking that I should have meals already assembled in the freezer like I used to, including pies that I would put together, freeze, then pop the pie out of the pie pan (since it was now frozen) and put into freezer ziploc bags. I would have a dozen different kinds of pies in the freezer . . .but this was when I was organized. I think I forgot how to be that person. I'm lucky I can get one fruit pie made when it crosses my mind! Okay, I am focused again and here is my last minute something:

Ingredients:

Cornish Hen:
4 Cornish Hens
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
Pecan Stuffing:
4 T. butter
1/4 c. onion, chopped
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. cooked white rice
1/2 c. pecan halves
Port Wine Sauce:
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. minced onion
3 T. flour
1 T. chicken bouillon granules or 3 chicken bouillon cubes
3 T. currant jelly
1 c. dark sweet cherries, drained and pitted
3/4 c. port wine
1 c. water

Directions:

Cornish Hens:
Brush the hens with butter and dredge with flour. Stuff the cavities with Pecan Stuffing (see below) but do not pack. Place uncovered in a 450 degree oven for 45 minutes or until tender. Transfer to a heated serving platter. Serve with Port Wine Sauce (see below).
Pecan Stuffing:
Saute the onion in butter. Add the other ingredients. Toss lightly.
Port Wine Sauce:
Cook the onion in butter, stirring until tender; remove from the heat. Stir in the flour, chicken bouillon, currant jelly and water. Cook, stirring over medium heat until thickened. Add the wine and cherries and heat just to boiling, stirring gently so as not to hurt the cherries.

Holiday Shrimp Salad

I feel absolutely terrible! I look forward to being able to continue learning how to blog! I have only just started and I have met some amazingly talented people along the way! I have just finished my finals for another hard class in my on-going online college and with getting up at 4 a.m. to do an hour commute to work, well, I guess it has all caught up with me and I feel exhausted! What is worse? My Thanksgiving dinner is only 3/4 of the way planned out. I have the absolutes that I am ready to get underway each year but I have just fallen in love with brining turkeys and chosing glazes that go with the brines. . .and I absolutely must do two turkeys this year! One deep fried (because it is soooo fast, good and moist) and my old faithful that is made with an herb butter put under the skin and an apricot glaze after soaking 24 hours in an icy brown sugar and citrus brine. Soooo good! This shrimp salad is another must! Every year I add at least two new dishes to my dinner! I just finished watching the food network do a dish with sweet potatoes where they were baked then scooped out of their skin and 2 full bananas were added along with honey and butter. This was spread into a baking dish and struesels was added to the top. I absolutely must look this up for the recipe! This dish is going to be one of my new dishes with the meal. I soooo love doing Thanksgiving because I have at least 5 appetizers, a soup or salad for my first entree (this year it will be a wonton soup) and then a *huge* dinner and THEN a huge dessert cart! I will post every recipe that I absolutely love and have honed to where I like it so that I have a reference this year. I just learned how to do snowflakes on pull apart dinner rolls so this is a must for this year too! Here's to the Holidays =D

Party Shrimp Salad

Ingredients:

FOR THE SHRIMP SALAD:
1 extra-large lemon
Celery leaves
1 T. pickling spices
1 t. salt
1/8 t. ground white pepper
3 pounds medium-size shrimp in their shells uncooked(5 c. cooked)
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 c. celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 to 2 t. snipped fresh dill or 1 t. dried dill herb **NOT dill seed**
FOR THE SOUR CREAM DRESSING:
2/3 c. Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise (not the light variety)
1/2 c. sour cream
1 T. Dijon mustard
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. ground white pepper
1/4 t. garlic powder

Directions:

TO COOK THE SHRIMP: Half-fill a large saucepan with water. Squeeze the juice from the lemon into the water and toss in the rind. Add a few celery leaves, the pickling spices, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil over high heat. Drop in the shrimp in their shells and boil them just until they turn pinkish-white and opaque, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to a colander and rinse immediately with cold water to stop the cooking. Peel and devein the shrimp, discarding all of the pickling spices. Cut the shrimp into bite-sized pieces. (You need 5 cup of shrimp).
Place the cooked shrimp in a medium-size bowl, sprinkle with the lemon juice, and toss well. Add the celery and dill and toss again.
MIX ALL of the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl. Spoon the dressing over the shrimp mixture and stir until all of the shrimp and celery are well coated. Great for putting on an open sandwich using white or Challah bread, or simply as a salad on curly lettuce leaves. Refrigerate any leftovers and use within 2 days.

ENJOY!!!

Christmas and Rum Cake

What are the holidays without a little rumcake? I started thinking that I have always made rum balls and bourbon balls, mixed drink beverages for the holidays, pies with layers of alcohol, such as Grand Marnier between two layers of orange sherbet in a coconut and butter toasted pie crust but I have never attempted a rum cake! Well, I attempted and may I say WoW?! While I am drizzling this rum glaze over my cake, I am seeing that there is glaze being wasted because not all of it is seeping in. Puddles of rum glaze on the plate is NOT acceptable! Rectifying this is easy. . .grab pastry brush and reapply! First, please poke holes in your rum cake. This is a must. You want seepage deep into the cake itself! I want to say that the cake gets moister as it sits but it only lasted 2 1/2 days. Yeppers, I shared and people came back for thirds and fourths. Granted, they were saying things like oh, just a little sliver. . . that's a sliver???!! I can't even see it and then they would be taking a *huge* portion, which is a compliment to this recipe! I really enjoyed making this cake *but* I will warn you ahead of time that is recipe will take a WHOLE cup of rum! I believe that if you wanted to substitute bourbon for rum or experiment with a flavor of rum. . . well, I want to hear about it! Really. . .you need to spill and tell me what flavor and how it turned out! I want to try pineapple rum next time! I was wondering if they have a cherry rum? I see a trip to the liquor store in my near future =D
Also, I want to try this as a French toast for breakfast. . .can you just imagine?

Holiday Rum Cake

Ingredients:
1 c. chopped, toasted pecans or walnuts, whichever you prefer
1 18 1/2-ounce yellow cake mix
1 1 3/4-ounce (4-serving) instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 c. cold milk
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. Bacardi dark rum. . .I believe I used Appleyard (sp?) Jamaican Rum this last time
Glaze:
1/2 c. butter (1 cube)
1/4 c. water
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. dark rum



Directions:

Cake:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Sprinkle nuts on bottom of pan. Combine all cake ingredients. Beat for 2 minutes on high with electric mixer. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool in pan. Invert on serving plate. Prick top with fork. Drizzle glaze over the top of the cake. Use pastry brush or spoon to put extra dripping back on cake.

Glaze: Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in rum.
**Note: The rum will cause steam. Be careful not to burn yourself