Christmas Dinner

So I unfortunately thought about Christmas dinner for about 5 minutes on Friday and didn't do anything about it. I wanted to make a meal with the Cornish hens I bought, but I didn't even go so far as to thaw them...oops! As you read in one of my earlier posts, we had Chinese food instead, which was great, but I really wanted to do some cooking while on my break from work:)

I found this amazing recipe to make my Cornish hens, and since the stores were open again, I ran out and picked up the rest of the ingredients. I paired it with some squash that I cut up, steamed, and added a pat of butter and salt to it...amazing! Here's the recipe for you to try it out - you won't be disappointed!!

Rosemary-Lemon Cornish Hens with Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons crushed dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
2 (1 1/4-pound) Cornish hens
1/2 lemon, halved and divided
Cooking spray
2 cups cubed Yukon gold or red potato
2 teaspoons olive oil

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375°.

Combine crushed dried rosemary, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.

Remove and discard giblets from hens. Rinse hens with cold water; pat dry. Remove skin; trim excess fat. Working with 1 hen at a time, place 1 lemon piece in the cavity of hen; tie ends of legs together with twine. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under hen. Repeat procedure with remaining hen and lemon piece. Rub hens with rosemary mixture. Place hens, breast sides up, on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray.

Toss potato with oil; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Arrange the potato around hens.

Insert a meat thermometer into meaty part of a thigh, making sure not to touch bone. Bake at 375° for 1 hour or until thermometer registers 180°. Remove twine.

Jean Kressy, Cooking Light