Butterflied Herb Marinated Cornish Game Hen

On Saturday I had the idea of trying to grill a Cornish Game Hen. The only way to cook it fast enough so it won't burn is to butterfly (flatten out) the bird to reduce the cooking time. For sides I made a savory white rice with a hint of clove and Steamed Sugar Snap Peas.

INGREDIENTS:
Cornish Game Hen
1- Hen (serves 2)
1- 1 gal plastic bag
1/4 cup - olive oil (not the good stuff)
1 - Lemon and its zest
1 TSP of each of the following Spices
Salt (I used a black Hawaiian Salt, but any kind will do)
Black Pepper
Tarragon
Basil
Oregano
Parsley
Thyme

Savory Rice
1 Cup - Long Grain White Rice
1 TBS - Olive Oil
1/2 Cup - Good White Wine
1/2 Cup - OJ (no pulp)
3/4 Cup - Chicken Broth
1/2 of a large onion or 1 small one
2 - Cloves of Garlic
1 - Bay Leave
Salt and Pepper
A dash of powder clove (a little goes a long long way)

THE HOW TO:
For the hen take your kitchen shears or a sharp chefs knife and cut along each side of the back bone to remove it. Once removed the bird should lay flat. In a bowl mix all the spices with the olive oil, lemon and lemon zest. Zest the lemon prior to squeezing out the juice. You want to develop a paste of sorts. Once done, thoroughly cover both sides of the hen. Place the bird in the zip lock bag and place in the fridge for at least an hour. Once marinaded pre-heat your grill to a medium heat. Place the hen on the grill skin side down. Close the lid and let cook for about 12-15 minutes depending on the size of the bird. Flip the hen and cook for another 12 minutes. Once done remove the hen from the grill and let sit for about 10 minutes so the juices reabsorb back into the meat. Once rested cut the bird down the middle to create two halves. Serve over top the rice.

For the rice place one cup of rice in a strainer and rinse thoroughly with cold water to remove excess starch. Soak rice for about 30 minutes then drain. Ensure you drain well as you don't want extra liquid in the rice. It will make it mushy. Finely dice the onion and garlic. Heat a large saute pan over medium low heat. Add the olive oil and let it come up to temperature. Place the onion and garlic in the pan and cook until translucent. Add a TSP of Salt, 10 grinds of black pepper (more if you like), and a dash of powdered clove. Once the onion is translucent place the rice in the pan and cook with the onion till it starts to turn translucent. Simultaneously while the onion is cooking place the OJ, chicken broth, wine and a bay leaf in a pot and bring it to a slow boil. Once the liquids are boiling and the rice is translucent pour the liquid into the pan. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover. Let cook for 15 minutes. Once the time is up, remove the pan from the heat and let sit for an additional 10 minutes. DO NOT UNCOVER.

To serve place the the rice in the middle of a serving platter and surround it with the steamed snap peas. Place the split hen over top of the rice.

Bon Appetit

NEXT UP: Homemade Potatoe Chips !!!!

Green Bags Part Two

I know. I stink at updating this thing but I've been busy. Kind of. The green bags stunk when it came to my bananas. As you will see from the photo there is no real difference between the bananas that were in the bag (right of picture) and the one not in the bag (left of picture). However all was not lost. The bags did work for my strawberries and asparagus. Both were kept in the fridge and looked as good as new after 1 week (sorry no pics). I think part of the banana problem had to do with living in Hawaii where I have no AC. The bag built up condensation everyday do to the humidity which needed to be cleaned out making them a pain in the butt. The condensation was not as bad in the bags kept in the fridge but they still needed to be wiped out every couple days. All in all the bags seemed to work somewhat for certain produce but took some extra maintenance to ensure condensation was kept to a minimum. At this point I'm not totally sold on them but am giving them another shot. Out of 5 stars I'd give them a 3 (only because they worked on the strawberries and asparagus).

Now that I've addressed the food we can move onto the fun. Last weekend I made my first trip to the windward side of the Big Island. I flew into Hilo and went to see one of the worlds active volcanoes, Kilauea. While you can see the photos on my facebook page I will say its fascinating to see the steam pouring out of the steam vents scattered all over the area, the massive amount lava from previous years of eruption, and the small green shrubbery finding a way to grow between the lava fields. If you get a chance you may want to check it out sometime.

As Seen on TV...

On New Years Day I went to Walgreens to find a $10-$15 gift for a gift exchange at a New Years Day party I was heading to. While there I noticed the AS SEEN ON TV section. A mammoth collection of all those gagets you see on TV for usually $19.95 that are supposed to help solve every problem known to man. I was immediately hooked on the Debbie Meyer Green Bags. These are green plastic looking bags which are suppose to help fruits and vegetables stay fresher longer. As an average ameture triathlete I try to eat somewhat healthy, which usually means lots of fruits and vegetables. By the end of the week my produce is usually starting to look a bit shabby, especially my bananas. The bags were only $12.99 so I couldn't resist and bought them. Today I placed a new bunch of bananas in the bag and left one banana outside the bag as to run a test of sorts. You can see the before picture in this blog. I'll keep you posted on the outcome.

Tonights Dinner

Grilled Top Sirloin Steak w/ Carmalized Onion

Baked Potato w/ goat cheese and olive oil

Roasted Asparagus

Telly's House Salad