Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays and maybe the favorite.  There’s no shopping for gifts and it’s another excuse to pull out all the stops for dinner which I love.  We often stay home for Thanksgiving as our sons are in Chicago and Burbank.  A turkey or even a turkey breast is a lot of turkey for two people.  So this year we are having stuffed Rock Cornish Hens which are more manageable.  These are a hybrid of a Cornish and White Rock chickens.  They are actually miniature chickens weighing up to 2 1/4 pounds each.  Because of their small size there is not a lot of meat so consequently one hen per person is usually the norm.  I have seen them from 20 ounces to 28 ounces and they come fresh or frozen.

If they are frozen when you buy them, they will need two days in the refrigerator to fully thaw. Their skin can range from white to yellow – one is not preferable to the other.  Remove the package inside the hens.  These can be cooked with a little onion, celery and carrot in water to cover for a flavorful broth as the base for turkey gravy if desired.  In this recipe, I don’t use the gravy.  To continue, wash the outside and inside of the hens under plenty of cold water.  Make sure the water runs clear.  Dry the inside and outside of the hens with paper towels.  Place in the refrigerator until stuffing.

This glaze is amazing and can be used for other poultry as well.  It bakes to a beautiful mahogany color. Because of the honey and teriyaki sauce it must be applied at the end of the cooking as it can go from mahogany to burned quickly.  This can be made several days ahead and refrigerated.

This wild rice stuffing is one of my favorites and the one we used at my take out shop when we offered these.  By adding a few items to Uncle Ben’s  Long Grain and Wild Rice mix this is easy and very flavorful. I no longer make rice on top of the stove.  Too often it is gummy when finished and does not have the individual grains I love.  So I now bring it to a boil on top of the stove and pop in the oven.  So much simpler and I don’t have to keep stirring it.  It comes out perfectly every time.

For the best flavor, it is important to toast the pecans for 7 to 9 minutes to bring out their full flavor.  The dried apricots I use are the Sunsweet Mediterranean apricots.  They are new in my area and are very plump and moist.  I love eating them out of the package.  The easiest way to cut these is to use scissors.  I snip them in random shapes about 1/2 inch long and about 1/4 inch wide.  It is fine to use regular dried apricots, just soak them in hot water to cover for about 10 minutes to plump them up.  Drain well before adding to the stuffing. Continue reading Thanksgiving Alternative