Thursday, March 13, 2014

Sausage-Stuffed Cornish Hens






Per Nana~
This week's recipe selection is a Cornish hen stuffed with sausage and
 bread. I used a fresh hen and cut it in half, rather than stuffing the
 bird whole.  The stuffing was really quite easy. I used a combination 
of hot and sweet Italian sausage, fresh parsley and sourdough bread.
 Usually when I make sausage stuffing I add toasted pignoli (pine) nuts, 
but I followed the directions and this time did not add any. 
The little bird came with all its goodies stuffed inside, so I was able to add
 the livers to the stuffing mix as well. I placed two scoops of stuffing on the 
pan and covered it with the split bird and cooked it for about 50 minutes. 
Since we like it really crisp, I used the broiler to finish. I paired it with a
 combination of carrots and parsnips that I roasted with fresh rosemary 
and a drizzle of olive oil. This would be a perfect weeknight dinner for
 someone with a busy schedule as it is so easy to prepare.

Per Tricia~
There was no huge surprise on the results of this week's recipe. 
We loved it. My younger son was home for Spring break and 
polished an entire bird off in one sitting. 
What did surprise me was how I had not considered making sausage 
stuffing for other than Thanksgiving. This is our official  "Turkey 
Day" stuffing recipe, a tradition going back in our family to before
I was born. Since it originated with my father's family, and 
involved Italian sausage, I always presumed it was an Italian
 tradition and was surprised when Dorie explained how common it 
was in France- such that many home cooks do not even prepare
 their own since it is so easy to purchase it ready made.  

I also know that most folks tend to love the stuffing they grew up with,
 and these favorites can become quite sensitive topics as families merge
 and new traditions are born. This week was a wonderful reminder that
favorite stuffing - regardless of the recipe- isn't just for Turkey Day.  
 While I doubt I'll make it often enough to tire of it, I will certainly 
treat my family to this delicious combination other than once a year.

 Thank you, Dorie, for reminding me to enjoy good food every day. 
The taste testers send their thanks as well :)

PS- unrelated but have you tried the "Waterlogue" app ??
 I came across it this week and am mesmerized at this little
 $2.99 tool that literally turns your photo into a watercolor painting.
 Addictive and amazing for those that love photography.
 This is the same bike shot from last week's post. 

15 comments:

  1. Great job on the birds, ladies. Nana, I think it is a clever idea to stuff half a bird. Tricia, I cannot believe that your son was able to eat a whole one on his own! Then again, boys have bigger appetities than the rest of us. I have never heard of the Waterlogue app before, but I like it!

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  2. We really enjoyed this, too - although we used chicken. Definitely a keeper! I love your watercolor photo app - I'm going to have to try it out. Tomorrow, John & I are heading up to Cambria to spend the weekend with Mary - we'll miss you two! xoxo

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  3. Lovely job, ladies!
    I am picking up Runner Girl from school after work tonight. Her spring break starts today. It will be good to have her home, although it is strange to have an extra person in the house. I think her sister enjoys being an "only child" :-)

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  4. Love that app!!! And both of your bird results look perfect! Nick just got home for his spring break this afternoon...time to stock up on milk and oj!

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  5. I'm confused. Okay, I'm confused more than usual. The top pix is yours, Tricia, right? Then, Rosemarie, you wrote your post but didn't show your birds and the 1/2-deal before putting them in the oven. Right? So, you put stuffing it the cavity, flipped it and cooked it in a flat, half position. Correct. And, then, Tricia, you did it normally. (Because when I think of you, I think "normal".) You know I am a very organized, 1,2,3,4 person and this threw me off a bit. And, no, I have not started the cocktail hour yet. Am waiting for John and Susan to arrive. Your hens both look delicious and nice pairing, Nana. We will miss you two this week-end.

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  6. We loved this one too! Nana, the roasted carrots and parsnips look delicious! I have never had sausage stuffing before this. My "traditional family stuffing" is a sage bread stuffing with no meat whatsoever. When I hosted my first Thanksgiving a few years ago, my sister told me I could get creative as I wanted to with the menu, as long as I made our stuffing!

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  7. Hi Nana! I am going to add pine nuts next time. Thanks for sharing.
    Tricia, My son is home for spring break too, but leaving for Cabo tomorrow morning. I was happy to share this meal with him and hubby. I agree,Thanksgiving meals should be enjoyed more often.
    Have a great weekend ladies!

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  8. Tricia - cool app, I'll definitely have to check that out. Your Poilane photo looks amazing. You might need to frame that one. If you end up printing anything, let us know how it works out.

    And Nana - I went to the Italian shop here to get my sausage too. The German sausage is good, but I tend to like the Italian sausage for cooking because it tends to have a bit more flavor.

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  9. The birds look wonderful, ladies!! Tricia, I can’t wait to try that app! It looks so cool! Your little hens look wonderful and I agree about the stuffing! Nana, love those veggies and I’m sure they were a great accompaniment to your delicious looking hen or anything in my book! I love parsnips! Hope you both have a great weekend!

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  10. Your birds look great, ladies. (Don't worry Mary, I was a little confused too - but then I figured it out!). It's fun that you made your traditional stuffing with this. I made mine with andouille and sweet potato biscuits for a bit of a twist on it - with the small bird and stuffing, I wanted something with a little more flavor.

    Tricia, I love (!) that app. I have to get it. Aweome!! Sounds like you'll have fun with your son home!

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  11. Great post and wonderful results for both ladies, and showing us the two methods for roasting - whole birds and halved!

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  12. I never made sausage stuffing before, and yet it's your family's tradition. Maybe I can join your family. I will definitely make the stuffing again, though not for Thanksgiving. I love the idea of pine nuts in there, so I'll try to remember to do that, and think of you. I stuffed the bird and then cut in half. Good to know that you can do it your way. Much tidier for the cook, I think. Christy Majors has been using Waterlogue. I keep trying to decide whether to buy it. Maybe this week. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

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  13. Oh these birds look so good!!! I loved the stuffing! I have to admit I have never made sausage stuffing before. In Greece we use minced beef to stuff the birds ha ha! And unfortunately I could not find cornish hens so I roasted a lovely fresh chicken!
    This app is amazing I am going to look it app!

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  14. The birds and stuffing look delicious!

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  15. The watercolor photo is so cool. I barely know how to use apps, but I might have to figure it out...Both of your hens look delicious. This was a winner, wasn't it?

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