Turkey or Cornish Hens Toss up.....

[divineserenity23]

Well this will be my first holidays alone, since my sweetheart is gone for 6 mos, and I ALWAYS cook for a large group of people. My problem is I find it so hard to cook for one! So I don't know if there are small turkeys available, so i was thinking of cooking cornish hens instead for thanksgiving.....I have never had any experience with them, so does anyone know any great recipies they could recommend? Thanks

[Modemouth]

I prefer more meat to bone ratio so I would buy a turkey even if for one. Think of all the delicious leftover possibilites (we have good recipes on the recipe forum) and you could freeze the meat and carcass (soup) for later.

DH loves cornish hens so I do cook then once in a while.

Here is a link to quite a few recipes
http://southernfood.about.com/od/cor...en_Recipes.htm

This is his fav...


Cornish game hens are stuffed with a seasoned mixture of cooked rice and mushrooms.
Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 package long-grain and wild rice mix, 6 ounces
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 can (about 4 ounces) chopped mushrooms, drained
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 4 Cornish game hens (approximately 1 pound each)

Preparation:

Directions for stuffed Cornish hens
Cook rice according to package directions; cool. Add celery, chopped mushrooms, butter, and soy sauce; toss lightly to mix. Stuff hens; place in roasting pan. Roast, loosely covered at 375° for 30 minutes. Remove cover and continue roasting Cornish hens for about 60 minutes, or until done. Baste Cornish hens with butter during last 30 minutes, if desired.
Stuffed Cornish hens serves 4.

[Krissy]

how about just the turkey breast ? they come in small packages

[divineserenity23]

I will actually probably end up doing both of the ideas you guys posted. And Modemouth you are quite correct, the leftover meatand juices make the perfect stock frozen for gravy,soup, etc, good sugesstion!

[MagiePerdu]

I'd go for the turkey breast too. . .heck, the turkey sammiches are alllllllmost as good as the turkey dinner. And, as Ms. Mary pointed out, the bone-to-meat ration in a cornish hen is pretty low.

I allus have trouble at Thanksgiving. The S.O. will eat turkey dinner and maybe choke down a sammich the following day, but he is NOT a turkey lover, and since it has been just the 2 of us, I think he kinda resents the time it takes to prepare a full-bore turkey meal (altho I think he's really taken to brining the turkey the past couple of years. . .thank you, Alton Brown!)

This year, one of my kids may be coming to visit, but won't commit to exactly when (before or after Turkey Day?). I'm solving the problem by purchasing a smoked turkey and those frozen rolls and smashed taters. I'll be making the cranberry sauce and spiking the eggnog!