...And now, the post you've all been waiting for...

So, faithful readers, how did my epic bird battle turn out in the end?




I won. Wholeheartedly.

Ta-Da!

After the thawing process was complete, it wasn't so bad. The birds came out tender and juicy and the proper internal temperature (always a good thing), and the stuffing was good. I modified a recipe of my mom's, and in hindsight, there's only one thing I would have changed. The stuffing is made with a box of stovetop stuffing (yes, I know, that's cheating, and not nearly as good, but it's SO much easier) mixed with butter and water and orange juice, and then in the original recipe, you glaze the chicken breasts with OJ and honey before and after you add the stuffing on top. For this, I stuffed the hens with the stuffing, and then glazed their outsides during the last 15 minutes of cooking. I think I would have forgone the glazing and just added the honey to the stuffing before I stuffed the birds with it. But, regardless, it was good. So were the carrots and potatoes, despite the lack of roasted garlic and large hole in my finger.

Which is causing this post to take about twice as long as normal to type - try typing with no left index finger, and see how hard it is...

So anyway, success was mine, and I was rather proud. And I had some excellent leftovers for lunch today as well.

Things I learned from this cooking experience:

-Don't trust grocery store men to tell you how long a bird will take to thaw. Or do, and just add an extra hour to whatever they say.
-Don't try to cook something you've never cooked before for your husband's birthday and expect it to turn out like you want it.
-Don't underestimate the cutting power of a vegetable peeler.
-Cornish hens, while cute and pretty to look at, are really freaking hard to carve/eat.

Now. My tasks for the day (clean the kitchen, register Mark for his classes) are complete. I get to go scrapbook :)