It’s always a question that’s top of mind especially during the holiday season. What dishes are people already bringing and what should I cook for the holidays? I usually go with with the fancy appetizers and my famous brussel sprouts with caramelized onions, pancetta, slivered almonds and white wine sauce (I already did this during Thanksgiving), but I’m compelled to try something different this time around. I peaked online to see if I could get any inspiration and then I spent a good amount of time over the weekend at a couple of grocery stores – the lines were insane. I wanted to make something hearty, meaty, flavorful and easy on the eyes. For some reason, I was still craving turkey, but had to remind myself to move past that one since that was last month!

Top of mind next to all the active orders for chicken, prime rib and pork shoulder was the cornish game hen that stood in the self-serve refrigerated section. I bypassed the line and picked up these babies. I landed on four cornish game hens, since I had to make x2 the amount – one for Mom’s side of the family and one for Dad’s side. They were a good portion size given that the table itself would already be filled with a variety of dishes.

I may have made these once a long while ago, but I was most excited, since it reminded of a mini turkey. I went ahead and sauteed the carrots and onions with rosemary, thyme and a drizzle of white wine. They simmered on the stove for about 15-20 minutes. I didn’t want to overcook them since they’d be stewing some more in the oven.

Next, I buttered up the cornish game hens and seasoned them similarly to the vegetables. After the vegetables cooled, I stuffed them from the front and the back, then topped them with lemon slices. About an hour in the oven leaves you with them slightly brown and sizzling. This is now ready for dinner party number one. I’ll be tackling this again tomorrow!