Ralphs Grocery store was having a sale on Rock Cornish Hens for dirt cheap in the middle of January. Naturally, I had to take advantage of the situation (given the fact that I was about to get my last “full-time employment” paycheck soon). The thing is, I’d never bought these little birds before because they were always so pricey and thus really wasn’t sure what to do with them.
I checked my cookbooks. No mention of these hens. So, I went online and discovered why my cookbooks don’t mention them: They’ve only been around since the mid-1960′s! I also found out that, according to About.com, Rock Cornish Hens are really just small chickens that Tyson bred for the upscale market. Ah-ha! This information provides me with the ammunition I need to try out a whole slew of vintage recipes.
One thing I’ve noticed about older recipes is that the size of the chicken they call for is puny by today’s standards. They call for chickens that are about 2 pounds. Have you SEEN the size of chickens for sale in the grocery meat department? I have a hard time finding anything under 5 pounds. But now, I can take advantage of sales and use Rock Cornish Hens (or, as they are often called, Cornish Hens) in those recipes. Cornish hens usually come frozen with two birds to a pack (at least in my neck of the woods) so I may be able to get two meals out of one package.
As I was looking for “the perfect recipe” to adapt for my first experience with these small chickens, I came across a Broiled Chicken Barbecue recipe from June, 1952, by Mrs. Nona Barbaric from Shinnston, West Virginia. I know most parts of the country have been having unrelenting snow, ice, and frigid temperatures but here in Los Angeles, we keep having heat wave after heat wave. It is like Mother Nature collected all of the heat and is blowing it our way. When I prepared this dish, the daytime temp was in the 80′s, so it felt like a perfect day for a barbecue.
I’d show you a photo of how my version turned out except that My Honey thought that I’d already taken the photos and took some bites out the chicken (he couldn’t wait). This recipe does require you to stay attentive to the chicken for 45 minutes, but it is an otherwise easy-peasy recipe. I served it with potato salad and crudites. A perfect warm Sunday evening meal.
Here is my version of Broiled Chicken Barbecue:
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tablespoons horseradish
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoon ketchup
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
3/4 teaspoon chili sauce
2 Rock Cornish Hens, split
Combine all ingredients except chicken; heat to boiling. Place chicken halves, skin side down, on rack in broiler pan. Brush with sauce. Broil 5-7 inches from heat 40 to 45 minutes. Turn halves and baste with sauce every 10 minutes during broiling. Makes 4 servings.
This is a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, isn’t it? I have been trying to sneak my late MIL’s copy out of my sister in law’s house for the past ten years. It’s such a treat.
It isn’t a cookbook, per se. I found a binder in a thrift shop that had recipes from the Better Homes & Gardens magazine—you know, those recipes that are submitted by readers and have the little circles on the left side for you to add to your BH&G cookbook.
Well, hello! I found your blog. I love this post because I also have discovered (for the first time) the joy of cold cream. I can’t believe how smooth it makes my skin. The first time I used it I felt like I was in an old commercial. I was telling people about it and having them touch my skin. My friend said, “are they paying you, or what?”Because I wouldn’t shut up about it. I also found that the jar I bought is in a pretty glass jar and you can peel the label off and it looks pretty on your dressing table.
Thanks for the help with my settings I wonder how many other people outside of Blogger got scared away by my ill-planned settings.
I’m so glad you found my site! And, why am I not surprised that you love cold cream, too!
Setting up a blog is a total learning process. Now that I’ve switched to WordPress, I’m feeling like I’m having to learn everything all over again! Hopefully non-Blogger people will notice that you’ve made the commenting easier and will start jumping in, too.