Special Meals

Sometimes I have found that the emotional and social satisfaction of a meal outweighs its financial burden... Tonight was one such meal for our family.  I have decided that every Sunday will be our "special meal" night- to celebrate God's provision to our family.

In general, I attempt to cook as frugally as possible.  Money is really tight for us these days, and food is one area that I can really save money.  This makes our "special" meals all the more enjoyable!
Tonight I served roasted Cornish game hens with roasted root vegetables.  I love cooking these little birds; I find that the flavor is so much more delicate, and the flesh so much more tender than chicken.  Plus the delight of serving a whole tiny bird on each plate, surrounded by vegetables, is so much fun!
The reason I mention this is not only to pass on a delicious recipe, but to give you two great tips I used whilst cooking tonight.
1) I used my small food processor and made a paste of garlic cloves (10-12 cloves), olive oil (about 3/4 cup) and sea salt (1-2 tbps).  This paste easily sticks to meat or fish, yet disperses well in rice or pasta, thus it can be its own marinade, or the basis for a delicious sauce!!! These three ingredients are the beginnings of almost every one of my meals, so I make one weeks worth every Sunday, and keep it in a small glass container in the fridge.  This will save me time while cooking during the busy week.
2) Whole vegetables assuredly provide us with more nutrition and flavor.  However, preparation is the most time-consuming part of cooking.  When making a dish that involves multiple vegetables, take a little extra time to wash and chop double, or triple the amount needed for that night.  The extras can be sealed in a ziploc bag and kept in the fridge or the freezer, depending on your week's meal plan.  It only look me an extra 4 minutes tonight to chop triple the amount of vegetables I needed.  The extras will be used this week, saving me a lot of prep work, and losing little to no nutritional value from my veggies:-)

After dinner I made chocolate chip cookies.  After some research, and a very convincing argument from Laura at Heavenly Homemakers blog, I decided that I need a grain mill.  To afford the one I have my eye on, I plan on selling baked goods this year.  I am starting my recipe repertoire with my all-time favorite.... chocolate chip cookies.  I vow to create the perfect organic, whole grain, low-to-no sugar, chocolate chip cookie recipe.  Batch number one was a pretty basic recipe using 2 parts white flour to 1 part whole grain oats and large chocolate chips.  They turned out really well- as Ash attested to while eating his third, or was that the fourth, one! I will keep you posted!

Recipe for Cornish Game Hen with Roasted Root Vegetables
(for 2 adults)
-2 cornish game hens, thawed and rinsed
-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
-3 tsp sea salt
-1 or 2 stems fresh rosemary (or 2 tbsp dried)
-2 tbps roasted flax seeds (optional)
-total of 3 cups chopped root vegetables, use some sweet and some savory, I prefer beets, rhutabagas, carrots, sweet potatoes, russet potatoes, and onions (onion is not optional) (peeling is your preference- I don't peel as I use organic vegetables and want the nutrition from the skin)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix salt, oil and rosemary in a bowl.  Rub the game hens inside and out with half of the mixture.  Place on roasting rack, and cover loosely with cover or aluminum foil.  Toss the vegetables with the other half of the mixture, and spread in a large brownie pan, or cookie sheet with sides (leave uncovered). Bake both together for 1 hour, then uncover the game hens, increase heat to 400 and bake for another 15 minutes, or until chicken is browned and tender, and vegetables are tender.  (halfway through bake time, stir vegetables to ensure even cooking.) Serve on a pretty plate and enjoy!