Roasted Citrus-Herb Game Hen

Today I had the day off for President's day!  My parents decided to head to the gym a little later than usual and asked me to have dinner ready for them when they got back.  I saw this as a fun challenge, since I was in the mood to cook and wanted to surprise them and make dinner really nice.

I chose Giada's roasted citrus-herb game hen recipe since it seemed easy, healthy, and fresh.  A perfect meal post-gym.  

I followed the recipe almost exactly.  I doubled the recipe so there would be enough for my very hungry older brother and made some healthy vegetable side-dishes.  I started by prepping the herb-citrus rub.  I figured I'd get the fine-chopping out of the way before I broke open the wine!

Then it was time for some Menage Tois Red Blend and some snacks :)  Had to get my beautiful valentines day flowers in the pic!

I thought it was only appropriate to have some music playing... there was definitely some dancing involved.  I was home alone after all!

I had some dilemmas along the way, such as the fresh herbs not being so fresh.  I planned on substituting fresh rosemary for the mint, but the rosemary and thyme didn't smell or taste that great.  I found some parsley in the fridge so I chopped some of that up and added some dried thyme.  Also, my cornish hens were still a bit frozen as was the cauliflower I planned on roasting...gah!  No worries, just got them soaking in some water and they de-frosted pretty quickly.

I seasoned the cauliflower with Wegman's basting oil, salt, pepper, and Bragg's seasoning blend (my usual vegetable roasting method) and popped it in a 400 degree oven.

I also sliced some Roma tomatoes, zucchini and eggplant and brushed them with olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper and roasted those along with the cauliflower.

Once the vegetables and the hens were in the oven, I tidied up and set the table:

I seriously LOVE these roasted veggies!  It's like eating candy...best side-dish ever!

I took the hens out of the roasting pan to rest while I made a pan-gravy:

The chicken was very moist.  I was a little upset that the gravy didn't thicken up like I wanted it to.  It was nearing 8:00 and we were all starving, so I didn't let it simmer long enough.  It still had great flavor though!  The cauliflower was amazing:

Here's my brother's plate with a hen, vegetables, and some roasted potatoes that I whipped up for him so he could have a perfectly well-balanced plate:

I definitely had fun cooking for my family tonight!  Time to go watch Jack Bauer save the world on 24!