Cast Iron Skillet Cornish Hen with Brocoli

Divine!!!!! Seriously.

What you will need:
Skillet
Cornish Hen
Package frozen broccoli florets or fresh if you have it I happened to be out.
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Paprika
1/4 or less of a bottle of Italian dressing so guessing 1/2 cup or so.
olive oil

Preheat oven to 450.
Drizzle just a smidge of olive oil in the pan. Dump frozen broccoli  into pan and arrange like a wreath around the edge. You're going to place the hen in the center. Drizzle with a bit more olive oil. Salt and Pepper the broccoli.
Prep your hen. Wash her good and pat dry. Truss her up if you're feeling frisky and then salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika to taste. I just used a smidge/dash 1/4tsp maybe....
Place into preheated oven for 25 min. Then Reduce heat to 350 and dump on the Italian dressing over everything....cook 25 more min.
Beautiful!

I served this up with some cheesy scalloped taters for the kiddos and crusty bread.

Milk braised Cornish hen

1-2 Tyson cornish hens, thawed
1 lemon (I used preserved lemon), quartered
Few garlic, unpeeled
Pinch saffron
1/2-1 tsp thyme or so
3 cups milk or so
salt
pepper, garlic and onion powder to season
2 tbsp salted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
4 med yellow potatoes

Preheat the oven to 375F.
Take your thawed out Cornish hens and rinse them inside and out, then pat very, very dry with a paper towel. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
In a heavy, oven-safe pot like a Dutch oven, heat the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat.When the butter is melted and sizzling, add in the hens, and cook until they are golden brown and crisp on each side.Add in the milk, and toss in the garlic, lemon, and herbs.  Add halved yellow potatoes.
Cover the pot, and transfer to the preheated oven. Bake the hens in the covered pot for about 45 minutes, then remove the lid, baste the hens with the juices, and cook for 45 minutes more, uncovered.Hens are cooked when they can easily be pierced with a fork, and any juices that run are clear and not pink or red.Serve immediately with desired side dishes!

Cornish game hens brined

Cornish Game Hens

1/4 cup + 2 T. Kosher salt
1/3 cup sugar or honey
3-5 garlic cloves
1/2 T. black peppercorns, crushed
1 tsp. ground mustard
1 tsp. onion powder
2 1/2 quarts of warm water
2 Cornish games hens (mine were 24 oz. each)

Directions for Brining

At least 12 hours or more before you intend to cook your Cornish hens, start the brine.
Get out a large food-grade container. You can use a large pot if you have one large enough. Try to avoid metal if at all possible, because from what I’ve read it can do strange things to your birds!

Add the salt, sugar, garlic, peppercorns, ground mustard, and onion powder to your pot. Pour the warm water over it all and stir it so the salt and sugar dissolves.
Add your birds and place in the fridge covered. Flip half way through.

Roasting directions
Preheat your oven to 425 F. Once the oven comes to temperature, put the birds into the oven for 25 minutes. Turn down the temperature to 400 F and roast for another 20 minutes. Finally, bring the temperature down to 375 F and roast for another 25-30 minutes.