Après moi, le déluge.

Photo Credit - Susan Emily Neal Dye

You may have noticed my city is a little more "tis" than "ta" today. The Downtown Connector is under water, and I hope that the governor is happy his prayers for rain have been so enthusiastically, if so unpunctually answered.

In times like these, I turn to the kitchen for entertainment. I had just made my way through a rough week- my dog got sick, I had more work than I could handle, and it had been gray for four or five days straight. Wet and cold after work, I made my trudging way in my waterproof boots to Publix, and decided to take on a challenge I had been gearing to take on later in the fall- the cornish hen. I picked up ingredients to really do justice to the bird, and to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies- indulgent, I know.

Let's just say, it went well.I started by drying the birds, stuffing them with lemon and rosemary, seasoning them lightly with salt and pepper, then brushing a little olive oil on them for color. Then, I put them in a 450 degree oven to cook for about a half an hour.

I made a glaze of sweet vermouth, quartered garlic cloves, and a couple stems of rosemary.

After the birds had cooked, I pulled them out and basted them, then put them back in the oven to roast for another 10 minutes. They came out with a beautiful color, a deliciously flavorful skin, and tender meat. I served them with mashed potatoes and peas.

It may sound ridiculous, but my perfectly cooked cornish hens made me feel invincible, and by the time Louis got home to share them with me, the rain had subsided. I felt like I had won.