Today I’m talking about “being prepared.”
Being prepared for entertaining is really what makes a get-together successful. When I’m not prepared, I’m scattered, frustrated, and grumpy. Who wants to be around a grumpy hostess? (My family for sure does not).
Part of being prepared is not only knowing what you are going to cook, but making sure that it’s easy and dinner-party worthy.
So I’m sharing a delicious recipe that our friend Jenny has made for us for many years for her dinner parties. I can see why now … 24 hours ahead of time you marinate the Cornish Game Hens (very easy), and then pop in the oven 1 hour before you’re ready to serve. You do baste them every 15 minutes, but that’s easy. Give one of your kids the job! 
I made these hens on Christmas Day and our entire family loved them. The flavor is … well, you decide. Fantastic!
All I know is that I was asked over and over to make them again.
Here’s my list of tips that help me get prepared and stay on track for a dinner party.
How to be prepared:
-Choose a main dish that you can prepare ahead of time, that takes very little of your time the day of the dinner.
-Get your shopping done 1-2 days ahead of time.
-Make a list and cross things off as you complete them.
-Make a list of what items need to go in the oven, with a time frame.
-Tell yourself you are not going to run to the store. Use what you have; fight the “perfectionism” inside of you.
-Know what your guests are bringing. KNOW YOUR MENU. Write it out and place it on the refrigerator so you can keep checking it.
-Have any condiments, butter, or extra food items you’ll need, in dishes, ready to put on the table.
-Get prep work done ahead of time.
-Count backwards and plan out your time for what needs to be done at certain times.
-Know in advance what you want to wear.
-Use my 10-minute Countdown Method.
And enjoy the Cornish Game Hens!
They are delish!
Have you ever cooked Cornish Game Hens?
If you’ve never split a cornish game hen, here is a video that may help you. It’s really easy1
Recipe: Marinated Cornish Game Hens {ReluctantEntertainer.com}
Summary: Delicious recipe good enough for company! Be sure to double the sauce ingredients for every 2 hens you cook.
Ingredients
- 2 game hens split in half
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 3 garlic cloves sliced
- 2 TBS toasted sesame seeds
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 TBS brown sugar
- 3 TBS lime juice
Instructions
- Lay hens skin side down in glass dish. Prick each several times with a fork. In blender or food processor, blend all above ingredients until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Place hens in a ziplock bag (you can double bag), pour marinade over, seal bag and refrigerate 6-24 hrs, turning occasionally.
- Transfer hens to a 9×13 baking dish, single layer, skin side up. Reserve marinade.
- Roast at 400 for 1 hour. Baste with marinade every 15 minutes.
- Serve right away!
Preparation time: 6 hour(s)
Cooking time: 1 hour(s)
Number of servings (yield): 4
Hi, I'm Sandy. Five years ago I stocked up on beautiful glasses from the Dollar Store. As I started writing about dinner parties, I realized that this "icon" portrays a great message. 
I want to share with you some of my favorite places to visit in blog-land, sites that I learn from and am inspired by, and some beautiful friends that I’ve met over the years.
Your tips on being prepared are almost exactly what I do when hosting a party. If I’m hosting buffet style, several days in advance I lay out all of the serving bowls and platters on the table. If I am hosting a sit down dinner, I set the table a the day before. Anything that I can do in advance I will do! I have made cornish game hens before, but for some reason haven’t made them in a few years. I am so excited that you shared your friend Jenny’s recipe! It looks delicious, and I can’t wait to make it!
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I love cornish game hens, and most people don’t realize how cheap they are, I get them at our local Aldi’s at a great price. I have to try your recipe, looks so flavorful!
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you make it look so easy! I’ve never been brave enough.
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Twitter: addapinch
says:
We love cornish game hens and this looks like a fabulous recipe. Can’t wait to try it!
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Looks good. But I think computer gremlins are playing with the instructions a bit. #1 is missing on my screen and #3 must be a typo? Not sure what a leg ziplock could be.
Do you do the splitting of the hens? Any important tips are doing that successfully?
Thanks
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Sandy Reply:
January 11th, 2013 at 11:24 am
Dee, it’s fixed. I added a video how to split the hens. It’s super easy!
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I have always wanted to try and cook them. Will try this weekend. Just wondering….there is nothing written after the number 1 in the list of instructions. Something else I should be doing?
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Sandy Reply:
January 11th, 2013 at 11:23 am
Tammy, the recipe is fixed. Thanks for letting me know!
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Twitter: thefrugalette
says:
My husband loves cornish game hens and Ive never thought to marinate them so long before! They look great, look forward to trying it out.
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Great tips Sandy! I follow so many of these as well. Here are some more that have helped me:
* Clean as you go, so the mess doesn’t show. Leaving it until an hour before the company comes will cause us to go into panic mode and take away our joy & peace in hospitality.
* Confirm with guests 24 hours before a dinner party. A friendly e-mail reminder, text, or phone call helps those with hectic & busy schedules. It also helps the hostess to adjust the amount of food served.
* Be forgiving when someone needs to cancel. Don’t easily take offense. Remember the times when you had too much on your “plate” or really needed to be at home, etc.
* Don’t focus on what would make the dinner better, when you have no way of getting what you think is “better”. Example: If I could serve Lobster with the steak it would be the best meal. If only we had more furniture and a bigger house, we would have the best dinner parties.
YOU make it better by your smile, warmth, kindness, personality, etc. Those things can not be bought & are better than any of the finest foods & decor.
Just some simple thoughts I hope helps someone. May you have a wonderful day Sandy. Your blog is wonderful!
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Twitter: unsophisticook
says:
Glad you provided that video, because I definitely have never split cornish game hens. Looks super easy and yummy!
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Your recipe looks great!! Hopefully I will be brave enough to try it sometime..
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Twitter: elengrey
says:
I have cooked these little game hens a lot for special occasions, but not with this marinade. Click. Print.
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These are great tips! I have never cooked cornish game hens but I do love to eat them. They look wonderful!
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No, I have never cooked cornish game hens! This sounds like an excellent marinade. Now I want to try them for myself!
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Twitter: missnthekitchen
says:
I served cornish game hens at one of my very first dinner parties. Your tips would have been very handy as would a meat thermometer! They were not cooked through and I was so embarrassed, I haven’t made them since! That was about 20 years ago, I think I should give them another go!
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Sandy Reply:
January 14th, 2013 at 11:45 am
Yes, Millisa, give it another try! This recipe is so easy and will turn out perfectly for you!
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Beautiful chicken and love these helpful party tips.
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Great post! My kids love the “cute chickens” because of their size.
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These look so easy to pull off and juicy.
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Great tips!
Being prepared is so important. It really helps to keep my stress level down and makes entertaining flow smoothly, even if everything doesn’t turn out “perfectly”. I couldn’t live without my lists. My husband thinks it’s so funny how I have lists for everything:).
The cornish hen recipe sounds delicious too. I’ll be giving it a try. I usually stuff mine with rice or cornbread stuffing, but I’ll look forward to trying it this way too. I love any recipe where I can get some of the work done ahead of time.
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