Grilled Cornish Hens with Lemon, Honey, Mustard Glaze; the creepy crawlies win again

Grilled Hens with Lemon, Honey, Mustard Glaze

 Do you ever have one of those days when you're sure the creepy, crawly, slithery, slimy occupants of the planet are determined to take over?

Not the whole planet…. I'm quite certain that, at least statistically, they already control Earth.

I mean the little patch of this lovely blue planet that you want to call your own.

Yesterday was one of those days, chez moi.

It started with our morning walk.  It seemed like every step I took resulted in a slight but distinct crunch.

The snails were everywhere.

As were the slugs, but they don't crunch when one steps on them…. They squish.

After the walk I spent a few enjoyable moments picking the little critters out of my herb garden and seeing how far I could throw them.

I was justified.

They were nibbling the basil.

Then there was a snake-in-the-hedge sighting.  Just a grass snake.

Larry, the Lounge Lizard, who is sharing the house with us, is going to get the boot.  The deal was that he keep the spiders and centipedes under control.

He's not.

Just as I started unpacking some kitchen boxes (Yes, I'm unpacking…) I noticed a monster spider on the wall above the fridge.

Fortunately, I had just found some 'heavy duty spider spray; at the local DIY. 

I sprayed.

The spider ran.

I had so been hoping that it would just drop dead, like the wasp spray I also bought.  The wasps just fall out of the air dead at the touch of a button.  Not the spider.

I sprayed again.

The spider ran again.

It finally ran behind the fridge and I convinced myself it was dead.

I took a deep breath of relief and went to put the can down.

Of course, I can't help myself doing a ceiling check first.

Giant centipede right above the bed.

Centipedes live for 5 years, and they just keep growing.  This house has been empty for 3.  Need I say more?

I sprayed the centipede.

The centipede ran.

I sprayed again.

The centipede ran again.

Now he was kind of running like a drunken sailor and he ended up running into the inside shelf of my nightstand.

Yeah, like I'm ever going to sleep with him next to me. 

I did the only logical thing: fetched the Hoover.

I vacuumed him right up.  Then I decided, as long as I had the vacuum out, I might as well get the Daddy Long Leg in the corner and the ants on the window sill. 

As I was, courageously, sucking up these critters with the long hose attachment I saw a giant centipede trying to escape the nozzle. Either the first one was stronger than I thought, or I rousted up another one.

I put the vacuum outside, lest any of the critters escape in the night.

I poured myself a bottle glass of wine and tried to convince myself that all was safe.

I stopped at the DIY store to stock up on spray today. 

See… Here's the deal. 

Intellectually, I know they are in this house.

Intellectually, I know they really have better things to do than scare or harm me.

If they stayed out of sight I would be perfectly happy and they would be perfectly alive.

But, once I see them, raw fear takes over and out comes the spray…

Now, I have to stop thinking about them or I'll be back at the wine….

Speaking of wine, I suggest a nice, crisp Chablis to go with these hens…

We don't actually have 'Cornish Game Hens' here, but we do have 'poussin' or little chickens.  We make two, so we can have the leftovers for lunch.

Grilled Cornish Hens with Lemon, Honey and Rosemary Glaze

2 Cornish game hens or poussin (little chickens)
3 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tbs Dijon-style mustard
2 tbs honey
2 tbs chopped fresh rosemary substitute 2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Rub birds with 1 tsp of the oil. Cook on barbecue grill over indirect heat (either charcoal or gas), covered, for 45 – 60 minutes, depending on size or until done. Poultry is done at 160 F (70C) on your meat thermometer and/or the juices run clear when pierced with knife.
Chop rosemary. In a small bowl mix remaining oil, lemon, mustard, honey, rosemary and garlic. During last 30 minutes of cooking baste with sauce 2 or 3 times.
When done, remove and serve – don't forget finger bowls (it's messy) and bone bowls (to keep your plates tidy).
Or they can be baked in a shallow roasting pan in a 400F oven for 45 – 60 minutes, until done. If baking, start basting immediately.

In addition to the above, for the week of May 22 we have Asparagus Avocado Salad, Greek Olive Mini Frittatas, Grilled Tuna, Chicken and Egg Salad on Spinach, Caprese Pasta Salad and more….

Become a Thyme for Cooking Subscriber and get the menu, complete recipes with meal preparation instruction, and shopping list each Thursday.  First two weeks FREE.   (Reverse seasons available for Australia, and others in the Southern Hemisphere).

For more recipes visit my internet cook book:  Easy Gourmet Dinners