Food & Fun With The Huffs vBy Randy Dockendorf When it comes to selecting meat for a meal, Steve and Tracy Huff don’t believe in just one offering. For our HerVoice gathering, the Huffs paired Cornish game hens with spare ribs. Other times, they have enjoyed stuffed pork chops, cooked with a little onion and some mushrooms. Do the Huffs often prepare two kinds of meat for one sitting? At times, it can serve the family — which includes teenagers Nathan and Abby — well for the next week, especially a hectic one, Tracy said. “Abby and I are more the chicken, seafood and fish types of people. Steve and Nathan will eat anything, and they like meat and ribs,” Tracy said. “It’s really not uncommon for us to make a variety of things in one evening.” Not only does the one meal offer a choice of meat, but the leftovers can be used in creative ways for a number of other dishes, Tracy said. “We make enough for multiple meals,” she said. “We had chicken over the weekend, and then Steve prepared a different meat. I made homemade pizza crust, and we had pizzas with a lot of the leftover chicken and the other meat. One night, I made a pasta dish with the leftover meat.” Four Game Hens Why did they include Cornish game hens as one of the two meats, with stuffing as part of the offering? Tracy said the timing was good on two counts. “The weather was right, for one thing. Also, Cornish game hens are pretty seasonal. You can’t get them all the time,” she said. “Game hens are very flavorful, and we try to get them whenever they’re available. The game hens were in the store, so it seemed like a no-brainer to do it.” Steve sees the game hens filling the bill in many ways. The birds’ smaller size lends itself to any number of uses and occasions, he said. “I would recommend it for everyone, whether it’s for someone eating alone or for any number of people,” he said. “If the bird is stuffed, it could be treated as a miniature one- or two-person turkey.” In addition, Steve likes the game hen’s taste and texture. “It’s flat and thin, and it’s more flavorful. I don’t understand why more people don’t try Cornish game hens,” he said. “As far as turkey, I think people eat it at Thanksgiving more because it’s a tradition. I think game hens are easier to cook than turkeys.” For this meal, Steve cooked four pre-seasoned game hens at one time. The birds were covered with a small amount of olive oil. “For the hen, I go with 400 degrees for 45 minutes or 350 degrees for an hour,” he advised. 1101 Broadway Ste. 105, Morgen Square 605.665.2448 www.scottfamilysmiles.com Experience Gentle, Personalized Dental Care For Your Entire Family! 10vHERVOICEvJANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020