Calories per serving: 435 Fat grams per serving: 23 Approx. Cook Time:
Cholesterol per serving: 105 Remove giblets and necks from Rock Cornish
Hens; refrigerate to use in soup another day. Rinse hens with running cold
water; pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle inside body cavity with salt and
pepper. Fold neck skin to back; lift wings toward neck, then fold them
under back of hen so they stay in place. With string, tie legs and tail of
each hen together. Place hens, breast-side up, on rack in roasting pan. In
a cup, mix olive or salad oil, dried parsley flakes, dried thyme leaves,
1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper; brush hens with oil mixture. Roast hens
in 350 degree oven about 1 1/4 hours, brushing hens occasionally with
drippings in pan. Hens are done when legs can be moved up and down easily
or when fork is inserted between leg and body cavity and juices that escape
are not pink. Toward the end of roasting hens, in 12-inch skillet over
medium-high heat, in hot margarine, cook carrots, Brussel sprouts and 1/2
tsp. salt until golden. Add 1/2 cup water; over high heat, heat to boiling.
Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook 5 to 10 minutes until vegetables
are tender-crisp, stirring occasionally; keep warm. When hens are done,
discard strings. Place hens on warm large platter; keep warm. For gravy,
remove rack from roasting pan; pour pan drippings into 1-cup measure; let
drippings stand a few seconds until fat deparates from meat juice. Skim 2
Tbsp. fat from drippings into 3-quart saucepan; skim and discard any
remeining fat. In saucepan over high heat, in hot fat, cook mushrooms until
tender and golden, stirring occasionally. Stir enough milk into meat juice
to measuring to equal 1 cup; stir in flour, chicken bouillon and 1/2 tsp
salt until blended. Add 1/2 cup water to roasting pan; stir to loosen brown
bits from bottom of pan. Pour water and brown bits into mushrooms in
saucepan. Add meat-juice mixture; cook over high heat, stirring constantly
until mixture boils and thickens slightly; boil 1 minute. To serve, arrange
vegetables on platter with Cornish hens. Garnish with parsley sprigs. Serve
with mushroom gravy.