Brown Cornish hens in butter; remove from skillet and and sprinkle a generous amount of Wild Bill's Meat Rub over entire hens and place in oven proof baking dish.  Melt apple jelly over low heat, set aside.  Add cornstarch to drippings in skillet, blending well, stir in apple jelly, wine, orange juice and salt.  Cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and thickened.  Pour sauce over hens; roast uncovered at 375 degrees for 1 hour.  Arrange hens and Orange Rice on platter, cover with sauce and serve.

YIELD:   6 servings.

ORANGE RICE

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups diced celery and leaves         6 tablespoons chopped onion
1/2 cup melted butter                          2 cups uncooked long grain rice Mahatma brand
1 teaspoon sea salt                            2 cups chicken broth less-sodium (prefer Swanson brand)
2 cups orange juice                         1/4 cup grated orange rind (I use about 2 tablespoons)

Sauté celery and onion in butter until tender.  Stir rice and salt into boiling chicken broth; cover and simmer 15 minutes.  Add orange juice, orange rind and sautéed vegetables.  Cover and cook for 5 additional minutes or until tender.

YIELD: serves 6

Recipe from The Adcock Family Traditions Cookbook circa 1997.  Cannot remember the originator of this excellent recipe.

Bill aka Mickey Porter 03-28-09.

RECIPE MODIFICATIONS

I changed the orange rice recipe today by adding 2 cups of a veggie medley of diced yellow, green and red bell peppers and 1/2 cup diced onions instead of the celery.  I liked it much better.  I used Dry Sherry instead of Sauterne wine simply because I could not find any locally and had  Dry Sherry on hand. 

Web published updated pixs on 07-07-13.