Mom and Dad's 30th Anniversary Chicken Dinner

Mom and Dad were up from Vegas this past weekend for a very special event. We celebrated their 30 year anniversary! I made a full blown chicken dinner, we played Balderdash for hours and just spent quality time together. I'll tell you all about it. First though, Mom took these pictures of Hannah and I before we sat down to dinner as the chickens baked in the oven. We realized we didn't have many pics of the two of us together, and so we took a slew. It was a magical time of day, and our outfits for the night were perfect for the shoot...

Mom has been an amazing photographer since I can remember. Friends are confused when they see pictures of us as little girls because the quality of the photos look modern, as opposed to the average grainyness that 90s film produced. I remember her in an oversized sweater, broom skirt and docs on the beaches of Normandy as we skipped along the cold and haunting shoreline. Stopping on the roadside to capture a shot of fluffy horses on the dirt roads. Always with a camera around her neck. I outta scan some of the pics from those days and show you. She took all of these pics...





They're all taken in our backyard. Also if you can kind of notice my hair is more of an auburn then the black it has been for about a year. I just got it done. My goal is to go back to my natural color which is a dark blonde with natural lighter highlights around the crown. From months of dying it black on my own, I will need to go in stages. So it just so happens my auburn goes perfectly with the season and it was a delightful surprise ;) Now Hannah and I look a little more like sisters!





My shirt is from Kohls and skirt from H&M, and no I'm not wearing tights- I'm THAT pale. Gotta say I'm a fan of pale though. It's so very classic. Hannah's dress is from H&M as well, and her belt is new but I forget where she said she got it. Her ballet slippers are actually those little slippers you buy at the drug store after a night of clubbing in heels ;) Her dress looks SO Virgin Suicides without the belt. I love when she wears a waistless dress- it makes her look just like a doll.

Soon it was time to head back in and finish up dinner. You know how full blown chicken dinners are an all day deal - and I loved every minute of it. A chicken dinner with all the fixings just represents family and celebration perfectly, and thus I knew I had to make it! Here's what I made for all 6 of us:

-2 Roasted Chickens. Free range, organic, locally raised.
-Gluten free gravy
-Gluten free stuffing
-Creamed corn
-Organic baked maple-walnut carrots (sugar free)
-Organic mashed potatoes

Organic Roasted Chicken: The chicken was cleaned, dried and then hand covered with butter, salt and pepper. I made sure to add butter to the inside of the skin right against the breasts as well. I am not a fan of handling raw meat, but it's just one of those things that must be done. Mom recently said that after watching Alien for the first time, she was unable to handle a raw chicken for almost a year. ( remember when that THING comes out of the guy's stomach and "runs" across the floor!? )

I broiled the 2 chickens side by side in a casserole dish, to crisp the skin for a good 15 minutes. Then I turned down the temp to 375 and baked till ready-about 2 hrs or more. You know chicken is ready when you pierce the thing and the juices run clear, as opposed to pink. Once they're done, cover them with foil, turn off the oven and leave it to rest in there for a good 20 minutes.



Gluten Free Gravy: So simple! Remove the chickens from the drippings and pick out any chicken pieces that have fallen in. Don't bother straining, all the little crispy bits will make the gravy even better. Create a paste to thicken the gravy by mixing in tsp by tsp of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Mix with a whisk until thick. It acts just like normal flour!

Then mom gave me an amazing tip: Add water from the boiling potatoes to stretch the gravy! It actually doubled the amount. And you and I both know, there can never be enough gravy! Let me tell you, even though I used the GF flour mix, it tasted EXACTLY the same as every other epic gravy I have had! And it was velvety, rich, THICK.




Gluten Free Stuffing: Honestly, my favorite part of a chicken dinner is the stuffing. I adore the plain old Stove Top box mix! I knew there was no way I was going to miss out on this KEY element of the evening, and so I made it gluten free. I searched in Sprouts for a GF mix but had no luck. And so I looked online at your basic stuffing recipes. By the way, in Canada we call it stuffing, not dressing-just in case you were wondering what on earth I was talking about!

The only thing I changed from a non GF recipe was the type of bread I used. Instead of white bread, I used Udi's Gluten Free White Bread. I can't recommend a better kind of bread if you are craving the look and taste of white. It acts just like it. I let the whole loaf thaw out on a plate and then hand ripped every slice into small pieces. Then I sauteed onion, garlic, fresh parsley, salt and pepper in olive oil and butter until translucent. To that I threw in the bread and a bowl of a bit of milk and an egg. I stirred it around till it seemed good and moist, then added to the cavity of the chickens. It was just the right amount!

When I tasted the stuffing, I cannot tell you how delicious it came out! It was a hit, and there was no way I could tell it was GF. If you wanted to make it without chicken, you could simply bake it in a casserole and it will act the same!



Organic baked maple-walnut carrots: These are so easy it's crazy. First only buy organic big carrots, they taste better. Wash em with mild soap, pass on peeling them. Stay closest to nature. Chop the carrots into sticks and throw into a baking dish. Then pour over them some olive oil, chucks of butter, salt, garlic powder and a sprinkle of Truvia and organic, raw walnuts. Cover with foil. Pierce little holes in the foil and bake for about half an hour or until they are el dente.

When they are done, pour a little bit of maple syrup over the lot and mix up. I am sugar free so I used and recommend Nature's Hollow Sugar Free Maple Flavored Syrup. To DIE for. Sweetened with Xylitol which is a super healthy alternative to sugar. Carrots are so good when sweetened slightly. This is also a really good way to get your kids to eat veg!



Organic Mashed Potatoes: Once again super easy. Pick organic potatoes and wash with mild soap. Don't peel. The peel is the healthiest part of the potato and I love seeing the bits of color throughout the mixture.

Throw chunked potatoes into the water that just covers them in a large pot. Bring to boil and lower heat to medium and cook until they are easy to break apart. Keep at least a cup of the broth aside for the gravy before straining. Mash the potatoes and throw in a half cup of butter, lots of salt, pepper and garlic powder. A little bit of parsley as well. Then add heavy whipping cream till it's thick and rich. Mix with wooden spoon and THATS IT!

For creamed corn, stick with the canned kind. Don't mess with a good thing ;) For dessert I made my Gluten Free Apple Crisp which was served with Organic Vanilla Ice cream.



Gluten Free Apple Crisp
7 Organic green apples peeled and chopped into small chunks
1/2 cup of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Oats
1/4 cup Xylitol and a few tsp of Truvia
1/2 cup Butter

Throw the apple chunks into a baking dish. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a separate bowl with your hands, then crumble ontop of the apples. Bake at 350 for half an hour or until the apples are just mushy and the crumble is browned. Serve with Ice cream!

This apple crisp is better than any non GF version I have ever tasted. You won't believe it!! You're family will be addicted. There is no sugar in the crumble, only the natural sugar in the apples, and no wheat either. Your tummy will thank you.



We finished off the night with tea and Balderdash, which left us sleepily laughing our heads off into the night. So many memories were made and I am so happy I could share it all with you :)

What recipe are you gonna try?