My mother in law makes her own chicken noodle soup and homemade noodles.  My husband has always loved it and we wanted some a while ago.  Of course, I didn't think about asking her until too late, so I found this recipe on the Food Network.  I made homemade noodles to go with it, but still have not found a recipe I really like for that yet.  Hope you like this!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 medium carrots, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 2 celery ribs, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 4 fresh thyme sprigs (I used a couple dashes of dried thyme)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 quarts chicken stock, (recipe on the Food Network website)
• 8 ounces dried wide egg noodles (I used homemade, but am still looking for a really good recipe!)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Directions

Place a soup pot over medium heat and coat with the oil. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme and bay leaf. Cook and stir for about 6 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not browned. Pour in the chicken stock and bring the liquid to a boil. Add the noodles and simmer for 5 minutes until tender. Fold in the chicken, and continue to simmer for another couple of minutes to heat through; season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.

Included in this recipe on the site is a recipe for chicken stock.  I save time and just use the chicken stock I buy at the store!

This is a recipe my Mom made a few times while I lived at home and it is soooo yummy.  I pulled it out the other day to make and about choked looking at the amount of butter it called for!  I know that in the restaurant, they probably don't skimp on the butter and that is why it is so good, but at home, I was trying to figure out the best way to make it by cutting down on the fat.  So, here  (in pink!)is what my mom and I came up with. (Oh, this was found on a website a long time ago, but I tried to pull it up and it was no longer there.  Sorry!)

Lemon Butter Sauce

4 oz. Lemon juice (3 oz. fresh lemon juice)
2 oz. White wine (1 1/2 oz.; can substitute chicken stock)
4 oz. Heavy Cream (3 oz. )
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 lb. unsalted butter (EEK!!) (1 stick of butter)

1. Heat lemon juice and white wine in a sauce pan over medium heat.  Bring to a boil and reduce by one-third.

2.  Add cream and simmer until mixture thickens (approx. 3-4 min.). Slowly add butter until completely incorporated.

3. Season with salt and pepper. 

4.  Remove sauce from heat and hold in warm area.

Preparing Shrimp Pasta
6 oz. butter (about a Tbs. olive oil)
12 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 oz. garlic, chopped
36 shrimp, large, peeled and deveined (I cooked chicken breasts, with seasonings, on the stove)
1 1/2 oz. Pine nuts, toasted
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp black pepper, ground
6 oz. fresh spinach, cleaned and stemmed
36 oz. Capellini pasta, cooked (I used tri colored farfalle - the bowtie looking pasta and only used about 15 oz.)
18 oz. Lemon butter sauce
1 bunch parsley, chopped (I didn't have enough fresh, so just sprinkled some dried parsley on top)

1. Heat butter in large saute pan over med. high heat.
2. Add mushrooms and saute for 2 min.
3. Add garlic, shrimp, pine nuts, salt, pepper, and saute until shrimp are translucent.  Reduce heat and add spinach; lightly toss with shrimp mixture (be careful not to wilt the spinach).
4.  Mix everything together.  
5.  I would advise eating a really BIG green salad with this or a HEAPING amount of green beans or peas, (or both!) to combat how unhealthy this meal is.  This is a meal I will make once a year (if that), just for something different.         

This is what my hubby cooked for dinner tonight.  Yes, my hubby made it!  He is quite a good chef when he wants to be.  But don't let on that you know or he says his reputation will be ruined and all the guys will make fun of him or get mad at him bc their wives will make them cook :)  The chicken has a very mild flavor and the potatoes soaked up the lemon juice, which, I would normally not think would be very good, but it was!  Oh, and instead of putting this in a roasting pan, my hubby put it in the crock pot before church and about an hour after church, it was ready.  So give or take about 5 hours if using a crock pot.


From: The Complete Guide to Country Cooking Cookbook

1 whole roasting chicken (5-7 pounds)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 to 3 tsp dried oregano, divided
4 to 6 baking potatoes, peeled and quartered
1/4 C. butter melted
3 Tbs. lemon juice
3/4 C. chicken broth

Place chicken with breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and half of the oregano.  Arrange potatoes around the chicken; sprinkle with salt, pepper and remaining oregano.  Pour butter and lemon juice over chicken and potatoes.  Add broth to pan.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 until juices run clear and a meat thermometer reads, basting frequently.  Cover and let stand 10 min. before carving. 

Here's another recipe from Cooking Light Magazine (September 2010).  It was a really good recipe that was just a little bit different from what I normally do.  The kids were not really sure about the stuffing, but my hubby and I liked it!  I never have feta on hand but thought we would try this recipe.  The sour taste of the feta combined with the lemon was very fresh and different.  The magazine says that you could use mozzarella or provolone for a milder flavor though.   Also, if you don't have pine nuts (because they are way over priced!), I would think it would be good without, or maybe you could substitute sliced or slivered almonds for some crunch.


5 Oz. fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 C. (2 oz.) crumbled feta cheese
2 Tbs. pine nuts, toasted
1 tsp fresh thyme, minced
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 (6 oz.) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 C. fat free, lower-sodium chicken broth

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Heat a large nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.  Add spinach to pan; cook 1 min. or until spinach wilts, tossing constantly.  Place spinach in a colander; press until barely moist.  Wipe pan clean.
3. Combine spinach, cheese, nuts, thyme, juice, and garlic.  Cut a horizontal slit through the thickest portion of each chicken breast half to form a pocket.  Stuff 3 Tbs. filling into each pocket.  Seal with wooden picks.  Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.
4.  Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat.  Add chicken; cook 3 min. on each side or until brown.  Add broth, and cover pan.  Place pan in oven.  Bake at 350 for 15 min. or until done.  Yield 4 servings (serving size - one half chicken breast).