I grew up in a very cultural family. One side is French-German; while the other is Israeli-Greek. Today I'm going to share one of my favorite recipes. Soul food from the old country if you will.

This recipe is mostly made up of fresh ingredients; however, there are some cheats to it as well. For example- I don't turn my own butter. I buy it. I choose Tillamook as my brand, because I live in Oregon, and believe in promoting my community.

Even though this recipe seems like a lot- it's actually very quick and easy.

What you'll need:

2 lbs of Chicken (or more, or less if you want)

1/2 cup of flour

1 stick of butter (or 1/2 cup of margarine- this does effect the taste... it's not good)

2 cups of chicken broth (cheat alert- one can has a 2 cup serving. It doesn't matter if it's sodium free or not)

Noodles (12oz. however, I like more) of your choice.

1 1/2 cup of milk- whatever percent. Milk is milk.

1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

Paprika- to dust the top.

Steps: Assemble in the order to keep the flow going in the kitchen.

Preheat oven to 350.

Cook chicken

Start Noodles 5 minutes before you start the sauce (when noodles are done, drain and DO NOT RINSE THEM)

Sauce

Sauce:

1) Take a large sauce pan- put the stick of butter in it, and let it melt. Don't burn the butter. Medium or number 5 heat works best I think.

2) Add 1/2 Cup of flour- use a whisk to stir it.

- It will look a little chunky at first. wait a few minutes of stirring until it looks smooth. take anywhere from 2-3 minutes.

3) Take the chicken broth and stir in a little at a time. It will thicken as you pour it in. Drip and stir, drip and stir. Count to 2 when you pour and stop.

4) Add the milk the same way. - by the time you get to this step however, it will be runny and soupy looking. Its okay, that's how it’s supposed to work.

5) Let the Rue simmer for about 10 minutes or so. Stir occasionally- use the whisk to pick up the thickness from the bottom of the pan.

6) Add your spices. Nutmeg (1/4 teaspoon), Salt (1/2 teaspoon) and pepper (1/2) teaspoon. DO NOT ADD PAPRIKA!

7) In a large casserole dish add your sauce, Noodles, and (Cooked) chicken together.

8) Add a healthy layer of Parmesan cheese to the top of the Casserole- Then dust with Paprika.

9) Place in the oven and let it stay there until the cheese melts.

Warning- This is a very filling dish. A little bit goes a long way. This dish again is also from the old country so in order to stick with a healthy diet (if you want), use whole grain noodles, lean chicken, and low fat parmesan.

Tips:

Some great things to go with this entre` are of course a cranberry salad, white wine, and wheat French bread.