Chicken Soup with Lemon and Wine

1 whole chicken

6 cups water

2 teaspoons salt

4 sprigs parsley

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 sprig fresh rosemary

1 lemon, peel grated and juiced

1 cup sliced celery

1 cup sliced carrots

2 cups diced potatoes

1 cup white wine

3 tablespoons corn starch

Homemade croutons

Place whole chicken in a soup kettle and add water, salt, parsley, thyme, rosemary and grated lemon peel. Bring to a boil and simmer for about an hour to an hour and a half, until meat is falling off the bone. Make croutons while chicken is cooking. Remove chicken from kettle and refrigerate broth. When chicken is cool enough remove skin and bones and place meat on a platter in the refrigerator. When fat from chicken congeals on top of broth remove it. Remove a cup of broth and reserve. Place kettle back on the stove and add celery, carrots, potatoes and wine. Bring to a boil and simmer until vegetables are tender. Mix cornstarch and lemon juice with broth. Add chicken to pot and stir in broth mixture. When soup thickens serve with croutons.

Easy microwave croutons

3 slices bread, with crusts removed if desired, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a glass pie pan. Microwave on high 1 minute and stir. Microwave another minute and stir again. Microwave another minute and stir. They will be done after the 3^rd or

4^th minute. Remove when they just start to get crispy as they will become crisper as they cool.