Chicken in a basket

I saw this recipe this summer and knew I wanted to try it. Well this morning I finally did. This dish was wonderful and would be perfect to make for house guests because it looks gourmet but is soo easy.

Ingredients

• 3-4 cups of shredded hashbrowns
• 1/2 stick of unsalted butter melted
• salt and pepper
• cooking spray
• 6 slices of prosciutto
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 6 eggs
• 3/4 cup shredded provolone

Directions

1. Special equipment: Jumbo sized muffin tin
2. Mix defrosted potatoes with melted butter and salt/pepper.
3. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray. Press the potatoes evenly into the bottom and sides of the muffin tin, making sure it covers the whole inside of the muffin tin.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until hash browns are crispy.
5. Meanwhile mix proscuitto with maple syrup in a bowl and lay on a cookie sheet, set aside.
6. Remove potatoes from oven and crack an egg into each cup. Cook for another 6-8 minutes until egg whites set and yolks remain runny.
7. Remove from oven and put oven to broil. Sprinkle cheese on top of egg. Put both cookie sheets under broiler and cook until cheese is melted and proscuitto is crispy, about 1 minute.
8. Top eggs with crispy proscuitto and serve immediately.

High on Yum, low on calories: Cheddar Chicken Chowder

This recipe is one of my favorites and a special recipe to me. I know it sounds weird that a recipe can be special, but it is probably one of the first recipes to inspire me to cook. You see, my first year out of college I worked at a brokerage firm with all men, weirdly enough, all of these men LOVED to cook. My boss would actually bring me his old Cooking Light magazines and this was a recipe that I saw and knew I had to try. Ever since then I have loved the magazine and cooking. I have made this recipe numerous times throughout the year and is perfect for a cold fall or winter day. It was also great to find a chowder recipe that was healthy since we all know that the were chowder usually equates to unhealthly. I hope you try this recipe this fall and enjoy it as much as I do!

Ingredients

• 2 bacon slices
• Cooking spray
• 1 lb boneless chicken breast cubbed
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper (or whatever color you prefer)
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 4 1/2 cups chicken broth (the 32 oz boxes only have 4 cups so I usually use 1/2 cup water)
• 1 3/4 cups diced red potatoes
• 2 1/4 cups frozen corn
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 2 cups milk ( I use 1% even though it asks for 2 %)
• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. Cook bacon in a dutch oven coated with cooking spray until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, crumble and set aside. Add chicken, onion, bell pepper, and garlic to bacon fat in pan, saute 5 minutes. Add broth and potatoes, bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add corn, stir well.
2. Place flour in a bowl. Gradually add milk, stirring with a wisk until blended, add to soup. Cook over medium heat 15 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Stir in cheese, salt and pepper. Stir in crumbled bacon. Enjoy!

(306 calories for a 1 1/2 cup serving)