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Pasta with Shrimp and Broccoli
This recipe is a total staple in our house. It is such a quick and easy weeknight meal, but has the feel of a fancy restaurant or weekend meal. My Dad started making this dish for us about 20-25 years ago and I fell in love with it then. I know make it for my family and they too have fallen in love. Â This is the perfect dish to make all one meal and customize if you need to. For example, this original dish has crushed red pepper flake in it. I omit that for the girls, but add it back in for me and the hubs. I also omit the shrimp…
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1-2-3 Granola
I have started eating healthier in 2021. It is something that I have needed to do not only for awhile now, but as I get older. Also, as my kiddos get older. It is super important to me that they develop positive eating habits from a young age. I did not give them ANY sugar for their first year of life and I limit the amount that they intake now. I also make sure that they get healthy amounts of fruits and veggies. Which all of you amazing mamas out there know how difficult that can be. Especially when they are little and want to fight you at every meal and snack period.…
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Oven Roasted Lamb Chops
If you want tender, juicy, melt in your mouth lamb chops; this is the recipe for you. Also, if you want tender, juicy, melt in your mouth lamb chops that are super simple and quick; this is really the recipe for you. Most people think making lamb chops is too tough. That it is better to get them at a restaurant because making them at home is too much. I am here to show you that couldn’t be farther from the truth. This recipe will give you the perfect lamb chop every single time. It is also a great introduction to making lamb at home. Lastly, it is a restaurant quality recipe that…
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No Knead Bread
I have never really gotten into baking bread very much. I have played with it here or there, but never really gotten into it big time. Mainly because it is usually time consuming and technical. Meaning that you usually need to let it rise and knead and rise again and knead again. Then you need to either shape it just right and rise again. Then bake it at different temperatures throughout the process or exactly just right. Sometimes you need to spray the oven for moisture. I mean, it is a LOT of work usually. Then I heard about this bread that you do not have to knead, at all! You do not…
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Chicken Vesuvio
I was an Executive Chef at an Italian restaurant for a few years as well as we made a version of this dish at another steakhouse that I was a chef at. Since it is such an iconic Chicagoan dish, it can be found at several restaurants in the area. Needless to say, I have made countless plates of this dish. I have made it with both bone in chicken and boneless breasts. I have made it with peas and without. Here is where I stand and what I have learned. Bone in versus Boneless You can make this dish either way. I prefer to use the bone in chicken as it lends…
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M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies
Saturday all day, my oldest was asking me to make cookies. I said, “I don’t know if I have anything to make cookies?” She looked at the counter and saw a jar of M&M’s and said, “Yes, we do! We have M&M’s!” Well, I couldn’t say no after that. I checked the cabinets and we had everything else we needed to make cookies. We even had about a half a bag of chocolate chips to throw in with the M&M’s. I pulled out the butter and softened it in the microwave for about 10 second intervals, twice, I think I put it on. We were ready to go! Soft cookies vs Crunchy cookies…
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Banana Nutella Bread
We are always looking for new fun ways to use Nutella in our house. I mean, we are Italian! We also use the Nutella from Italy which is slightly different. The girls both love Nutella and so do my husband and I. It was no surprise that I figured out how to swirl it into this simple and delicious chocolate chip banana bread recipe. I mean, the chocolate chips just were not enough! Making banana bread or zucchini bread or cranberry orange bread… any kind of sweet bread is a great project to get the kiddos involved in. They are usually simple dump and mix recipes that don’t require too much skill. My…
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Italian Beef Egg Rolls
I was thinking about this as I was making these yummy bites… are these only a Midwestern thing? Do you all know about and eat Italian beef sandwiches or is it one of our delicious Chicago land treats! Let me know in the comments below if you are not from Chicago land area; have you had, do you know what they are and do you love them like we do! Why egg rolls and not just the sandwich? The story behind these yummy bites is this. We had eaten these about 6 or 7 years ago in a restaurant for an appetizer. My husband talks about them all the time. So finally after…
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Thanksgiving Leftovers
So, it is the Monday after Thanksgiving. Most likely we have already forgotten about the holiday we are onto Christmas. In full shopping mode and thinking about what cookies we are going to make! BUT, we may still be holding onto some turkey, ham and mashed potatoes. If that is the case, here are a few Thanksgiving leftover recipes for you to use up the rest of those yummy bites that we do not want to throw away! Let’s start with the Turkey 2020 of all years is probably where we have the most turkey leftover. We all celebrated with much smaller groups than normal. Even though we gave leftovers to our few…
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Homemade Hot Cocoa Bombs
Ok, so there seems to be a new trend popping up every month. Mainly I believe due to Tik Tok, but also as more and more people are home and cooking a lot more! I think it is great and these are always so fun to try. Some are better than others, but I think that hot cocoa bombs are fun and delish! A little on on the rich side, but yummy chocolaty goodness is never a bad thing in my opinion. Now, I think that many people would rather purchase an item like this than make it. Just for the sheer fact that chocolate can be tricky, who has the time and…
About Me
I am Chef Steph, aka The Happy Chef Mama. I am a pofessional chef and mama of three littles. I am a recipe creator, executive chef, busy mama, full of energy lady! I love to share my recipes, pro chef tips, kiddos and life with you here on my corner of the web.
Contact Me
Email: happychefmama@gmail.com
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