Welcome to This Is How She Does It - Dinners!

INGREDIENTS:

1.5 lbs ground beef
6 tbsp olive oil
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp dehydrated onion or 1 medium onion, chopped
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2 tbsp butter
1 head cauliflower, riced or shredded
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
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6 slices american or cheddar cheese
3 roma tomatoes, large diced
2 romaine lettuces, chopped
2 large haas avocados, sliced or diced
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1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp ketchup (sugar free if you can find it)

DIRECTIONS:
1) brown the beef in the olive oil, add salt, pepper, garlic and onion and cook until beef is browned and onions are transluscent. transfer to a bowl.
2) in the same skillet, cook the cauliflower with the butter, salt and pepper until softened.
3) add the cooked ground beef into the cauliflower mixture and cook for another few minutes. remove from the stove. stir in the tomatoes. place cheese slices over the top and cover until cheese melts.
4) while cheese melts, make the sauce. combine mayo and ketchup. i used a squeeze bottle to drizzle the sauce.

PLATING:
Put a good pile of lettuce on the bottom of the plate. spoon the cheeseburger mixture over the top. drizzle some of the sauce. place avocados on top.

Serve with some keto bread.

This recipe makes 1 loaf and can be sliced into 16 slices. 1 serving equals 2 slices.

INGREDIENTS:

8 eggs
8 tbsp coconut flour
2 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp baking powder
8 oz cream cheese
2 tbsp melted butter

DIRECTIONS:

1) Preheat oven to 350F.
2) Line a loaf pan with parchment paper
3) Stir all ingredients together and pour into prepared pan.
4) Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

The dough of this recipe is Alice Bezjian's recipe from her cookbook "The Complete Armenian Cookbook"

Dough/crust
3 cups semolina (fine)
3 tbsp flour
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
3 tbsp orange blossom water
1 pkg active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water

Filling
1 lb mejdool dates, pitted and smashed into a paste 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped 1/3 cup powdered sugar 1-2 tbsp orange blossom water 1 teaspoon cinnamon

1) to prepare the dough, in a mixing bowl, combine the semolina, flout melted butter and orange blossom water. knead well until the mixture holds together. cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
2) the next day, in a small bowl, bloom the yeast in the water. then add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture you prepared the day before, kneading well. set aside.
3) in a separate bowl, combine the filling ingredients together, mixing well. set aside.
4) divide the dough into 1" to 1 1/2" balls. to form the ma'amoul, place a ball in the palm of one hand. with the forefinger of your other hand, press an opening into the dough. continue turning and pressing against your palm with your finger until the hole is enlarged enough to hold about a teaspoon of the filling. pinch off a gumball-sized piece of the filling and put it inside the hole. press the edges of the dough together and roll between your palms to seal and shape it. gently flatten the cookie and place on a baking sheet. repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
5) bake at 350F for about 20 minutes until golden (but not brown). transfer to wire racks to cool. dust with powdered sugar and store for up to 1 week.

This is an easy quiche you can make in advance and reheat for brunch the next day or two. We made this last night for our preschool's Teacher Appreciation brunch in the morning. The Trader Joe’s Unexpected Cheddar makes this quiche taste even more special.

8oz bacon
8oz button mushrooms, sliced
1/2 bag of fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 leek, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
4 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sharp cheddar or swiss cheese, shredded
1 pie crust (see recipe link)

1) preheat oven to 375F
2) cook bacon in a pan until almost done. add mushrooms and saute until golden brown. add garlic, leeks and spinach and saute until the entire mixture is cooked through and the spinach has wilted and shrunk. Season with salt and pepper to taste. set aside to cool.
3) prepare the pie crust (store bought is perfectly OK!) and place it into your pie form. i prefer glass. put it in the freezer. it helps the crust hold its shape and not shrink during baking. the goal here is not to freeze it, but to keep it cold while you prepare the rest.
4) prepare the egg custard. whisk together eggs and heavy cream and lightly season with salt.
5) assemble. remove pie crust from freezer, layer the bacon/mushroom/spinach mixture on the pie crust. layer the cheese over that. pour the egg custard over the whole thing.
6) bake in the oven for 25-40 minutes. start looking at the quiche at the 25 minute mark and check the middle to see if it has set. a little jiggle is OK and it will firm up from the residual heat as it cools down.

We used the Capellini noodles from Trader Joe's instead of ramen noodles and added mushrooms and edamame to our bowls. This came together fast and was very tasty. If you like fish sauce, add some to your sauce mixture. It will kick it into orbit with the taste!

Such an easy summer salad. If you happen to grow some mint and basil in your garden, this salad is a great way to use them. Also, the fat from the prosciutto and mozzarella help you absorb the fat-soluble vitamins in the cantaloupe like Vitamin K! win-win all around for your tastebuds and your body!

Easter Bread, or as we Armenians call it - choreg, or as my grandmother called it - anoush hats Անուշ Հաց. This year I decided to try a different recipe than my grandmother’s. Thank you @whitecoatpinkapron for the easy recipe (although I think I’ll cut the salt in half next time). In our family, we add nigella seeds and raisins for that extra zing. The secret to the amazing flavor and aroma of this bread is the Maleb which is ground wild cherry seeds. They lend a very distinct yet pleasant aroma to this special holiday bread.

Not one of my prettiest of dishes. This is Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole. It is chock full of vegetables and chewy long grain wild rice and protein packed lean chicken breast. My boys are not fans of carrots, mushrooms or celery and they tolerate leeks. We swapped the almonds with panko breadcrumbs because of an allergy.

1 cup cold water
1 cup cold milk
4 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups flour
4 tbsp melted butter

Put everything but the melted butter into a blender, and blend till it makes a smooth batter. Then add the butter and whisk it together. The batter will be very thin, not like pancake batter, but that's how it's supposed to be. Julia suggests to refrigerate it for 2 hours but who has time for that? I use my batter right away and it works great.

I add vanilla and dried lemon rind to my batter to get a fresh hint of citrus. No one can ever tell what I've added, only that it is delicious!

I don't really use a crepe pan for this. No need for one, really. I use my 2 nonstick omelette pans (without any extra butter or Pam or anything) and scoop about a 1/3 cup of batter into each one and swirl it around to cover the bottom of the pans. I cook them over medium heat and NEVER EVER walk away. Flip them over when the edges start turning golden brown. They're done when you see steam coming up the sides of the pan after you've flipped them over.

They store in the refrigerator and freezer really well. No need to put any paper in between. The butter in the batter keeps them from sticking to each other.

This recipe makes about 15 crepes for me and I usually double the recipe so I have some ready to go during the week or for another day.

Tonight was Taco Tuesday night with bbq chicken tacos. I cooked unseasoned frozen chicken breasts in the IP on manual for 30 minutes, natural release. Shredded them and added bbq sauce, a tbsp of Worcestershire sauce, 2 tbsp soy sauce and simmered for 10 minutes. Loaded them into lettuce cups for me and whole wheat flour tortillas for the rest of the family. Topped with chopped celery, a drizzle of ranch dressing and some cilantro. All gone!

So this is what happened to the spinach pasta dough we made earlier today. Got my new Kitchen Aid pasta press delivered yesterday so we put it to the test and transformed homemade spinach pasta dough into fusilli. OMG. Lemon Butter Chicken over a bed of tender pasta and steamed asparagus.

Fluffy falafels. Another great #lent option if you keep #vegan for #orthodox lent. We deep fried these beauties because they’re just awesome that way and it really didn’t soak up any oil. Stuff them in a #pita with shredded romaine lettuce, diced cucumbers, diced tomatoes and some feta cheese. Top it with tahini sauce. Served them with some castelvetrano olives.

Shrimp Etoufée with rice. Comes together easily. Chopping and dicing is like meditation for me... until I almost cut my finger off. Totally my fault. I was in the zone. This is just as good with crusty bread instead of rice.

1 medium red onion -- minced very fine
1/3 cup olive oil
2 medium roma tomato -- chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash chili powder
1/2 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon red pepper paste
1 cup bulghur #1

Fry onion in olive oil.
Add tomatoes. When boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add lemon juice, tomato and pepper pastes, salt, chili powder and bulghur.
Remove from heat. Cover and let rest for 1/2 hour.
Serve chilled with lettuce cups.

First time making beer battered fish. We used Tilapia fillets and they came out super tender and delicious. Put them in some corn tortillas and topped with some homemade pick de gallo and guacamole. The kids devoured it. Happened to have a growler of Omelveny Red Ale from @sanfernandobrewingco and it made a beautiful tasty batter.

Honey, can you go over to the neighbor’s house and steal some fresh rosemary from their front yard? Tonight we had Lemon Rosemary Salmon with Crispy Leaf Potatoes (with leftover bacon fat, yes, I save my bacon fat ) and a fresh veggie salad.

Crispy leaf potatoes. So easy to make. If you have leftover saved bacon fat, OMG this is how you use it!!! Instead of butter, these babies baked in some liquid pig gold.

I absolutely love the Versa-Tin spice containers. They are very durable, have clear windows so you can see inside, they are magnetic and they fit perfectly in my kitchen drawers. I've had my set for over 12 years and still love them. NOTE: Do not store ground cloves in the clear window tins, use the Ovation Solid Lids from Versa-Tin instead.

An hour well spent trimming the beef tenderloin was worth every second. Filet Mignon kebab on lavash with my daddy’s rice pilaf with vermicelli and a bright fennel/apple salad with candied walnuts and parm (link). The spice blend on the beef made these kebabs very special (see below).

This meatloaf was so yummy! We used 1lb lean turkey, 1lb 80/20 ground chuck, and a knob of leftover bacon fat. Oh man, juicy and tasty! Served with a nice Caesar salad. That’s all you really need! Used a two piece meatloaf pan to drain any excess fat while cooking. Very useful little pan set.

Vietnamese Shrimp Noodle Bowl with Nuoc Cham Sauce. This bowl is full of fresh veggies, clean protein and rice sticks which are naturally gluten free. Thank you @recipe_tin for the very easy and tasty recipe! Great way to start the week! I’ll bet it would be just as awesome with chicken. I am officially at the bottom of yet another bottle of fish sauce!

How can you go wrong with chicken and rice? The smell in my kitchen was amazing. I need more saffron, the Persian kind. It was a labor of love but oh so worth it!

Made some chocolate cupcakes for my youngest’s preschool Kids Night Out tonight. This will be part of an activity where they will frost their own cupcakes. And of course, no cupcake assembly is ever complete without sprinkles!!!

First time making homemade pasta. Thank you @fabioviviani for your easy to follow YouTube videos! It came out perfecto!

Avocado, Fresh Mozzarella, Fresh Tomatoes, Fresh Basil... oh and there's some chicken under there too!

Leftover french bread or croissants should never be wasted!!! This is a fast and easy way to use them up. Top with fresh fruit and you are ready for brunch!