Chili-Beef-Stuffed Zucchini

Ingredients:

• 4 zucchini (about 2 pounds), halved lengthwise and seeded
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3/4 pound ground beef
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1 cup jarred pickled jalapeño chiles, finely chopped
• One 8-ounce bag Mexican-style shredded cheese

For a change
Stuff baked potatoes instead.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450°. Arrange the zucchini cut side up in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add 1/2 cup water to the dish, cover with foil and bake until the zucchini begins to soften, about 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the beef and cumin and cook, breaking the meat up, until just browned, about 4 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Stir in the tomatoes and pickled jalapeños.
3. Uncover the baking dish, pour off the water and season the zucchini with salt. Fill with the beef mixture and sprinkle the cheese on top. Bake, uncovered, until the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes

Kyms Sugar Cookies

I don't know about anyone else but I always go looking for this recipe and have to wade through lots of old message board posts to find it. Thought it was about time I added it on here.


Sugar Cookies  (by Lisa Yockelson, printed in the Washington Post in 1999)
(About 6 dozen cookies, using a 3-inch cookie cutter)
This big-batch recipe will provide you with plenty of tender, buttery rolled cookies for cutting into fanciful shapes to bake and decorate.
6 cups bleached all-purpose flour, plus additional for rolling the dough
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups sugar, plus additional for the surface
2 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup light (table) cream
Nonstick spray oil
4 large egg whites, lightly beaten, for brushing on the unbaked cookies, or substitute about 1/3 cup light (table) cream,
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.
In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, cream the butter for 3 minutes. Add the sugar in 3 additions, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Add the 2 eggs and beat until combined, about 1 minute. Beat in the egg yolks and vanilla. Blend in the cream. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in 4 additions, mixing until the flour is completely incorporated after each addition. The dough will be soft.
Divide the dough evenly into 5 portions. Place each portion between 2 sheets of wax paper and roll to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Stack the sheets of dough on a large baking sheet, making sure that the sheets don't wrinkle. Refrigerate the dough on the sheet overnight.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.
Carefully remove the top sheet of wax paper from 1 sheet of rolled- out dough on a lightly floured surface. Carefully flip it over so that the exposed dough is on the floured surface. Remove the top sheet of wax paper. Using cookie cutters lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray, cut out as many cookies as possible. Lightly press together the scraps, reroll and chill again. Repeat with the remaining portions of dough. (If the dough softens at any time, freeze the dough on a baking sheet for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the dough firms up.) Place the cookies 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Lightly brush the tops of the cookies with the egg white or cream. If you are not planning on decorating the cookies, sprinkle with sugar.
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 11 to 12 minutes, or until set and golden. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Store the cookies in airtight tins.
Per cookie: 122 calories, 2 gm protein, 16 gm carbohydrates, 6 gm fat, 32 mg cholesterol, 3 gm saturated fat, 52 mg sodium, trace dietary fiber

Tilapia Tacos with Peach Relish

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 tacos and about 1/2 cup salsa)

Ingredients

• Salsa:
• 2  cups  finely chopped peeled peach (about 2 medium)
• 1/2  cup  finely chopped red onion
• 2  tablespoons  chopped cilantro
• 1  tablespoon  fresh lime juice
• 1/2  teaspoon  kosher salt
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground red pepper
• 1  jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 
  Remaining ingredients:
• 1/2  cup  panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1/2  teaspoon  kosher salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground red pepper
• 1  pound  tilapia, cut into 2-inch strips
• Cooking spray
• 8  (6-inch) corn tortillas

Preparation

To prepare salsa, combine first 8 ingredients in a medium bowl. Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature.
Preheat oven to 375°.
Combine panko, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Add fish to bowl, tossing to coat. Place fish in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes or until desired degree of doneness, turning once.
Heat tortillas according to package directions. Divide fish and salsa evenly among tortillas.

*These were fantastic! We added shredded cabbage and a white sauce to the tacos before eating. My white sauce was equal parts mayo,sour cream and lime juice.