Who knew "Tex Mex" could be so good!!

Ok so finally, here is my first blog about my Rachael Ray cooking!! Monday night, as usual Dawn, Jamie and I had our weekly "date". We do this every week. One week it's at Dawn's house and the next it's at mine and Jamie's apartment. This week was at our apartment, and as usual, I cooked a Rachael Ray meal.

This one was a new one for me. On the menu was "Chili Lime Fish Fry", "Corny Polenta", and "Tex Mex Pepperonata".

First the fish. I love fish. I like it grilled, blackened, broiled, and fried, but, for some reason, fried fish doesn't really like me. Every time I eat fried fish, it always makes me sick so I was a little bit scared to fix fried fish, but since it wasn't actually deep fried like we like to do it here in the south, I thought it might be ok. Turns out, I was right. The fish used in this recipe was tilapia. There were three steps to bread it. First, you coat it in flour. Second, egg and third was a bread crumb mixture. To the bread crumbs you add a few sprigs of chopped thyme leaves, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder and lime zest. Once coated in the breaded crumbs you fry the fish in about 1/4 inch of oil. My skillet wasn't big enough to fry all 4 at once, so per the instructions I kept the first two in the oven while the second two cooked.

Next was the polenta. I had never had polenta so wasn't sure how it was gonna turn out either, but it was really really good. Polenta is ground corn and it is a lot like grits but cooks up thicker than grits. For this recipe you first take 2 ears of corn and cut the corn off the cob then caramelize it. Then you add in a few chopped scallions and cook. After they have cooked for a minute, you add the chicken stock. For quick cooking polenta, you use a 3 - 1 ratio. So for this I did 3 cups of chicken stock to 1 cup of polenta. Once the chicken stock boils you whisk in the polenta and in about 3 - 4 minutes, it's done.

Lastly was the pepperonata. This was super simple. You take a couple jalapenos, a red and green bell pepper and one purple onioin. Slice them all, seeding the peppers. Put them in the skilled with EVOO and ya cook them till they are soft. Add in a couple tablespoons of tomato paste and let that cook. I use the tomato paste in a tube. It's kind of the coolest thing ever! Then add a cup of chicken stock and just let it cook for a lil bit till it reduces and thickens up.

After eating this one it's one I'll definitely do again! The fish was great! Had a nice flavor to it and the pepperonata goes down over the top of it of the fish. Then you squeeze lime juice over it. The tart from the lime with the subtle spice of the pepperonata was great!!  The polenta also made a great side dish for this meal. It had a better consistency and taste than grits, because i am not really a grits fan :). The corn running through it gave a nice texture and nice little sweet bite to it.

Hopefully you guys see that I really enjoy cooking. I don't want his blog to just be a how-to but hopefully you see that i love cooking and that i really like cooking Rachael Ray meals. They are quick, easy and have great flavors to them and it's my goal to introduce you to something you might not have tried before. Check out the pics and also the recipes!!! Look for the next recipes soon!! Until then....

"Chili Lime Fish Fry"

• 4 Tilapia fillets
• 1 C. all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 C. bread crumbs
• 2 limes, zested and juiced
• 2 Tbs. chili powder, a couple palmfuls
• 2 Tsp. garlic powder, ⅔ palmful
• 2 Tsp. onion powder, ⅔ palmful
• 2 Tbs. fresh chopped thyme leaves or 2 tsp of dried
• ¼ cup vegetable, canola or safflower oil

Season the fish with salt and pepper. Arrange 3 shallow dishes. Put the flour in 1 dish and add the eggs to the second dish. Combine the bread crumbs in the third dish and season with 1 tablespoon of lime zest, 2 tablespoons of chili powder, the garlic powder, the onion powder and thyme. Coat the fish in the flour, then the egg and then the bread crumbs.

Heat the oil, about ¼ cup, in large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. If your pan is not large enough to fry 4 fillets,in a single layer, heat the oven to 275 degrees F and put a cooling rack on a baking sheet. As you fry the fish, transfer them to the rack in the oven to keep warm. Fry the fish until deeply golden and crispy and transfer to a serving platter. Season with a little extra salt, top with lots of lime juice and serve.

"Corny Polenta"

• 2 Ears fresh husked corn on the cob or 1 C. frozen kernels, defrosted
• 1 Tbs. EVOO
• 3 - 4 Thin scallions, finely chopped
• 3 C. Chicken stock
• 1 C. Quick-cooking polenta
• 2 Tbs. butter
• 2 Tbs. hot sauce
• Kosher salt

Scrape the corn from the cob by balancing the cob on a small inverted bowl nested in larger bowl. Using sharp knife, cut the kernels off the cob from the top to the bottom.
Heat the EVOO, a turn of the pan, in a sauce pot over medium-high heat. Add the corn and sauté until it starts to brown at the edges, 3 - 4 minutes. Add the scallions and cook for 1 minute, then add the stock and bring to a boil. Whisk in the polenta and cook until thick, about 2 - 3 minutes. Stir in the butter and season with hot sauce and salt, to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

"Tex Mex Pepperonata"

• 2 Tbs. EVOO
• 1 Purple onion, thinly sliced
• 2 Jalapeños, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 Red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 Green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 2 Cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 Tbs. tomato paste
• 1 C. beer or chicken stock
• Handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped, for garnish
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the EVOO in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, the hot and sweet peppers, garlic, and salt and pepper, to taste. Sauté the onion mixture until crisp-tender, 5 - 6 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, cook 2 minutes. Add the beer or stock and stir for 1 - 2 minutes more. Transfer to a serving bowl or platter, garnish with cilantro and serve.

Enjoy guys!!!