Mozzarella Sticks!

I'm not really sure when the transition occurred, but lately it seems as if my blog has become more of a food blog than anything else, ha! I've just been doing a lot of experimenting lately, and because I'm often still amazed at my success, I like to share it with all of you. I hope you don't mind! :) My most recent cooking attempt involved yet another recipe I found on Pinterest. I'm tellin' ya folks, if you're looking for ideas, you must check out the site. I just love it! Anyway, this weekend's experiment was homemade mozzarella sticks. Interestingly, I'm not even HUGE fan of them... I mean, I like them, and I'll definitely eat them, but they're not on my list of favorite foods or anything like that. That being said, I thought the recipe sounded both easy and delicious, so I figured it was worth a shot. It was my first ever attempt at frying something in really hot oil, and fortunately I had no freak accidents (minus the minor flame that burst up when I accidentally dripped a little oil on the hot stove, oops)! I was worried about burning the "crust" of the mozzarella sticks before the cheese melted, but I actually did pretty well. I will say, for next time, I'll probably do a slightly lower heat so the cheese melts a little more, but overall, I thought my first attempt was pretty solid! They were nice and crunchy (but not too crunchy) and delicious. I'm awesome. Just sayin'. ;) I only made a few, and that was both because I was afraid I'd mess it up, and also because even if I didn't screw up, I know I can't eat that much... Smart move, it was just enough! Anyway, I only took a few photos, but check 'em out below. And if you want more pictures of the process itself, be sure to check out the original recipe here!

All the ingredients!

Coat the cheese in the panko crumb mixture. After the cheese is coated in the mixture, you freeze 'em for 20-30 minutes to keep it all together once you fry them.

Fry 'em up and you end up with this final product! Look pretty yummy, don't they?! Well, despite the poor quality photo. ;)

INGREDIENTS

• 16 pieces string cheese, unwrapped and cut in half to make 32 pieces (I obviously made way less.)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 3 Tbsp. milk
• 1 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes
• 2 cups panko bread crumbs
• Canola oil for frying
• Marinara sauce for dipping (optional)

DIRECTIONS

• Place flour in small bowl.
• In separate bowl, whisk eggs and milk.
• In another separate bowl, combine panko bread crumbs and dried parsley flakes.
• To assemble, one by one, roll cheese stick in flour, then dunk in the egg/milk mixture, then place in panko bread crumbs. Use your hands to sweet crumbs all over the cheese. Gently remove and place on a plate or cookie sheet. Repeat until all sticks are coated.
• Place tray in freezer for 20-30 minutes to flash freeze.
• Heat 1 and 1/2 inches of canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add mozzarella sticks 8 at a time. Watch closely and turn over to evenly brown, cooking less than 2 minutes. Do not allow cheese to bubble and leak. (This is a bit of a science, so it's better to have lower heat than heat that's too high; otherwise the cheese will melt out before they're ready.)
• Remove to a paper-towel lined plate and serve with warm marinara sauce. (I tried mine with ranch dressing, and that was actually quite tasty!)