Mozzarella Cheese Sticks

Hello late night munchies.  I am so blessed to have married a man who supports my munchies habit.  This time, he suggested it.  We were watching tv and they said something about jalapeño poppers.  DH said "I'd like some jalapeño poppers, cheese sticks, wings, something."  My ears perked up.  "Where's the computer? Let me see what I can find."  My first google of 'mozzarella cheese sticks with string cheese' lead me to these little puppies.  We made them and ate them in the span of 10 minutes.  Yep, they were that good.

I tried to get a good picture of the ooze, but my measly camera wouldn't focus on it.  It was the right amount of goody ooziness.  Mmmm...  be still my heart.

Mozzarella Cheese Sticks

(These measurements are what I used to make 4 whole string cheese sticks, cut in half to make 8 mozzarella sticks. If you want to see the whole recipe, it's for a pound of mozzarella cheese, see the link above.)

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons Italian Style breadcrumbs (I had plain and added some dried oregano)

1 egg

dash of milk

4 string cheese sticks, mine were reduced fat

enough vegetable / canola oil to coat the bottom of your frying pan (I used a small one I had)

marinara sauce, optional (We inhaled these so fast, there was no time for dipping!)

Whisk eggs and milk together.  Cut the string cheese in half.  Coat each piece in this order: egg --> flour --> egg --> breadcrumbs.  Heat oil in skillet and cook sticks for 30 seconds to a minute per side, or until golden and before cheese starts to leak.  Drain on paper towels.  Serve with sauce for dipping.

 Get your assembly line set up. This is VERY helpful in the process.  Most of the time is spent making the 'breading' on the outside of the cheese sticks.  I found it particularly helpful to use a fork when I was completing the first 3 steps (egg --> flour --> egg) because it allowed me to poke the cheese to easily pick it up and transfer it between bowls.  It also helped me roll the cheese in the egg and flour.  Then I used the tablespoon I used to measure out the ingredients in the breadcrumbs.  I would scoop the breaded cheese stick out and put it on a waiting plate until I finished all 8 pieces. Here is a picture of them completely breaded:

 Heat the oil.  This is how much I had.  I put in a mozzarella stick and no sizzle happened, so I took it back out.  The pan felt hot, but my oil wasn't hot enough.  I remembered a trick I saw on the Rachel Ray Show:  Dip the end of a wooden (has to be wooden, bamboo won't work) spoon into the pan of oil.  When bubbles form around the spoon, the oil is ready to use.

I put 4 sticks in the oil at a time as not to overcrowd the pan.  I literally left them on each side for about 30 seconds.  Flip them.  You will see the cheese start to bubble out when they are done.

And here they are in all their glory.  We have a weakness for anything salty and cheesy.  Mmmmm...

The Verdict:

A WONDERFUL quick and easy recipe!  If you make it with low fat cheese and use a heart healthy oil, like canola, it can't be too bad for you right?!?  I will never buy frozen mozzarella sticks again.  Delicious.  The possibilities are endless - you could dip them in all sorts of crazy sauces, cut up the finished mozzarella cheese sticks and toss them in a salad, spice up the sticks with cayenne pepper in the breadcrumbs and/or flour.  You could totally make these your own!  

Happy Friday night to you!