Welcome!

You may have heard the phrase "Live Well, Love Much, Laugh Often". Well in out home it's a little more like "Live Well, Love Much, Laugh Often, and EAT!". I'm a stay at home mom and wife and I love to cook and bake! I've finally decided to start a recipe blog of some of my favorite recipes and creations. Mangia!

Monday, June 28, 2010

Homemade Fried Mozzerella Sticks

I love mozzerella sticks, but I can't stand the freezer taste of the frozen ones sold at the supermaret, which doesn't leave me many options except to order them when we're dining out. So I decided to try my hand at making them myself. This recipe tastes amazing, and it's so easy I'm sorry I didn't try it sooner. Double breading the cheese (dipping it into the egg, then breadcrumbs, then again again, breadcrumbs again) is an absolute must as it keeps the cheese from seeping through the breading.



-16oz block of mozzerella cheese (the refrigerated kind from the supermarket, fresh mozzerella doesn't work well here)
- 2 large eggs
- Flour
- Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs
- Marinara Sauce
- Vegetable Oil for frying




Cut the mozzerella cheese into 1/4" strips. Put the flour, egg and breadcrumbs into seperate bowls. Take each strip of mozzerella and dip it first in the flour, then the egg, the breadcrumbs, back into the egg and back into the breadcrumbs. Make sure the cheese is coated well by pressing the breadcrumbs on. Pile the breaded cheese sticks on a plate and place them in the freezer. Freezing the cheese prior to frying helps to stop it from cooking too quickly and seeping out of the breading. While the mozzerella sticks are in the freezer heat the vegetable oil (enough to cover mozzerella sticks) and heat up some marinara sauce to dip them in. Place frozen sticks in the hot oil and fry until golden brown. Remove quickly to avoid overcooking them and remove any that are oozing cheese from the oil immedietly.

Allow to cool slightly and serve with hot marinara sauce.

This is how I made them and they are delicious, but if you are looking for something healthier they can be baked. Just follow the instructions, but instead of heating oil preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the frozen mozzerella sticks on a baking sheet and cook 7-9 minutes, watching closely to make sure the cheese doesn't ooze out of the breading.

This made about 25 mozzerella sticks and we had some leftover so I wrapped them in tin foil and put them in the fridge. The following day I reheated them in the oven at 350 for about 10 minutes and they tasted just as good if not better than they had the day before.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Summer Salads - Cucumber and Tomato

Nothing says summer to me quite like a cold, fresh salad. I'm making pulled chicken sandwiches for my in-laws tonight and I wanted something delicious and refreshing on the side, so I dug into my vegetable drawer to see what I could pull together. I decided on a cucmber and tomato salad, two of my son's favorite foods, with a little fresh basil (I'll put fresh basil on just about anything!).

Cucumber and Tomato Salad



- 1 Large Cucumber
- 1 Vine Ripened Tomato
- 2 Tbls Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Tbls Balsamic Vinegarette
- Handful of fresh basil
- 1 clove garlic
- Salt & Pepper

Seed and chop cucumber and tomato into a medium bowl. Add EVOO, Balsamic Vinagarette and basil. Chop garlic finely and add to salad. Mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour. Serve cold.