Panko Mozzerella Sticks

I'm back!! Phillip & I are finally settled into our new home, and I'm feeling comfortable at work - so I thought that it was time to start the blog back up. Thanks for sticking with me for the last few months.

If you've ever been out to a chain restaurant with me, you know that I cannot resist mozzarella sticks. I don't even care if they are good, I will order them every time I spot them on the menu. If you know me really well, you will know what I like to dip them in (I only do this around people that I'm comfortable with) - cheese sauce! Gross, right?! Wrong. It's awesome.

I have never been able to make them at home without total failure, but as I said, I can't resist. This recipe, from The Pioneer Woman (courtesy of Tasty Kitchen) was awesome. I was able to get them all fried up without too many of them busting open and spilling cheesy goodness into the frying pan (that is always my problem with other recipes). The secret? Freezing the cheesesticks before you fry them - genius!

Ingredients

•16 pieces String Cheese, Removed From Wrappers
•½ cups All-purpose Flour
•2 whole Eggs
•3 Tablespoons Milk
•2 cups Panko Bread Crumbs (I Used Kroger Brand)
•1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley Flakes
•Canola Oil, For Frying
•Marinara Sauce, For Dipping

Directions

Slice string cheese pieces in half, for a total of 32 pieces.

Place flour in a small bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and milk.

In another separate bowl, combine panko bread crumbs with parsley flakes.

TO ASSEMBLE: One by one, roll mozzarella sticks in flour, then dunk in egg/milk mixture, then place in panko crumbs. Use your hand to sweep crumbs all over the mozzarella stick. Gently remove and place on a tray or cookie sheet. Repeat until all mozzarella sticks are coated.

***Place tray in freezer for 20 to 30 minutes to flash freeze.***

TO COOK: Heat 1 1/2 inches 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.

Remove to a paper towel-lined plate.

Serve immediately with warm marinara sauce.

Source: The Pioneer Woman via Tasty Kitchen

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

Merry Christmas!! Thanks this week go to Michelle of Welcome To The Club for this great appetizer. I made these for Phillip's family Christmas, and they were a big hit.

Ingredients

• 16 extra-large white mushrooms
• 5 tablespoons good olive oil, divided
• 2 1/2 tablespoons Marsala wine or medium sherry
• 3/4 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from the casings
• 6 scallions, white and green parts, minced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2/3 cup panko crumbs
• 5 ounces mascarpone cheese, preferably from Italy
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 2 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Remove the stems from the mushrooms and chop them finely. Set aside. Place the mushroom caps in a shallow bowl and toss with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and Marsala. Set aside.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage, crumbling it with the back of a wooden spoon. Cook the sausage for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until it's completely browned. Add the chopped mushroom stems and cook for 3 more minutes. Stir in the scallions and garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the panko crumbs, stirring to combine evenly with all the other ingredients. Finally, swirl in the mascarpone and continue cooking until the mascarpone has melted and made the sausage mixture creamy. Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan, parsley, and season with salt and pepper, to taste, Cool slightly.

Fill each mushroom generously with the sausage mixture. Arrange the mushrooms in a baking dish large enough to hold all the mushrooms in a snug single layer. Bake until the stuffing for 50 minutes, until the stuffing is browned and crusty.

Source: Ina Garten

Soft Pretzels

My favorite part of baking is that it is easy to share my results with all of my friends. Most of my goodies are of my own choosing, but last week I decided to take a poll of the staff and students in my clinic to see what they were craving. I have never made anything savory for them, and they were almost unanimous that these soft pretzels from Annie's Eats sounded great. I'm taking them in to school in the morning, but I snuck a few for Phillip & I tonight and we were pleased. The whole process is a little time consuming, but the result is really impressive.

Ingredients:

For the dough:
1½ cups warm water (110-115° F)
1 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. kosher salt
2¼ tsp. instant yeast
22 oz. all-purpose flour (about 4½ cups)
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for greasing the bowl

For finishing:
Cooking spray
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp. water
Pretzel (or kosher) salt

Directions:To make the dough, combine the water, sugar, salt and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed to dissolve the yeast. Add in the flour and melted butter and mix just until the dough comes together. Switch to the dough hook and knead on medium speed until the dough is smooth and clears the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to a bowl lightly greased with vegetable oil, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place, about 50-55 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Preheat the oven to 450° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray. Bring the water and baking soda to a boil in a large saucepan or stockpot. In the meantime, divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time, roll a segment out into a 24-inch long rope. Make a U-shape with the rope and holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and onto the bottom of the U-shape in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 or 2 at a time, for 30 seconds. Remove from the water with a slotted skimmer and return to the baking sheet. Once all the pretzels have been boiled, brush the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake in the preheated oven until dark golden brown, about 12-14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Source: Alton Brown via Annies-Eats

Bruschetta by Julia

Phillip has been bugging me about this Bruschetta for a month. He took me to see the movie Julie & Julia a few weeks ago, and has been asking me to use our fresh tomatoes to make Julia's version of one of his favorite dishes ever since. I couldn't find her recipe, but I knew from the movie that she fried her bread in olive oil, so I winged the rest.

This isn't really a recipe, but I'll just explain the steps.

Fry sliced crusty bread in shallow olive oil over medium heat until lightly browned. Top with chopped tomatoes, julienned basil, extra virgin olive oil and grated Parmesan cheese. I served it in a pool of olive oil, just like we had in Italy.

Bacon Wrapped Jalepeno Poppers

I was blessed last weekend with a bounty of Jalapenos from Phillip's Aunt Rita. They have been sitting on my counter staring at me since then. I decided to make some snacks out of them, and turned to my favorite cowgirl The Pioneer Woman. These were so simple to make, and they hit the spot. I will for sure make them again this fall for a football snack.

Ingredients:

Fresh Jalapenos, 2-3 inches in size
Softened Cream Cheese
Thin, Regular Bacon, sliced into thirds

Cut jalapenos in half lengthwise. With a spoon, remove the seeds and white membrane (the source of the heat; leave a little if you like things HOT). Smear softened cream cheese into each jalapeno half. Wrap each jalapeno with bacon piece. Secure by sticking toothpick through the middle. (At this point, you can freeze them, uncooked, in a Ziploc bag for later use).

Bake on a pan with a rack in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. You don't want the bacon to shrink so much so it starts to squeeze the jalapeno. If, after 20 minutes, the bacon doesn't look brown enough, just turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes to finish it off.

Serve 'em immediately if you want them hot, or they're good at room temperature.

Source: The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Fried Calamari

I love calamari. If we're out for dinner and I have a choice of appetizers, I always choose these tiny morsels of seafood goodness. Why had I never made them at home? After making these tonight, I have no idea why. They were easy and just like we get out. I can't wait to make these for my in-laws who are calamari fans as well.

Fried Calamari


1/2 pound calamari, thawed if frozen (I like to use both the rings and tentacles)
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Canola oil for frying

Pat the calamari rings dry with a paper towel. In a bowl whisk together egg and milk to make an egg wash. In a large plastic resealable bag combine flour, salt, pepper, granulated garlic and cornstarch and shake to combine.

Dip the calamari rings into the egg and then put them in the bag with the flour. Shake bag to lightly coat calamari. In a large sauce pan add oil until you have about 2 inches. Heat over medium heat until oil is hot. Once the oil is hot, remove the calamari from the bag and shake off any excess flour. Cook calamari in batches until golden brown, about 3 minutes. It is very important not to overcook calamari or it will become rubbery. Remove from the oil, drain, and season with salt and pepper.

Source: Life's Ambrosia

Fried Goat Cheese

When I saw this recipe posted on The Novice Chef, I immediately knew that I needed to make it for Phillip. He loves goat cheese, and I thought that they would make a great addition to a weeknight salad. I will for sure make these again, they only took about five minutes and they definitely spiced up our dinner.

Fried Goat Cheese

4 oz log of Goat Cheese
1 teaspoon Italian seasonings
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon crushed black pepper
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
Olive Oil

Directions:
Mix the goat cheese, seasoning, salt & pepper together. Form goat cheese into balls. Dip cheese balls in egg and then cover in bread crumbs. Fry in a shallow pan of olive oil until golden brown. Serve warm over the salad of your choice.

Adapted from: The Novice Chef

Ashleigh's Bridal Shower

My friend Ashleigh is getting married, too! I threw her this shower on Sunday (busy weekend for me, huh?), and the day turned out perfectly. I can't wait until I get to celebrate her wedding day with her. The menu for the shower was as follows:

Chicken Salad Croissants

Mini Club Sandwiches

Stuffed Strawberries

Cucumber Cups with Ranch and Shrimp Cocktail

Mini Quiches

Broccoli Salad

Cheese Platter

Cupcakes:

Lemon Black Raspberry

Vanilla Bean Black Cherry

Red Velvet

Note: Ashleigh's future sister-in-law Jan took some of these photos. I was too busy running around to get very good pictures of all the food. Maybe I should hire her to take pictures of all my food, I think she does a better job than I do!

Sources: Annies Eats