Fried Mozzarella Sticks

Baby Girl loves cheese sticks. She eats them as a snack almost every day after school. Or rather, she used to. One week I noticed the package in the fridge was still mostly full so I checked the expiration date. It was that weekend. Since the Super Bowl was coming up I figured I'd turn them into Fried Mozzarella Sticks and went searching for a recipe.

The key to any mozzarella stick recipe is to freeze the cheese sticks before you bake or fry them. I'm not sure why the recipe I used doesn't say to do that but it's an absolute MUST. The cheese will melt if it's anywhere close to room temperature. Heck, even mine frozen started to melt and ooze as they fried. So do not, under any circumstances, forget that step.

These were delicious, full of melty, gooey cheese. I only made 8 since it was just the three of us. SP and I each had three and Baby Girl devoured two. I'll definitely be making these again the next time we have cheese sticks that need to be used up.

Fried Mozzarella Sticks
Modified from Add a Pinch

24 mozzarella sticks
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 cup flour
3 cups panko
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
vegetable oil
pizza or marinara sauce, for dipping

The day before you plan to make these, place however many cheese sticks you want to eat into the freeze. Freeze them overnight. Do not skip this step!

The next day, prepare three separate bowls for dredging your mozzarella sticks. Whisk the buttermilk and the egg in one bowl. Put the flour in the second bowl. In the third bowl, combine the panko and the Italian seasoning.

Dip each cheese stick into the buttermilk, then into the flour, then back into the buttermilk and finally into the panko. Set aside on a sheet pan until all the cheese sticks have been coated.

Pour about 1 inch of oil into a 12-inch non-stick skillet. Heat over medium heat until the oil starts to shimmer. Add a few cheese sticks at a time, being careful not to crowd the pan. Use tongs to remove them as they turn golden brown.

Place on a baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain. Serve warm with pizza or marinara sauce for dipping.

Salsa Fresca

This is the other salsa recipe I made for the Mexican-themed dinner we had with friends last month. I've been making this one for ages but never thought to take a picture to share with you guys.

Photo credit - T. Casey

Obviously this one is very different from the grilled salsa. This one is much lighter and chunkier. They're both delicious, just different. I think it was great to have both versions at the dinner. We had no problem inhaling both salsas and the guacamole.

Photo credit - T. Casey

Salsa Fresca
As seen in the Williams-Sonoma Mexican cookbook

1 lb. ripe tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/3 cup finely chopped white onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno chiles, finely chopped (ribs and seeds removed if you want it less spicy)
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
Sea salt to taste

In a bowl, toss together the tomatoes, onion, cilantro, chiles, and lime juice. Sprinkle with salt and toss again. Cover and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes to allow the flavors to mingle, then serve with your favorite chips.

Makes 2 cups.

Restaurant Knockoff - Baja Fresh Grilled Salsa

I've been wanting to make Nicole's recipe for Baja Fresh Grilled Salsa for years, I just needed a party with enough people to eat it all. When we decided to do a Mexican-themed dinner with our friends, it was the first thing I knew I wanted to make.

Photo credit - T. Casey

This could not have been easier. I used my indoor grill pan to char the vegetables and then whirred them up in the food processor. I only used one jalapeno since I wanted this to be mild enough for the kids to enjoy, but unfortunately my jalapeno was pretty spicy. It was great for the grown-ups, though. We inhaled this. Initially SP had been more excited about the salsa fresca I also made but ended up loving this one more. It's positively delicious and I can't wait to make it again.

Baja Fresh Grilled Salsa
As seen on Prevention RD, adapted from My Bizzy Kitchen

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, to coat
6 large tomatoes
1-3 jalapenos (1 for mild, 2 for medium, 3 for hot), stem removed
1 onion, peeled and quartered
4 cloves garlic, peeled
Couple handfuls cilantro
1 teaspoon salt
Juice of 1/2 lime

Pre-heat a grill or grill pan to medium heat. Coat the tomatoes, jalapenos, onion, and garlic in the olive oil.

Grill the vegetables until they are charred, but not falling apart.

Place the vegetables in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Add the cilantro, salt, and lime juice. Blend until smooth. Serve with your favorite tortilla chip.

Artichoke and Brie Dip

I wanted to have a few things out to snack on when our guests arrived on Christmas Day. I'd had my eye on this Artichoke and Brie Dip for awhile and couldn't wait to make it.

This made a ton of dip - definitely good for a large party - so next time I'd cut the recipe in half. We all loved it. Rich, creamy and cheesy, what's not to like? I served it with toasted bread slices and Triscuits on Christmas Day but the next day we had it with Ritz crackers and I think we all preferred them.

Artichoke and Brie Dip
The Kilkenny House

12 oz artichokes, drained and chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
8oz Brie cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Combine artichokes, mayonnaise, sour cream and Worcestershire sauce together until well blended. Add the Brie, Parmesan and mozzarella and blend. Season with salt and pepper.

Place the mixture in a round 1.5-quart baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes. Serve warm with toasted bread, crackers or veggies.

Loaded Baked Potato Dip {Giveaway}

Have I got a giveaway for you guys!

But first, let's talk about this Loaded Baked Potato Dip. It has all the flavors of a loaded baked potato in dip form. Brilliant. I halved the recipe since I was only serving 4 people and it was plenty. We all agreed this would be a great dip for the Super Bowl.

Which brings me to the giveaway. Just in time for the Super Bowl, Cape Cod is offering a great prize pack to four of my readers (yes, you read that right). Four of you will each receive a package containing 3 bags of Cape Cod Waffle Cut chips and 3 bags of Cape Cod 40% Reduced Fat Original chips. We used the Waffle Cut for this dip and they really stood up well to the task.

Simply enter using the Rafflecopter link below. This giveaway will run until Thursday, February 23 at 12:00am. Winner will be announced by 11:00am ET on February 23 so Cape Cod will have a chance to ship the packages in time for Super Bowl Sunday. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Loaded Baked Potato Dip
As seen on Mary Ellen�s Cooking Creations, originally from The Barbee Housewife

16 oz sour cream
16 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
3 green onions, chopped

Mix the sour cream, most of the bacon, most of the cheese, and most of the green onions together. Chill for a few hours (at least one hour).

When ready to serve, stir and then top with the remaining bacon, cheddar and green onions.

Serve with potato chips.

Disclosure: I received the same number and variety of chips for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Roasted Shrimp with Mayo and Mustard Sauce

My mom offered to bring an appetizer for Christmas dinner. I'd had my eye on Ina Garten's roasted shrimp for awhile so I asked her to try that method with some shrimp.

We all agreed that there's no other way to make shrimp now that we've had them roasted. They were incredible, so bursty, plump and flavorful. I asked her to make a mayo and grainy mustard sauce to go with them. These were gone within a matter of minutes.

Roasted Shrimp
Shrimp from Ina Garten, sauce from A Taste of Home Cooking

2 pounds (12 to 15-count) shrimp
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup mayo
2-3 tablespoons whole grain mustard

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place them on a sheet pan with the olive oil, salt and pepper and spread them in an even layer.

Roast for 8 to 10 minutes, until just pink, firm and cooked through. Set aside to cool.

Mix together the mayo and mustard, tasting and adding more mustard as needed.

Pull-Apart Pizza Bites

A few weeks ago Baby Girl and I met my mom and aunt for dinner. We went to a pizza place and since it was a Thursday I figured I'd make something other than pizza for dinner on Friday. Then Maeghan posted these Pull-Apart Pizza Bites and I figured they were different enough from pizza to warrant making them the day after a pizza dinner.

I served these with Caesar salad to make it more of a dinner. We really enjoyed these - simple to make and great flavor, especially dipped in pizza sauce. Baby Girl loved that it was even easier to eat than pizza. These would also make a great appetizer for a party.

Pull-Apart Pizza Bites
As seen on The Way to His Heart

1 ball pizza dough
4 oz. mozzarella cheese, cubed (about 24 pieces)
Sliced pepperoni

For Topping:
Olive oil
Italian seasoning or pizza spices
Grated Parmesan cheese
Serve with pizza sauce

Pre-heat oven to 400 F. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate.

Roll the dough out into a thin round, as if you're making pizza. Place one mozzarella cube and two pieces of pepperoni about an inch apart around the dough. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough around the mozzarella and pepperoni. Alternatively, divide the dough into 24 equal sized pieces, approximately 1 oz. each. Place one mozzarella cube and one to two pieces of pepperoni slices on each piece of dough. Pull the sides of the dough up around the cheese and pepperoni. Pinch to seal and place the dough, seam side down in the pie plate.

Repeat with the remaining dough and place the pieces of dough in a circular pattern around the pie plate.

Lightly brush olive oil over the top of the dough balls. Lightly sprinkle the Italian seasoning or pizza spices and Parmesan cheese over the top of the dough balls.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with pizza sauce for dipping.

Sponsored Post: Kung Wow Spicy Kung Pao Chicken Tenders

Chinese New Year began on Monday, February 10, and to help kick off the celebration Thai Kitchen and Simply Asia partnered with food bloggers to try some of their products.

SP and I were looking for a quick meal after having a big lunch and this recipe for Kung Wow Spicy Kung Pao Chicken Tenders sounded like the perfect snack. From mixing the sauce to cooking the chicken, the whole thing took all of 15 minutes to prepare.

Thai Kitchen and Simply Asia offer a complete line of Asian ingredients and convenience items, including sauces, curry pastes, rice noodles, fish sauce, coconut milk, noodle bowls, and more. Most items are gluten free and contain no artificial colors, flavors or MSG. Check out Thai Kitchen and explore their Asian cuisine ingredients.

I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor of the Kung Pao sauce. It wasn't overly spicy but added a pleasant heat to the chicken. The dipping sauce was the perfect compliment as well. The original recipe calls for either chicken tenders or chicken wings - I opted for the tenders because we had just purchased a club pack of chicken breasts at the store, but we both agreed the chicken wings would have been even better.

I'm including the recipe for both versions below. Obviously the tenders take much less time to prepare, which was perfect for our needs. However, wings would be a great alternative to the traditional Buffalo wings, a nice Asian twist perfect for celebrating the Chinese New Year.

Kung Wow Spicy Kung Pao Chicken Wings (or Tenders)
Slightly modified from Thai Kitchen/Simply Asia

1 pouch Simply Asia� Spicy Kung Pao Stir-Fry Sauce
2 pounds chicken wings (or breast tenders)
Cooking spray
1 Romaine heart, cut into large dice
Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce (recipe below)
2 scallions, thinly sliced

If using wings - Preheat an oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the wings in an even layer. Bake for 30 minutes, then baste the wings with some of the sauce. Bake for another 15 minutes, baste with sauce, bake for another 15 minutes.

If using tenders - Mix the stir-fry sauce with the chicken in a large bowl. Heat a non-stick skillet sprayed with cooking spray over medium high heat until smoking. Add chicken pieces in one layer. Cook, about 3 minutes per side, basting with more sauce as they cook. Flip, baste with more sauce and cook another 3 minutes or until cooked through.

Arrange the lettuce on a plate, top with the chicken pieces and dollop the Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce in the center. Garnish with the chopped scallion and serve immediately.

Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce
Recipe from Thai Kitchen/Simply Asia

1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup Thai Kitchen� Sweet Red Chili Sauce
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until well blended. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Store leftover sauce in the fridge.

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This sponsorship is brought to you by Thai Kitchen/Simply Asia whom I have partnered with for this promotion.

Baguette with Prosciutto, Gorgonzola and Fig Jam

Right before the holidays a friend posted on Facebook about a recipe for Baguette with Prosciutto, Gorgonzola and Fig Jam. It sounded divine and I immediately planned my New Year's Eve menu around it.

I only made about a quarter of the baguette because it was just SP and I eating these (Baby Girl licked all the fig jam off her slice - she turned her nose up at the gorgonzola and tried the prosciutto but claimed she didn't like it). The recipe below is my best guess at how much of everything you'll need for a full baguette.

I used gorgonzola (and only a little bit at that) but the flavor was still a bit too pungent for me. So�a recommended layering the fig jam and cheese together to help cut the flavor a bit so that's how I wrote the recipe below. I also think Brie would be excellent. Good thing I have 3/4 of a jar of jam left. Have you tried fig jam? I hadn't before making this and it was great!

Baguette with Prosciutto, Gorgonzola and Fig Jam
Recipe from So�a

1 French baguette
1 small jar fig jam
8oz blue cheese
12-16oz prosciutto, thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (or preheat the broiler).

Slice the baguette into 1/2"-thick slices, on a slight bias. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and toast briefly, until just starting to brown. Remove from the oven.

Top each slice with a small amount of fig jam. Add some blue cheese then a slice of prosciutto.

Return to the oven (or broiler) and heat until the cheese melts and the prosciutto starts to crisp.

Serve immediately.

Baked Brie in Mini Phyllo Cups with Strawberry Jam

I love baked brie. There's a restaurant near my house that serves a slice of baked brie topped with raspberry jam, slivered almonds and a brown sugar glaze. I knew I wanted to try making some sort of baked brie for Thanksgiving but I wanted it to be easier to eat.

There are hundreds of recipes out there so this is basically a method, not a recipe. I had to leave out the almonds because of Baby Girl's nut allergy and since I already had strawberry jam open I used that instead of raspberry. I added a pinch of brown sugar to each cup for that added sweetness. These were delicious and so simple to make.

Baked Brie in Mini Phyllo Cups with Strawberry Jam
Makes 24 cups

2 boxes mini phyllo cups
6oz Brie, rind removed, cut into 24 cubes
Fruit jam of your choice
Brown sugar
Sliced almonds (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Remove phyllo cups from their packaging and place on a baking sheet. Add one piece of Brie into each phyllo cup. Top the cheese with some of the jam and sprinkle with brown sugar. Top with sliced almonds, if using.

Bake for 5-8 minutes until the cheese is melted and the cups start to brown. Serve warm.

White Bean Dip with Pita Chips

This year I decided we needed some appetizers to nosh on before Thanksgiving dinner. I made a list of a few different recipes and asked SP to pick three. He was most excited about this White Bean Dip with Pita Chips.

This was a huge hit and couldn't have been simpler to make. You could save even more time by using store-bought pita chips but, really, making your own takes next to no time. I made the dip the night before and brought it to room temperature before serving. I also used whole wheat pitas for the chips to make this a bit healthier.

White Bean Dip with Pita Chips
Giada De Laurentiis

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil, plus 4 tablespoons
1/4 cup (loosely packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 pitas
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the beans, garlic, lemon juice, 1/3 cup olive oil, and parsley in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is coarsely chopped. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer the bean puree to a small bowl.

Cut each pita in half and then into 8 wedges. Arrange the pita wedges on a large baking sheet. Pour the remaining oil over the pitas. Toss and spread out the wedges evenly. Sprinkle with the oregano, salt, and pepper. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, or until toasted and golden in color.

Serve the pita toasts warm or at room temperature alongside the bean puree.

Make Ahead: Make the dip up to 2 days before and keep refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Recipe Swap - Endive Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Walnuts

Want to see what other Special Occasion recipes were made during the swap? Here is the link to the Special Occasion Recipe Swap Roundup

The holiday season means parties and special dinners for many people. We always have a special meal for dinner Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, so I thought a special occasion recipe swap would be perfect. The guidelines were for an appetizer, entree or side dish since we just did two dessert swaps in a row. I received a recipe for Endive Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Walnuts. My step-aunt always brings an antipasto platter to Christmas dinner and I thought these would be the perfect accompaniment.


I assembled these in the morning and kept them refrigerated until our guests arrived. They were incredibly easy to make since the only real cooking is making the sauce and that takes care of itself. My walnuts took 10 minutes in the toaster oven to get golden brown but definitely keep an eye on them.


I loved the presentation of the endive stuffed with all the delicious bits drizzled with the balsamic syrup. I've always been a fan of savory and sweet flavors together and these were the perfect blend of both. Everyone loved them. We only had three left and that was with them competing with the gorgeous antipasto platter. I will definitely make these again. Thanks for a delicious, easy recipe Leanne!

Endive Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Walnuts
Slightly Modified from Cooking Light, recommended by Around the Table

1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons honey, divided
Cooking spray
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons orange juice
16 Belgian endive leaves (about 2 heads)
2 ounces crumbled goat cheese
1 large can mandarin oranges in juice (about 16 slices)
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Combine walnuts and 1 tablespoon honey; spread on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350� for 10 minutes, stirring after 5 minutes. Watch carefully so they don�t burn.

Combine 1 tablespoon honey, vinegar, and orange juice in a small saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat, and cook until reduced to 3 tablespoons (about 5 minutes).

Separate and wash endive leaves. Lay each leaf, cup side up, on a platter. Top each section with about 1 teaspoon goat cheese, one orange slice and 1 teaspoon walnuts. Drizzle the vinegar mixture evenly over leaves, and sprinkle evenly with chives and pepper.