Fried Cheese

Yes, I said FRIED CHEESE. 

Seriously, who doesn't love something fried every once in a while?  And tell me, what child doesn't LOVE fried cheese?  It is a special treat when the kids come home from school and their afternoon snack is fried cheese. Yes, making anything fried is a little daunting and the grease splatters alone will send an OCD mom into a cleaning fit.  (That is why I invite my OCD friends over on fried cheese days!) But if you can get over the mess, the smile on your kids face will be worth cleaning grease splatters off the ceiling.

16oz block of mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup flour
4 eggs
2 cups Italian bread crumbs
6 cups of vegetable oil
Marinara sauce for dipping (Rao's is my favorite!)

Take your block of mozzarella cheese and cut it into about 1/4 inch rectangles.

You will need 3 shallow bowls for battering the cheese.
Bowl #1 - 1/2 cup of flour
Bowl #2 - 4 eggs, beaten
Bowl #3 - 2 cups Italian bread crumbs, just putting 1 cup a time in the bowl.

Coat the cheese sticks in flour (this helps the egg stick to the cheese), then dip in eggs and then coat with breadcrumbs (making sure to cover the ends).  If you like thicker coatings re-dip in egg, then in breadcrumbs again.  Batter all cheese the cheese sticks first and have them ready to go when it is time to cook.

Heat your vegetable oil to 350 degrees and fry cheese for 30 to 45 seconds on each side; it will be a golden brown, and voilà!  You have beautifully fried cheese sticks in no time! 

You kids will LOVE you for it!  ♥

**For an adult version, this recipe works really well with fresh mozzarella, and it is oh so freaking good! :)