Browsing the archives for the cheese tag.

Mozzarella Sticks

Domestic

Mozzarella Sticks are standard pub fare and often accompany pizza on family game night with garlic bread, because when are you ever going to have time to make them yourself – and why would you? They must take hours right? And you can’t just make it with stuff you probably already have in your pantry RIGHT NOW, can you? I swear, these little snacks go from passing thought to burning your greedy fingers in less than 30 minutes. No, honest. I have seen versions of them kicking around online but I didn’t trust that any recipe I could make myself would come close to the glorious fried gooeyness Mr So Very Domestic adores so much. And you know, given that I clearly refer to myself as ‘so very domestic’, I take kitchen fails as crushing blows to my womanhood a little harsher than most others. Ahem.

Then my husband got me The Pioneer Woman’s cookbook and this little gem was in there! I adore Miss Ree so much I’d never reprint a recipe from her book – however, she first posted this on her recipe site Tasty Kitchen over 3 years ago, so I think it’s ok. 😉

I am all over any excuse for my husband and I to play around in the kitchen (no, not like that). He especially likes to offer up help with frying, shaping and any cutting that looks the least bit complicated or fun (hello scalloped potatoes and my mandolin). When we make these, we save even more time by working together so we can get back to the movie watching / Chinese checker playing / whatever silly thing we are doing at 1am while making food we shouldn’t. We have been known to even make these for the kids, but since only 1/3 of them likes them it’s still a pretty self indulgent endeavour. I set up the bowls of flour / egg / crust and he opens and cuts up the cheese.

I bread a few while the oil heats up and then he fries as I finish breading. Match made in heaven, really.

Here are the deets!

Mozzarella Sticks

Mozzarella Sticks via The Pioneer Woman
16 pieces string cheese, (removed from wrappers)*
½ cups flour
2 eggs
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
canola oil (for frying)
2 cups panko bread crumbs

*you’ll get two mozzarella sticks per string cheese, so just use as many as you need

First, unwrap all the string cheese you need and cut each piece in half. We’ve also experimented with making the sticks smaller by cutting each string cheese in three pieces. It works better that way for a crowd so you have more pieces but if there are just two or three people, halves is fine. Then prep the bowls. You’ll need one with the flour, one with the egg and milk and one with the panko and parsley. Just like when you’re making fish and chips, roll the cheese first in the flour, then the egg and then the breadcrumbs. Make sure each piece is well coated each time so it all sticks!
Mozzarella Sticks
Mozzarella Sticks
PW flash freezes these before she fries them but really ain’t nobody got time fo’ that!, so we just jump on in. Fry as many at a time as you feel comfortable with. We usually do about 6 or 8 at a time, but we have been known to be snacky and impatient (a dangerous combo really) and make them all in two batches. It doesn’t take long to cook these babies! The entire operation in the pan is under two minutes for sure. Just marvel as they turn a lovely golden brown about 45 second after you drop them in the oil, poke them a bit to turn them over around the one minute mark and take them out before the two minute mark.
Mozzarella Sticks
Mozzarella Sticks
I know right?!
Mozzarella Sticks
My husband eats them with nothing at all, I love them in marinara sauce or a sweet and sour sauce. Our one, lone mozzarella stick loving child (how are the rest even related to us?!) looooves them with ketchup. She’s 4, so ketchup is still socially acceptable on pretty much everything, right? No matter what you eat them with, they’re crazy amazing and so much better than they are at restaurants or from frozen.
Mozzarella Sticks
Mozzarella Sticks
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Broccoli Gratin

Domestic

I absolutely hate broccoli. I know, I know. But I do. I usually make soup out of it and add either potato until it’s crazy creamy or I add cauliflower to mask the taste. Otherwise, I steam and puree it so I can add it to sauces and stews and still get a decent amount of it but I’m not about to just, eat a piece of broccoli. I hope one day I will, but I’m just not there. This recipe helped though! I can conceive of myself eating broccoli now!

I’ve seen recipes for broccoli gratin all over the place for years and years but it never really crossed my mind to try it – you know, on account of my hating broccoli. The kids love broccoli though and so does my husband and we all love cheese (it’s recipes like this that throw me off my vegan intentions – whoops) so I gave it a go. Holy moly. Super, super, crazy amazing good.

I had seconds happily (mostly because I wanted to eat the cheese sauce with a spoon), which I think is also how I learned that I’d eat broccoli if it was slathered in something delicious. Like this!

Broccoli Gratin

Cheesy Broccoli Gratin via Kitchen Comments

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon thyme
8 oz cheddar cheese
24 oz broccoli
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Broccoli Gratin
Broccoli Gratin
Preheat your oven to 400, then melt butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook for about a minute. Add the milk and whisk till smooth, now add the nutmeg and thyme – and have your cheese and broccoli at the ready!
Broccoli Gratin
Broccoli Gratin
Remove your saucepan from the heat and stir in the cheese until it’s melted. Arrange the broccoli in a casserole dish (or whatever).
Broccoli Gratin
Just LOOK AT THIS. Ugh. It was so good.
Broccoli Gratin
Broccoli Gratin
Pour the cheese sauce over the broccoli. Slooooooowly to make sure it’s all coated.
Broccoli Gratin
Broccoli Gratin
Broccoli Gratin
Now toss the bread crumbs and Parm on top and bake for 20-30 minutes. Cool just enough to avoid burning your family/guests but serve it gooey!
Broccoli Gratin
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Bacon-Cheddar Potato Rounds (and a serious Williams Sonoma giveaway)

Domestic

It’s no secret that I’m big on full-out meal planning, so of course I have been trying to map out a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration – especially since this year it involves a longish road trip and a long time, long distance friend. It’s also no secret that I adore pretty kitchen gear and ever since I started collecting treasures in our new place in California, I have been absolutely smitten, so I am hunting for the perfect dishes and bakeware to bring with us on our Thanksgiving visit. This amazing giveaway is so timely and right up my alley I am so excited to present it to you guys!

Just three simple steps will get you entered in this giveaway for A set of 4 Harvest Pumpkin Tiny Taper Holders from Williams Sonoma, 10″ x 6″ Scalloped Italian Bakers from Sur la Table and the matching Wire Baker Racks.

1. Check out The Country Crock Chronicle and leave a comment on an article there.

2. Like So Very Domestic on Facebook.

3. Leave a comment here to let me know you did!

A winner will be chosen by a random draw and posted on the blog on Monday, November 12 (the winner will also be contacted via email). The winner must reply with their mailing address within 24 hours or a new winner will be chosen by a second random drawing. Good luck!!

This year we are spending Thanksgiving with a dear friend of mine and her four children, and I have been trying out different side dish ideas to help make it a really special holiday. This was one of my favorites so far (you can find loads more inspiration over at Country Crock and here on the blog in the next couple of weeks).

In trying out and coming up with different recipes for Thanksgiving of course the emphasis leans towards bigger is better and this time of year especially the menus often tend to be a lot richer. We don’t need to give up the richness completely, but it is a smart to make adjustments to recipes to make them healthier for ourselves and our families. Years ago I would have made this recipe with butter, traditional bacon and full fat cheddar cheese. However, with a few small changes I was able to make this recipe much healthier! Country Crock has 0g trans fat, no-nitrate bacon is always a better choice than a bacon (either pork or turkey) made with nitrates and low fat cheese is a no brainer switcheroo.

Bacon-Cheddar Potato Rounds

4 potatoes, sliced about 1/2″ thick
1/4 cup melted Country Crock
black pepper, to taste
8 slices of no-nitrate, turkey bacon, cooked and chopped
8 ounces low-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped green onion or chives

Bacon-Cheddar Potato Rounds
Bacon-Cheddar Potato Rounds
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Using a pastry brush, cover both sides of each potato slice with Country Crock and put them on an ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle with black pepper and cook for about 45 minutes, until potatoes are cooked through.
Bacon-Cheddar Potato Rounds
Bacon-Cheddar Potato Rounds
Once the potatoes are cooked, sprinkle with the cheddar cheese, the bacon and then top with the chives or green onions (or use a mix of the two). Cook for another 10 minutes or so until the cheese is melty and serve alongside your main! I had intended them to be cut up and eaten but more than one person picked them up and ate them as finger food!
Bacon-Cheddar Potato Rounds

Thank you to Country Crock for being a sponsor. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.

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Scalloped Potato Gratin

Domestic

When I was a kid, scalloped potatoes was my hands down favorite side and maybe to keep the magic of it alive for me, my Daddy would only make it once in a while. I absolutely loved everything about it, like most kids I counted potatoes as my favorite vegetable and also like most kids, I had a real serious love of cheese. Now that I’m older though I understand that wasn’t just the marriage of cheese and potatoes that won my heart with this side, but the creamy, slightly gooey sauce that keeps it all from melting into a big unappetizing clump and the tiny hint of nutmeg. So many of my childhood favorites had a pinch of nutmeg in them. Thanks for setting the bar so high, Daddy! <3 This recipe is not his original. The only irritating thing about my father's kitchen habits is his refusal to use an actual recipe. He calls them a 'springboard' for his kitchen creativity. No controlling this guy with measurements or doing anything the same way twice! So his recipe for the scalloped potatoes I grew up with is a pinch of this and a dash of that and 'it's done when it smells done'. This recipe though, is pretty close!! One of these days, I will try to veganize it! Personally, I wouldn't attempt to make any kind of scalloped potatoes unless I had a serious mandolin, but if you're good with a knife - by all means slice them thin! Scalloped Potato Gratin

cooking spray
about 5 or 6 medium potaotes, I used red
3 pieces bacon, fried and patted dry
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 cup cheddar cheese
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
1 cup fat free milk
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons thyme

Scalloped Potato Gratin
Scalloped Potato Gratin
Scalloped Potato Gratin
Scalloped Potato Gratin
Scalloped Potato Gratin
Scalloped Potato Gratin
After you slice your potatoes as thin as possible (or slightly thicker, if you prefer), fry up and then dry your bacon. Now make a gooey mixture with the melted butter, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Toss the potato slices in it and make sure they’re all evenly coated. Most recipes will tell you to grate your cheese but I slice mine into smallish chunks for this. Spray whatever dish you’re using and arrange about 1/2 of the coated potatoes on the bottom, then cover with about half the sliced cheddar.
Scalloped Potato Gratin
Scalloped Potato Gratin
Now scald your milk, nutmeg and thyme. Just bring it to a boil and shut it off. Give it another mix to be sure the spices are incorporated. Now add the rest of the coated potatoes, pour the milk mixture over them and top with the rest of the cheddar and the mozzarella and bacon. Cook at 425 for about 45 minutes.
Scalloped Potato Gratin
Scalloped Potato Gratin
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