Homemade Mozzarella Sticks

When I first married I remember watching the Food Network all the time. I watched everything from Barefoot Contessa to Everyday Italian. I was still learning recipes and what you could actually make on your own. It had to be one of the first Superbowl's as a married couple that I tried to make all the football faves as a special present to my husband. 

The menu consisted of wings, little meatball parmesan hoagies. Then I saw on "Everyday Italian" a way to make your own mozzarella sticks. I was definitely on board to make something I thought you could only buy in the frozen food section. It was a great recipe for a young cook. Since the Big Game is upon us I was looking through some old print outs and found my attempt at this which went extremely well. Something everyone should try as a fun snack to watch a great football game.

Mozzarella Sticks (Giada De Laurentis)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups Italian-style dried breadcrumbs
• 1 1/3 cups freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 (16-ounce) blocks pasteurized mozzarella cut into 4 by 1/2-inch sticks
• 4 large eggs, beaten to blend
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 4 cups Marinara Sauce, recipe follows

Directions

Stir the bread crumbs, 1 cup of Parmesan and 1 teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl to blend. Dip the cheese in the eggs to coat completely and allow the excess egg to drip back into the bowl. Coat the cheese in the bread crumb mixture, patting to adhere and coat completely. Place the cheese sticks on a baking sheet. Repeat dipping the cheese sticks in the egg and bread crumb mixture to coat a second time. Cover and freeze until frozen, about 2 hours and up to 2 days.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Working in batches, fry the cheese until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Transfer the fried cheese to plates. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and serve with Marinara Sauce.