Earlier in the week, I noticed a plastic bag from mozzarella string cheese sticks on the kitchen counter. In my house, this usually means someone has finished something and the packaging never made it into the trash or the recycling bin. But I second guessed the scenario because it was a rather large bag, and the last time I was in the fridge there were quite a few left. I opened the deli drawer and there they were, a sheet of more than a dozen individually wrapped cheese sticks remaining. My husband, ever trying to reduce packaging, must have dumped the sticks out in the drawer and planned to put the bag in the recycling bin. It just never made it. The kitchen is my domain and I admit I am a bit controlling. But I have my way of doing things. I wondered, if the bag with the expiration date stamp is gone, how will we know when the cheese has spoiled or is no longer edible? I checked the individual packaging and there was no date, so I put them all back in the bag and put the bag back in the drawer.
Why this mundane story about my family life? Because the expiration date on the cheese I just happened to notice at the start of this week is the first detail in my happy coincidence. The cheese stick package story took place on Sunday or Monday, April 19th or 20th. During this time I unknowingly registered in my mind that the cheese expired on April 26th. Then, Thursday night while unwinding after work and flipping through emails and Facebook, I encountered a recipe. Now let me explain that my FB friends, many of whom are very close personal friends and family, "like" and "share" a lot of recipes. Some appealing to me, some not. But to each his or her own. The ones I save are usually the ones for which I don't have an existing recipe or whose photo is just so visually appealing, I just know I must try it. That night, Thursday, in my newsfeed was a recipe with photo for homemade fried mozzarella sticks. Photo? Looked good, like any cheese stick you would see in a restaurant. Yummy, if you like this popular appetizer. But what made me save it? I had never made these before. All the cooking I have done in my life, I never tried to make these. And it is quite possible my family descended from mice, because do we love cheese. Also, it happened to find its way into my newsfeed when? When I had a bag full of mozzarella cheese sticks in my fridge with less than a week to expire. The culinary gods aligned with the grocery gods and I just had to make these. By the way, the recipe was super simple too and didn't require me to fill an entire soup pot with oil to deep fry them. Sold.
Fast forward to today, Saturday afternoon. I've stayed home all day because after walking my dog this morning, my allergies spoke loud and clear to me, "Stay in the a/c today!" There's not much to eat in the house. I usually go to Publix on Sunday. But wait! I opened the fridge and there they were, the mozzarella sticks calling out to me, and I remembered the recipe.
They came out fantastic. It was nowhere near as much trouble as I might have thought, and I had fun making them. Maybe it is because I work long days and cooking when I get home feels like such a drag. I have always liked cooking on Saturdays when I am not on a strict timeline and I can enjoy the creativity and leisure of being in the kitchen. Some people paint, others write or play music, some draw or sculpt. I cook. Then for some reason, I like to write. I guess that is why foodie blogs and recipe blogs are so popular. Food has stories. Cooking is a way of illustrating. Anyway, for me the cheese recipe was a joyful coincidence. It appeared at the perfect time, and I didn't have to buy a single ingredient because I had everything I needed. I even had some marinara sauce to warm up and serve for dipping. Just perfect.
And when I announced to my son that the cheese was ready, the 11th plague (teenage boy appetite) descended like locusts down the stairs and into the kitchen, and just like that they were gone. I made 14. I think I ate four. Okay maybe five. I didn't count. But no more than 10 minutes after they hit the plate, they were made gone. Hey, the way I see it, they're best when hot and the cheese is melted and molten. No good as leftovers.
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| My son did take the time to snap this photo before he ate them. |
Recipe credit must go to Nikki, Chef in Training. You can find her on Facebook, or get the recipe for Homemade Mozzarella Sticks at her website.
I wasn't a follower of her page before I saw this recipe. Now, I'm going to check her out. I'm thinking of trying her Avocado Egg Rolls next.
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