Spicy Cheese Straws

These cheese straws are such a hit! I have made them for parties and gifts several times in the past few months and people tend to really like them. Tonight, I am including them in the appetizers for the Super Bowl!

Ingredients
1 block of cheddar cheese (8 ounces)
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
1 cup of butter (salted)
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon parsley

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Grate cheese and allow to get to room temperature (i set it out overnight)
3. Set out butter with cheese

4. Mix cheese and butter until smooth in stand mixer
5. In a separate bowl, mix remaining ingredients

6. Gradually add dry ingredients to butter/cheese mixture
7. Form dough into a ball and use a pastry piping tool to pipe it into long sticks (you can also use a rolling pin to roll out the dough and then slice it with a pizza cutter)
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes
9. Cool completely and store in airtight container

Kristin

Appetizer - Mozzarella Balls

So, I recently bought a bunch of fresh mozzarella balls at the grocery store because they were on sale and are delicious on salads! One of my favorite restaurants down the street makes fried goat cheese balls so I decided to try to make fried mozzarella balls as an appetizer to go with our Italian dinner last night. It was really easy to do!

Ingredients:
5 cups vegetable oil
Mozzarella balls (I had about 15 total)
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs (whisked together)
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
marinara sauce

Directions:
1. Dip mozzarella balls in flour and coat completely.
2. Dip coated mozzarella balls in egg mixture and coat completely.
3. Roll mozzarella balls in breadcrumbs and put on a plate.
4. Place plate in freezer for about 10 minutes to harden and set.
5. Put oil into pot and heat on high (about 8 minutes).
6. In small batches (I did 4-6 at a time) place the mozzarella balls in the oil for 4 minutes.

7. Put fried balls on plate covered with a paper towel and allow to cool (5 minutes).

8. Serve with marinara sauce!

This was really tasty and I think we will definitely make this again soon!

Kristin