Mozzarella Waffle Sticks

Oh, our poor car!!!

Our trusty, reliable Frank The Tank is in the shop now. He is in need of some lovin’.

I was driving from a project meeting to meet up with a friend’s wife to meet her and their new baby. I was really looking forward to meeting them both. I even made cookies in the morning to bring to them. Plus, I just wanted to snuggle with a itty bitty baby. The best.

Well, those plans were sidelined when I noticed the battery light on my dashboard was illuminated. Ugh. At our last oil change the guys warned us that there was a belt  that was getting loose and that it would need to be replaced soon, like at the next oil change. I was hoping it was just a glitch and kept on driving. And then the Water Temperature Light started flashing at me. GAH! Then the Check Engine Light popped up. That was just too many lights in a few minutes for my liking. I called our favorite mechanic, who thankfully wasn’t too far from where I was, and headed right over.

The belt that connected the water pump to something came right off. Or that is what I think happened. The mechanic pulled the belt out of the engine and pointed where it should have been. Cool.

So I slumped away from the auto body shop so disappointed that ruined my day. First I handed over the cookies over to the mechanic that I had made for my friend’s family since I was afraid I would stress eat the cookies on the train & bus home. All of them.

It was a good thing I gave the mile home. I’m just glad that we weren’t on the highway when whatever piece broke.

 

Anyway, on to a more lighter note!

I have been thinking of making these mozzarella sticks for weeks and weeks and weeks. It was just an idea that stuck with me. I had to make them!

The best thing is that I generally have everything on hand for them. All 3 ingredients. Ha!

Cheese might ooze out the sides of your waffle maker but don’t freight, just scoop it up and gooble it up. Any cheese that makes contact into the waffle maker directly gets nice a crisp too! They aren’t your typical mozzarella stick that is ooey gooey and stretchy, they are crispy with a cheese taste throughout. Yum!!

You can even jazz up your waffle batter with some Italian spices to amp up the flavor even more. I added a pinch of garlic powder but kept it pretty mellow as I knew Autumn would be eating them. I swear this kid eats waffles 24/7 now!

Mozzarella Waffle Sticks 

Makes 8 sticks

Ingredients

• 2 mozzarella sticks
• 1 Cup pancake mix, I used Krusteaz’s Buttermilk Pancake Mix
• a pinch of Italian spices, like garlic powder, basil, oregano (optional)
• 1/2 Cup marinara sauce

Process

1. Trim the mozzarella sticks so that they fit within the waffle sticks maker. Cut each stick into 4 pieces length wise.
2. Mix the pancake mix with water, according to directions on the box. (I used 2/3 Cup water with the 1 Cup of Krusteaz mix). Add spices to the batter, optional.
3. Preheat your Mini Babycakes Waffle Sticks Maker.
4. Dip the cheese in the batter. Drizzle a tiny bit of batter in each waffle sticks reservoir, place a piece of cheese in each waffle stick, and drizzle tiny bit more batter on the top again.
5. Cook for jsut a few minutes, until just set up and golden brown. Place on a wire rack to keep crisp while you finish making the other batch.
6. Serve with warm marinara sauce.

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While I received the waffle maker from Select Brands and the mix from Krusteaz for recipe development, all opinions are my own. 

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