Sausage Stars

These hot appetizers are always the hit of the party!  My mom has made these for years, and now I make them.  My friends and family often request me to bring this appetizer for out gatherings.  As always, I’ll be making them tomorrow for our New Year’s party.  Try them out, and you’ll see just how good (and easy) they are!

Here’s what you’ll need:
2 lbs ground pork sausage
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch dry mix
16 oz sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterrey cheese
1 (2.25 oz) can of sliced black olives, drained
1/2 cup chopped red or green peppers
1 package of wonton wrappers (You can often find these in the produce section of your grocery store. They’ll be refrigerated.)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
• Brown sausage; pat dry and cool slightly.
• In a large bowl, mix together dry ranch package and sour cream until well blended.
• Add shredded cheeses, olives, peppers, and sausage to mixture and stir well.
• Lightly grease cupcake tins (normal sized) with a non-stick cooking spray.
• Place wonton wrappers inside each muffin tin, so they’re loosely crumpled and resemble the shape of the cupcake tin. Bake only the wonton wrappers for 5-10 minutes or until light brown. **Optional** You may bake the wontons the day before and keep in a dry place at room temperature.
• Cool wrappers slightly before adding 2-3 Tbsp of the mixture to the inside of the wontons. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.
• Let sit at room temperature for 2 minutes before serving. Be careful, these are very hot!

This recipe makes 4-5 dozen sausage stars. Serves about 25.