Happy Holidays and get ready to relish in the best of the year in parties, gatherings and holiday love. Perhaps the best Yuletide decoration is being wreathed in smiles from all those loved ones that you gather together with?
The holidays are about getting together, eating delicious foods and sharing the kitchen with every family member, because we all squash in whether we fit or not! Today I am sharing the coveted Vento Family Cheesy Sausage and Party Rye Appetizers. These appetizers never miss a holiday occasion in our home.
I prefer simple appetizers, with just a few ingredients, not over complicated recipes. This recipe is dedicated to all those that want a tasty ‘starter’ and no a lot of work! Lavishly live food and the holidays out loud and learn the recipe secret that makes preparing this recipe a pleasure!
Cheesy Sausage and Party Rye Appetizers
Roll into the holidays, Friends-giving, Friends-mas, Thanksgiving with a yummy cheesy sausage and party rye appetizer that always pleases!
Every year, as a young girl, in between our family gatherings, we’d gather with my parent’s friends. After years, they became adopted ‘Aunt & Uncle.’ We loved gathering at her house with her family (she has 4 kids, 3 boys an a girl).
The party would start around dinner and not end till after midnight. The finished basement had fun things in it to play with for kids our age, and we did play!
Air hockey quickly became my favorite pass time there. It got fiercely competitive between all of us and really loud, but one ever cared. Of course, there was a pool table, a television and so much more. Of course the food options my Aunt made rocked.
She is so creative and always had these tasty recipes. In fact, I can admit that on more than one holiday, I’d eat more appetizers than I should have and of course this led to my belly is too full to eat the main meal!
The Tradition Continues at Casa Vento
In that tradition, and due to a really hectic life with three kids, a job etc, I adopted the recipe to our parties for my family. There’s not one holiday that goes by that we don’t have this crave-able and easy to prepare an appetizer.
Now, I want to offer it to you for your families, friends, and holiday gatherings. Ready to see how easy it is and what ingredients to use? You will not believe how 3 ingredients come together to make a proportioned for sharing a snack.
INGREDIENTS
I have tried to sub out ingredients and NOTHING ever has tasted the same. My family has revolted when I attempted to try other ingredients. What that might mean is that the original version is the best. DOn’t mess with a good thing, right?
2 Pounds Of Jimmy Dean® Fresh Rolled Sausage (pork flavor) refrigerated section Sam’s Club
Use 2 pounds of Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product (cubed into smaller pieces)
(2) Loaves of Party Rye Squares (around deli areas)
non-stick frying pan
Baking Tray covered with parchment paper
I am about to prep this cheese product. It makes cooking a lot easier. Cube the product up. When you cook, it is easier to melt and it goes much faster. It is a trick I learned long ago. You need all of this so cut away!
You also may want to prepare your pans for broiling ahead of time as well. That is something else I do. Not only do I line them with parchment paper, but I also line them with the party rye. It just makes the topping time go so much faster! I am all about the efficiency of time when preparing food! Faster is better in my world!
DIRECTIONS
Meat Prep
After unwrapping the sausage, place it into the frying pan. The heat should be medium, not higher as the meat will burn. Additionally, this will spatter grease since it is sausage.
As it begins to cook, use a spatula and break it down into crumbles, frying evenly. This actually happens very fast so make sure you are paying attention and just keep crumbling the sausage.
Allow meat to brown and cook completely. I will tell you if this takes about 10 minutes that is about right. Really it is going to depend on your stove and how rapidly it prepares food. Also, make sure you are using a nonstick pan. It’s not the sausage that is a sticky mess, instead the cheese. Help yourself avoid messes!
CHEESE PLEASE
Now it’s time to get the ingredients combined together into a vibrant chorus of flavor! Is your meat browned, and crumbled? If it is choose either option 1 or 2 below, then proceed. If your meat is not browned, do not move on. Continue to saute the meat, browning it, and once done, move on in the recipe.
Option 1 – drain fat. Or option 2 – don’t! Totally however your lifestyle dictates food and prep! Now you are going to add in the cheese cubes once the meat is browned.
Mix well, and allow cheese to melt. Again, the pan is warm as is the heating element, so it won’t take long. Additionally, since the cheese is in smaller portions it melts much faster and more evenly. Once it is all melted and looks like mine below, remove from the heat and set aside.
Lining Up The Bread
Before you begin this process, do make certain that the oven is on the LOW BROIL setting. This way you are ready to do broil these once topped.
Line a parchment-covered a baking tray with bread pieces. Keep them tight to one another so that if the cheese and sausage mixture drops, it will just fan off onto another piece of bread and not the tray!
Using about a tablespoon or so per piece of party rye, continue the process until every piece of rye is topped off. Repeat the process for all the loaves you purchased to cook.
Time To Finish & Serve
If you were not hungry before, you will be now. Since these are all topped, it is time to place them in the oven. Broil on Low for 3 minutes until golden brown. Do not allow them to burn, they don’t taste so good when that happens.
Now all you have to do is serve this warm. Either use the tray they are on (trust me, they will disappear fast) or load them up on a serving tray. You want to eat them while they are warm. Cleanup is going to be fast and easy. All you have to do is toss out the parchment paper and wash the pan you cooked the meat and cheese in!
If you have any leftover sausage mixture, you can refrigerate this for up to a week, or freeze it for up to 3 months and use it at a later date. I always use a zippered frozen bag and do just that!
The cheesy sausage party rye appetizers are seasoned to perfection! Total yum happening here! You are about to serve some very hungry guest some seriously yummy eats! I have a hard time ‘sneaking’ these into our appetizers because everyone smells them and I can’t get them made fast enough!
I do love when an appetizer makes everyone happy. Plus, did you see how few ingredients you need to make this tasty snack? Super easy to recreate!
Family Time
There’s nothing like food to bring the whole family together. No matter what part of the house your party is in, family always gathers in the kitchen. That is why I keep things simple and fun. I place the foods on my chef’s center island and everyone comes in.
They might be playing air hockey, or basketball, or maybe even gaming, but the party starts officially once the food is out. Food is fun, and parties are a reason for good foods!
As they start to eat, there is inevitably the swatting party too. You know the party when everyone swats your hand away from the dish so they can grab first? Of course, you are familiar with this because everyone has to experience that phenomenon at one time or another!
You see, I make sure to create multiple platters, that is why I use 2 pounds of Sausage and 2 full loaves of party rye. There is no doubt that all of this will be scoffed down. Sure there are other treats out too, but I keep it simple and fuss-free. Doesn’t it look delicious and simple? My favorite combination!
Another Star Appetizers
Just in case you want more appetizers on your table (I do), here’s another simple recipe. I will give you the overview because that is all you need. Honestly, these are lovely bite-sized starters that are perfect to feed a crowd!
In case you did not notice it on my food spread, we also serve up Lil Smokies (or tiny weinettes as we call them!) wrapped inside of a croissant roll! Literally that is all there is to the recipe.
I cut a croissant wrap into 2, and use both pieces to wrap a Lil Smokie inside. Then these bake on 375° F for 10 minutes and suddenly there are dozens of these on a tray!
There’s nothing to that recipe, so seeing the final presentation is the best way to understand it. Trust me, a tray of each of these are crowd-pleasers and provides lots of snack foods fast! Now that’s a party!
LAVISHLY LIVING SHOPPING & FOOD OUT LOUD. Now it’s your turn to make this recipe a staple in your home for the holidays and you know where to find it! Whether you host Friends-giving, football parties, Thanksgiving, Friends mas, Christmas, Hanukkah or any other holiday party, make it your go-to recipe!
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