Our five children are all now adults, two of them married. None of them live near us. So when they come home for Christmas, I ask, "What do you want to make for Christmas this year?" We ALWAYS make our Christmas sweet rolls, to eat on Christmas morning. But, over the years, we have experimented with a wide variety of other treats, candies, cakes and pies. We cannot make them all each year.

Several years ago now, we found a recipe for sausage stars that we all enjoy.  They are fun for a group of two or three of us tassemble together, each person with a different job: I'll add the sausage, if you'll squirt the ranch dressing.

This year, Gregg and I made some for our Christmas Sunday School class party. We walked into the host's house with these appetizers hot from the oven, and offered them to our friends. What fun!

<a href="http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/sausagestarsingredients.jpg"><img class="aligncenter  wp-image-871" title="sausagestarsingredients" src="http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/sausagestarsingredients.jpg" alt="" width="479" height="414" /></a>Sausage Stars

1 package wanton wrappers (usually found in the produce section of the grocery store)

1 pound Jimmy Dean sausage

chopped green and red bell peppers

ranch dressing

shredded cheese (We like sharp cheddar or fiesta blend best.)
<p style="text-align: center;">Brown sausage and drain well.<a href="http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/sausagecooked.jpg"><img class="aligncenter  wp-image-875" title="sausagecooked" src="http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/sausagecooked.jpg" alt="" width="480" height="373" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Put the wonton wrappers in a tart-sized muffin tin.</p>


[caption id="attachment_869" align="aligncenter" width="480" caption="I gently fold the wrapper and place in the pan. Do NOT press it down and make it fit the pan."]<a href="http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/wontonsinpan.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-869 " title="wontonsinpan" src="http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/wontonsinpan.jpg" alt="" width="480" height="352" /></a>[/caption]
<p style="text-align: center;">Spoon in less than a teaspoon of the cooked sausage.<a href="http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/sausage.jpg"><img class="aligncenter  wp-image-868" title="sausage" src="http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/sausage.jpg" alt="" width="479" height="415" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Add four or five small pieces of chopped peppers, mix red and green.<a href="http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/addpeppers.jpg"><img class="aligncenter  wp-image-867" title="addpeppers" src="http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/addpeppers.jpg" alt="" width="480" height="519" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Squirt a small amount, about 1/2 teaspoon of ranch dressing in each star.<a href="http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/ranchdressingadded.jpg"><img class="aligncenter  wp-image-866" title="ranchdressingadded" src="http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/ranchdressingadded.jpg" alt="" width="479" height="395" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Top with a pinch of shredded cheese.<a href="http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/cheeseadded.jpg"><img class="aligncenter  wp-image-865" title="cheeseadded" src="http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/cheeseadded.jpg" alt="" width="479" height="360" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes or so, until golden brown and cheese has melted.<a href="http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/finishedstar.jpg"><img class="aligncenter  wp-image-864" title="finishedstar" src="http://motherhoodstress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/finishedstar.jpg" alt="" width="479" height="356" /></a>Somehow, in making these for our Sunday School party, we missed taking a photo of the finished product.  I guess we were in a hurry to get to the party. This poor, overcooked sausage star was the one we left behind. In general, we pull them out of the oven before the edges are this brown. But there were none of the prettier ones left a</p>