Sausage Rye Party Melts
The early 80’s were seriously awesome. Like, for sure.
In those days, I was obsessed with Valley Girls, leg warmers, my totally gnarly sticker collection, and being high scorer on Galaga. If you’d have asked me in fourth or fifth grade what I was going to be when I grew up, I quickly would have answered “fashion designer”.
At that point of my life, there was not any part of me that ever considered a career in food, or even thought too much about what I put in my mouth.
But yet I have very, very vivid memories of some food experiences at that time in my life, one being some delightful munchies a friends’ mom always made for slumber parties.
Through the years I lost touch with that friend and really have no idea exactly what ingredients were in those little rye bites her mom made for us, but I think this recipe comes pretty darn close to how I remember them tasting. I’m not having any slumber parties any time soon, but they definitely work for adult parties just as well!
Sausage Rye Melts
Makes 36. Adapted from Taste of Home.
Ingredients:
1 lb bulk pork sausage
4 cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
2 4-oz cans chopped green chilies, drained
2 2.5-oz cans sliced black olives, drained and chopped
6 green onions, sliced
36 mini slices of rye bread*
*I've had the best luck finding these at Publix
Directions:
In a skillet over medium heat, cook sausage until no longer pink, drain. Stir in the cheese, chilies, olives and onions. Spoon and spread onto mini rye bread slices. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted.
My mom used to make them for her parties too! This recipe looks a little better though with the addition of the green chiles. I think back then it was just meat & cheese and maybe some other ingredient we don’t need to know about. Can’t wait to make these, thanks :-)
These look SO satisfying.
My mom’s best friend always made these growing up, and we called them pizza appetizers (because anything combining meat and cheese on a flat surface and heated in the oven automatically qualifies as pizza.) The funny thing is, she still makes them when she knows we’re all going to be together, and they’re always the first apps to disappear. There’s something about them that conjures up memories of Christmas parties past and physical altercations over the last one available. Ah, memories!