It’s official. Parties are upon us! And the parties I go to include food that’s just a little bit naughty. OK. It’s a lot naughty. Including the two recipes I’m about to share with you which are more inappropriate than most female Halloween costumes. But if you can’t splurge at a party, when can you? Nobody every raved over that raw, low-fat, non-dairy, cardboard thing you brought. So blow it out and reap all the “Oh my gosh … who made this?!” benefits. If you are lactose intolerant, look away, baby. Look away.

Cheesy Sausage Wontons
Adapted from a long lost friend of a friend
Makes exactly 48 little baby wontons

1 lb. sausage
1½ to 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1½ to 2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
1 cup Hidden Valley Ranch dressing
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 small can chopped black olives
1 package wonton wrappers
Vegetable oil

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Brown sausage.

• Meanwhile, mix all other ingredients (except wontons & oil) together in a large bowl.

• Drain the sausage of any extra grease and add to cheese mixture.
• Brush each wonton wrapper with vegetable oil and place in a mini muffin pan. Bake for 5 minutes or until slightly brown. Watch very closely so they don’t burn.

• Fill wontons with sausage mixture and bake until bubbly and cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Side notes:

• The good news is, you can make the mixture ahead of time and use it when you are ready to serve the wontons. The bad news is, these aren’t as good once they get cold.
• The black olives are optional, but you don’t really taste the olive. They just add a salty zing.

Warm Spinach & Artichoke Dip
From my long lost friend Jenny Pearson

1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained & chopped
1 cup sour cream
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded part skim mozzarella, divided
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 cloves of garlic, minced
½ to 1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon (or more) Louisiana hot sauce

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Squeeze all excess liquid from spinach and chop artichoke hearts.
• In a 1-quart baking dish, mix all ingredients.

• Top with ½ cup shredded mozzarella.
• Bake, uncovered, until bubbly, about 30 minutes.
• Serve with pita chips, celery, carrots, or just spoons.