Maple-y Apple-y Chicken Sausage Apps for Game Day

As I was straining my brain for ideas for a different snack to take to a football party, I finally remembered these simple sausage appetizers that we had at a family holiday party. Not only are they easy and tasty, they’re fun to eat. Using pretzel sticks as edible toothpicks is ingenious, don't you think?

Tiny meatballs or sausage in a grape jelly and BBQ sauce are always a popular item at parties like this, and these sausage bites are a unique twist on that favorite. The pre-cooked chicken sausages aren’t always easy for me to find (they sure do make them easy to make!) but next time I do find them again, I’m going to stick a few in the freezer so these are always ready to be made.

We’re headed to watch the Steelers and Jets play tomorrow evening. At least I think we’ll be watching. My husband – a Steelers fan, for sure – may or may not watch. At a game a couple weeks ago, he turned up missing out of a roomful of friends because, almost like me watching a scary movie, he was afraid to watch the next play.  I found him clipping his nails in the garage. Maybe if I’d had these ready, he wouldn’t have left at all!  

Maple-Glazed Apple Chicken Sausage Bites
from Better Homes & Gardens

1 12-16 ounce package cooked apple-flavored chicken sausage links
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon stone ground mustard
2 teaspoons snipped fresh sage (or ½ teaspoon dried)
16 -20 pretzel sticks

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut sausages into 1-inch slices. Place on rimmed baking pan (covered with parchment paper to save on clean-up). For glaze, in small bowl combine syrup, mustard and sage.

Bake sausage – unglazed -- for 8 minutes. Then, brush generously with the glaze. Bake for 8 minutes more until sausage pieces are well-glazed and heated through. Use pretzel sticks as edible toothpicks and serve on a pretty platter.