Snackin’ With Sarah Sellers: ‘Idol’ Top 8 Night Viewing Nosh

Diehard "American Idol" viewers will remember Sarah Sellers as the geek-chic food blogger who made it to Hollywood Week last year. (Watch her Season 10 audition here.) Sarah has since continued her food-blogging, and has been cooking up scrumptious snack suggestions for any "Idol" viewing party and posting them here in Reality Rocks each week. She was also my special guest on a special South By Southwest version of "The Day After" in Austin last month, which you can watch HERE!

Tonight, this season's top 8 Idols will perform songs from the totally awesome '80s. So how did Sarah get inspired for tonight's totally awesome snack recipe? "Fast food was huge in the '80s," she says. "Whether it was Taco Bell or TV dinners, working moms wanted something quick to feed their kids when they came home. I for one ate a lot of pizza bites when I was a kid. This recipe pays tribute to a classic afterschool snack, but with a healthier twist."

Wonton Pizza Bites
24-30 pieces

Ingredients:

▪ 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
▪ 1/2 yellow onion, diced (around 1/2 cup)
▪ 1 8oz package cremini mushrooms, sliced
▪ 1 tsp Italian seasoning
▪ 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
▪ 2 sweet Italian turkey sausage links, casings removed
▪ 1 jar pizza sauce
▪ kosher salt and pepper
▪ 1 cup part-skim mozzarella, shredded
▪ 24 wonton wrappers
▪ cooking spray
▪ 1 tbsp pParmesan, shredded

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the onions until translucent, then add the mushrooms. Cook down until the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the Italian seasoning, red pepper, and turkey sausage. Crumble and cook until no longer pink. Add the pizza sauce and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese.

Place around a tablespoon of the filling in the center of the wonton wrapper. Make sure you don't overfill, or it will ooze out the seams. Dab your finger with water and wet the edges of the wonton. Close up in a triangular shape, sealing the edges shut. Repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers.

Place the wontons on a parchment-lined baking sheet and spray with the cooking spray. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and bake in the oven until the cheese has melted and they are golden-brown (around 10-15 minutes).

Bon appétit!

Check out Sarah's food and music blogs at http://sarahsmusicalkitchen.com

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Related links:

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