Canastas de Navidad/Sausage Dip

Every Holiday season I cater a party for my dad's office, but this year I will be on my honeymoon so that will not happen.  However, we went to a part last night and I made my "famous" Canastas de Navidad (Christmas Baskets) and Dustin and I ate the leftovers as a dip for lunch today.

Canastas de Navidad

Yield: about 90 phyllo cups or 45 cups + 3 cups of dip or 6 cups of dip

1 pound bulk sausage

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 medium sweet red pepper, diced

1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained

1 (4.5 ounce) can chopped ripe olives, drained

1 (1 ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix (follow directions on package)

Phyllo cups

In a skillet, cook sausage until no longer pink; drain. Add cheeses, peppers, chilies, olives and dressing mix; mix well. Set aside. Fill each phyllo cup with about 2 tablespoons of the sausage mixture. Bake at 350°F for 5 minutes or until heated through. Serve warm.

If you have leftovers, spread in a pan or an ovenproof bowl and bake at 350°F for 25 minutes. This makes a delicious dip with tortilla chips.