This is a great idea for my daughter. She gets free ground turkey from the food bank. If we don't have Penzeys, what would you suggest ? Is there a list of ingredients in it on the package ?
Thanks !

Here is the list of ingredients from their web site www.penzeys.com

I add extra sage to make it taste like 'real' sausage. You can also check the website for local Penzeys stores. They have several around the USA.

salt, sugar, paprika, black pepper, dextrose, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, sage, and thyme.

DL

LindaLou, I always make my own sausage now, Elery and I have also smoked our own bacon, made pastrami and smoked those ducks!

I like italian sausage more than I like breakfast sausage, but here's the recipe I use when making breakfast sausage. The spices can be adjusted to taste, I mix the seasonings in with the meat, cook a tiny bit and then adjust to add more of whatever seasonings I like. It's usually a bit more sage and a bit less red pepper.

2 teaspoons dried sage
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 pinch ground cloves
2 pounds ground pork (or use turkey or chicken)

Mix all ingredients and cook!

I have one that takes apples too, the kids really like it although it's a bit sweet for my taste. It's from, I think, Better Homes and Gardens. I like it better as a sandwich with some honey mustard than I do as a breakfast meat.

Apple-Turkey Breakfast Sausage.

1/2 pound ground raw turkey
2 tablespoons soft bread crumbs
1/2 cup shredded apple
1/4 teaspoon dried sage, crushed
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon paprika
Dash ground nutmeg
Nonstick spray coating

In a large bowl, combine turkey, bread crumbs, apple, sage, pepper, salt, paprika, and nutmeg; mix well. Shape mixture into four 1/2-inch-thick patties.

Spray the unheated rack of broiler pan with nonstick spray coating. Arrange patties on rack. Broil 4 to 5 inches from the heat about 10 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in side of patty registers 165 degrees F, turning once. (Or, spray a large skillet with nonstick spray coating. Cook sausage over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until no pink remains.)

Makes 4 servings.

Annie

DL, thank you for listing the seasoning ingredients for me.
Annie, that apple one sounds good to me ! I still love sweet tasting foods. I am sure they are both good recipes.
Thanks so much for sending them !! Sausage is so expensive to buy, plus most have so much msg, nitrates, and things in them that I would rather not have.

Since Annie Says she likes Italian Sausage best, how close is this one to yours?

BEST Italian Sausage
To stuff the casings, you will need a meat grinder with a sausage
horn attachment. If you don't have such a device, use the mixture to
make fried patties by shaping 1/4 cup of filling into a 1/2 inch
thick patty and frying in hot oil until golden brown on both sides.

4 servings
1 hour 1 hour prep

2 lbs lean pork butt, coarse ground
1/4 lb pork fat, coarse ground
1 tablespoon fennel seeds, Coarsely Ground
2 bay leaves, crushed
1 1/2 tablespoons dried parsley
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
4 tablespoons dry white wine

To prepare casings: Let casings soak in cool water about five minutes
to remove salt on outer surface (no longer, or they will become too
tender to stuff) and flush salt from the inside by placing one end on
faucet nozzle and turn on cold tap water (if you see holes or water
leaking, cut and discard).
Remove casing from faucet and gently squeeze out water; cover rinsed
casings and refrigerate until ready to use.
Mix all the ingredients and let stand for 1 hour.
Mix again and then stuff into casings.
Column: 'Sausages like Mama used to make' Frugal Gourmet News column.
This recipe attributed to Jeff Smith, The Frugal Gourmet.
Jim in So. Calif.

Jim, it's kind of close, but not too close, LOL. Mine has the pork, but I leave out the pork fat. Yeah, I know, the sausage then has to be cooked carefully so it isn't dry, but I'm trying to keep my cholesterol level down.

We add some grated Asiago cheese, maybe half a cup for 2 pounds of pork and about a cup of Moscato wine, it's gotta be sweet wine. No parsley or bay leaf but we do add fennel. I like lots of it, but your 2 tbls would probably be plenty for most people. I add about a tablespoon of tarragon, more if I'm using fresh stuff from the garden. A couple of cloves of garlic get ground up and mixed in with the ground meat, and then we salt and pepper to taste. No hot peppers at all, I don't like 'em in sweet italian sausage.

The only way to really adjust seasonings is to cook a bit of the sausage and adjust until you like it. The original "recipe" had a couple of tablespoons of sugar in it, it came from an Italian grocery store that Elery worked in when he was a teenager. Mr. Castelicci (who knows about that spelling, LOL) made sweet Italian sausage twice a week and it sold out usually the same day it was made. It was Elery's job to mix the sausage, along with stocking shelves, delivering groceries and helping to make the pasta they sold.

Annie

Annie thanks. Yes, I cheat on the pork fat also - I just don't like it. I guess that is why I can't eat commercial sausage with up to 50% fat content.
The Asaigo and wine will help. Thanks So Much. I will try your modifications.
Jim in So. CAlif.

Annie,
Finally tried your 12-8-09 recipe to a T. It was delicious. Thanks so much.
See, some of actually remember some of these things and can find them.
I fried hominy in the pan drippings. Yummy!
Jim in So Calif