Homemade Sausage

Have you ever made homemade sausage? I've been worried about all the nitrites and nitrates that we have been ingesting lately. We really eat too much processed foods. I like sausages, lunch meats, hotdogs, etc. We eliminated beef from our diet several years ago with hubby's cousin died of CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease). We just decided we didn't want to take any chances, no matter how slim, and we knew that too much beef wasn't good for us anyway. We eat a lot of chicken. A lot. So I found my self buying more and more turkey smoked sausages, pork sausages, ham, etc. to alleviate some of the chicken boredom. But I think we eat way too much of the N/N filled foods.

We have found that Hormel makes a good bacon that is N/N free. I stock up when it is on sale. They also make good N/N turkey and ham lunch meats. I buy it when it is on sale and sometimes I even have a coupon for it. My daughter loves turkey and eats it often as a snack. Just turkey, no bread or anything. I haven't found any bologna or hotdogs in my area that are N/N free. I am sure Earth Fare may have something, but they are very pricy. But I need to check it out anyway. But in the meantime, I thought I might try making my own sausage with ground turkey or chicken. The next time my local grocery has ground chicken or turkey on sale I am going to use this recipe. If you have made your own sausage, will you share your recipe?

TURKEY BREAKFAST SAUSAGE

1 pound ground turkey

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons olive oil

In a large bowl, combine the turkey, salt, sage, thyme, nutmeg and cayenne. Shape into eight patties. In a large skillet, cook patties in oil over medium heat for 5 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. Drain on paper towels.