Cook: Homemade Breakfast Sausage

Homemade breakfast sausage made from local, pastured ground pork! It's even better than it sounds! To make this the way I did, you'll need to go to Auburnlea Farms or their website and order a pound or two of their ground pork and their Breakfast Sage Sausage Seasoning. Go do it...it's worth it. They're located in Gladys, Virgina which is less than 30 minutes from Lynchburg. I wrote more about them here. 

Ingredients: 

• 2lbs ground pork
• 3 Tbs breakfast sausage seasoning
• 3 Tbs water

Directions: 

First thaw the pork if you haven't done so already. I always prefer to let it thaw in the fridge overnight instead of ever using the microwave. 

And your yummy seasoning! It's not spicey which is great because I'm a wuss when it comes to spice. It's just the right combination that creates a delicious end product. You could also add some bread crumbs if you wanted to make it a little fluffier. 

Put the pork, seasoning and water into a large bowl and get in there and mix it with your hands. I know it's cold and gross but it's the best way! If you prefer spicy sausage, add in your spice of choice now. 

Form small sausage links or patties with your hands. I made links this time because I was making them for my delicious breakfast pockets. Which, by the way, are amazing.

Drop them into your skillet on medium heat.

Once they've browned, flip them over and let the other side brown. 

Helpful Hint: Instead of dirtying an old coffee mug with the extra grease, grab a piece of aluminum foil, fold it in half and gently press it into the form of the mug. Then all you have to do is wrap it up and toss it in the trash! Brilliant! Just don't press too hard or you'll puncture the foil. 

And just like that, they're done! I managed to get 50 sausage link out of 2lbs of ground pork. Again, if you wanted to add something like bread crumbs, you can make the recipe go further for less. I used about 20 links for the breakfast pockets, my husband and I ate maybe 5 each with our breakfast-for-dinner and the rest went into the freezer before we could devour the rest!

I'm not big on pork but man, these sausages were amazing! I think next time I'll try it with ground turkey which I'm sure will be just as delicious. We wanted to get turkey but they were out for the time being.

What's your favorite kind of sausage? Turkey, beef, pork, chicken? Would you rather buy it from the store or make it yourself?

Till next time,

Catherine

Cook: Breakfast Pockets

Are you tired of a bowl of cold cereal in the morning or wish you could just grab something nutritious and delicious on your way out the door? 

This awesome recipe will guarantee you and your family can eat a quick, wholesome breakfast even when you're running late!

A friend of mine told me about this easy pizza dough recipe and said she likes to use it to make these yummy breakfast pockets. I knew I wanted to try it right away. I wrote down the recipe and held onto it until the next time I went to the grocery store. I have made them a few times since and they're great! They also go wonderfully with homemade ketchup, if you're one that likes ketchup with your eggs! 

This recipe makes about a dozen fist-sized breakfast pockets. I like to wrap them up and freeze them and just pull them out as I need them. I think the next time I will freeze them on a tray, then put them in the same gallon bag(s) so that I don't have to waste aluminum foil. But if you do use aluminum foil, it makes it easier to pop it back into the toaster oven. 

Pizza Dough Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups of warm water
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 1 Tbs or 1 packet of active dry yeast
• 6 cups of whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp salt

Filling ingredients: 

• About 2 dozen eggs (a few more or less won't hurt)
• 20 small (preferably turkey) sausage links (see picture for reference)
• Cheddar cheese
• Salt
• Pepper

The best part about the filling is that you can make it however YOU want to make it! My husband and I like scrambled eggs with cheese and sausage. You can add ham, onions, peppers, whatever you think would taste best! 

Pizza Dough Directions:

1. Mix your warm water, yeast, and sugar together and let it proof for about 10 minutes.

2. Next, add in your first cup of flour, then your oil and salt, mix together.

3. Continue to slowly add flour and mix in until you've got a dough you can knead.

4. Knead the dough and add in flour as necessary until it's not sticky anymore.

5. Let the dough "rest" for about 10-15 minutes on the counter.

While it's resting, work on your filling.

Let the dough rest for about 10-15 minutes.

Filling directions:

Don't even bother with a skillet! Get your stockpot out for this one. Scramble all your eggs as you normally would, tossing in salt and pepper and later, the cheese. 

While the eggs are cooking (it may take some time), cut the sausage into small pieces. You can heat them in the microwave or just toss them in when the eggs are almost done. Don't worry if they're not heated through, they'll be in the oven to bake, plus heated again when you decide to eat a pocket.

I know, I know...I said I wasn't going to buy stuff like this anymore. I caved...sorry guys. Next time I will try and find some kind of locally raised sausage, whether it's chicken, pork, or turkey. 

UPDATE: I made breakfast sausage from Auburnlea Farm's pastured ground pork for the next time I made these. That is the best breakfast sausage ever!! I'm never buying the crap from the box again! 

Mmm...scrambled eggs with cheese are the best!

Now time to mix in the sausage. 

Drooling now! (Go ahead and preheat your oven to 450!)

Now it's time to roll out your dough! Pull off small pieces that are maybe a handful.

Roll them out as thin as you can.

It doesn't need to be a perfect circle or anything. 

Place about a spoon full of filling onto the dough. You won't need as much as you think!

Now pull the sides together and pinch the dough.

Trim off the extra dough so when you bite into it, you don't get a mouthful of just bread!

You can also try to pinch it like this and trim the edges. I know, I didn't make them very "cute" but hey, they're delicious!

Place them onto a cookie sheet without touching and put them into the oven for 15-20 minutes. 

De-lish! They'll last a couple weeks in the fridge but I recommend putting them into the freezer unless you expect them to be eaten pretty quickly. I put mine in the freezer and put one into the fridge at night so it's thawed by morning and ready to pop into the microwave for a quick but filling breakfast!

Oh and I had some leftover dough and decided to make little crescent rolls. Cute, right? 

These went into the freezer too and were a nice little surprise one night when we wanted some garlic bread with our spaghetti! I'm considering making an entire batch of pizza dough just to make these yummy whole wheat crescent rolls. 

What's your usual go-to breakfast when you're in a hurry? 

Till next time,
Catherine

I've linked up to Make Your Own Mondays 9/2/13 with Nourishing Treasures!

I've linked up to Mostly Homemade Mondays Week 44 with Homegrown & Healthy!