apricot thyme turkey breakfast sausage

this time of year i usually find myself daydreaming and scheming about ways to make january/winter/lack of christmas a little more exciting. I'm excited about the prospect of a new year and all the opportunities it brings - truly - but i’m also supersuperanxious waiting for it all to unfold. i’m essentially just keeping my brain busy/distracted to avoid looming activities (taxes, shoveling, going to the dentist, etc.)
some good tactics so far :
- brunch with mimosas. lots of mimosas.
- reading A LOT! i’ve been doing the less-netflix-more-books thing and it’s so magical.
- booking spontaneous vacations! after said mimosa brunch, me and a few girlfriends rode that mimosa high and booked a 48-hour trip to portland for this spring (taking any and all recs for restaurants, hikes, aesthetically pleasing coffee shops, you know.)
- very exciting house tasks. i reorganized my towel closet and felt like a new woman.
- stand in the sun. even if it’s frigid, even if the wind is freezing your eyelashes together, go stand outside. walk around, look at frosty trees, and appreciate the fact that you have legs and a body and a heart and that in the depth of winter there is still sun.
- make all the food and dream up new recipes! this breakfast sausage was born out of a desire for something bright and fun and easy to whip up for a weekend breakfast or to pack along for work. 10/10 recommend.

apricot thyme turkey breakfast sausage
makes 6 sausage patties
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 15 minutes

1lb ground turkey
1/3c dried apricots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1tbsp scallions, chopped
2tsp fresh thyme leaves
zest from 1 orange
juice from 1/2 an orange
1tsp salt
1/2tsp black pepper
1tbsp olive oil

mix all ingredients except for the oil until well combined (your hands are your best tool here.) form into 6 round patties, and press lightly to flatten. arrange patties on a parchment-lined plate so they don’t stick.

heat the oil over medium high heat. working in 2 batches, sear the patties for 3-5 minutes per side until the internal temperature reaches 165.

i like to top these with a little extra orange zest and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. yay!