June 2024 – Welcome to my backyard city homestead

June 27, 2024June 28, 2024

The day a prophet died

180 years ago today, June 27 1844, right around the time I am writing this – 5:00 PM, Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were murdered by a mob of armed and painted men while confined at Carthage Jail in Hancock County, Illinois. Climaxing over 24 years of persecution, their deaths sealed their testimonies, making them religious martyrs in ‘the land of the free’, ironically the one country in this world founded upon the tenet of religious freedom.

Inspired artists of all genres have lent their talent to portraying the life and mission as well as the death of these great men. Painters, sculptors, poets, educators, writers of books, songs and scripts, film and stage actors, musicians and singers, have brought their testimonies to life and tears to the eyes of those they speak to. This beautiful (new to me) image painted by artist Andrew Knaupp depicts the minutes leading up to the deaths of Joseph and Hyrum.

Pay particular attention to the two brothers in the middle, look closely. Note the brotherly love on their faces as they looked at each other for the last time in this life. Put yourself there. Did they know it? In seconds from that look, the world would change.

“Facing your own death,” said Knaupp “is one thing. Facing the death of your brother at the hand of a mob is another. …. I was trying to capture, as close as I could, what it might have actually looked like, …… so that it might transport the viewer to that moment. …. “. It transported me.

“I can’t think of someone better, that the Prophet would want to have been with in those final moments, than his brother Hyrum.” – Andrew Knaupp

This second image – painted by artist Liz Lemon Swindle, is aptly called OH MY POOR DEAR BROTHER HYRUM. Hyrum was shot first and died almost immediately. “In life they were not divided, and in death, they were not separated” said John Taylor who was witness to the martyrdom and the days prior to it – himself severely wounded. Of Joseph he said “He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people, and like most of the Lord’s anointed in ancient times has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood and so has his brother Hyrum.” (D&C 135:3)

Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah! Jesus anointed that Prophet and Seer.
Blessed to open the last dispensation, Kings shall extol him, and nations revere.

Praise to his memory, he died as a martyr; Honoured and blest be his ever great name!
Long shall his blood, which was shed by assassins, Plead unto heaven while the earth lauds his fame.

Great is his glory and endless his priesthood. Ever and ever the keys he will hold.
Faithful and true, he will enter his kingdom, Crowned in the midst of the prophets of old.

Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven; Earth must atone for the blood of that man.
Wake up the world for the conflict of justice. Millions shall know “Brother Joseph” again.

Hail to the Prophet, ascended to heaven!
Traitors and tyrants now fight him in vain.
Mingling with Gods, he can plan for his brethren;
Death cannot conquer the hero again.
– William W. Phelps,

Brothers written and sung by Kenneth Cope

I love the Prophet Joseph, I have from the first day I learned about him. I felt a sureness of who and what he was from that early time that has never wavered. I am indebted to him for a lifetime of service and sacrifice that ultimately changed the world. He was a critical player in events leading up to the day in which I live, and is a core figure in the way I personally choose to worship Jesus Christ. I revere him and honour him as a prophet of God. And I love Hyrum Smith too, for the goodness of his heart and his unfailing support of his prophet brother from day one. He is an example to me of long suffering and unfailing, guileless charity and love.
I know that Jesus Christ lives and is intimately involved in the day to day happenings of this world. He loves us, and I love Him.

As a Lamb to the Slaughter written and sung by Jason Deere

June 27 is a somber day of reflection for me.

I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Warmly,

Cindy Suelzle

June 15, 2024

Mexican Street Corn off the Cob

The interesting name is pretty straight forward and self explanatory. Mexican street vendors serve this creamy, messy deliciousness on the cob. Creamy, tangy, and a bit spicy, it’s become a favourite in our house, but corn on the cob is a very short season where we live.
Our preferred way to serve corn on the cob is grilled on the barbeque in the husk, and we cook a lot – hoping for leftovers. From those leftovers, I cut the corn off and freeze it in beautiful grilled strips. This is the BEST way to make street corn, but alas, eventually, I’ll run out of that frozen corn. The next best way is to toast your corn in a hot skillet to get that toasty taste and ‘grill’ marks. In that case I always use freeze dried corn because I always have it on hand and never run out.

1/4 cup butter or olive oil or a mixture of both
4-6 garlic cloves minced
1/2 an onion chopped OR cup 1/2 cup freeze dried chopped onion
6 cups fresh grilled corn OR freeze dried corn
3/4 – 1 cup fresh chopped OR freeze dried chili peppers
1 T flour + 1 T cumin + 1 T chili powder + 1 teaspoon salt + 1 t pepper + 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika + – ALL mixed together.
1+ cup of water (if you are using freeze dried corn, keep a few more cups on hand to use as needed)
1/4 cup lime juice or zest and juice of 3 limes
1 cup cotija cheese (found in Mexican / Hispanic grocery stores) OR freeze dried shredded pepper jack cheese
1/2 – 1 cup fresh cilantro lightly chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
– sour cream if you have it on hand, to make it a little creamier –
*optional: 1/4 cup fresh chopped mint
*optional: crumbled feta cheese
*optional: toasted pumpkin seeds

Toast onion, garlic and corn in butter in medium hot skillet stirring constantly to prevent burning. It’s ready when it is lightly toasted and aromatic.
Add chili peppers and stir in.
Add 1 cup water to corn mixture in skillet to refresh. Add more water as needed – 1 cup at a time till you decide if you need more.
Add the seasoning mixture in all together and stir to incorporate thoroughly. Remember the dark colours of chili powder and paprika will colour your street corn, so don’t add any more than recommended.
Remove from heat and taste test for seasoning. Add mayonnaise and stir in.
Add lime juice and stir to combine.
When all ready, sprinkle cilantro, mint, feta and pumpkin seeds on top generously.

Serve. Enjoy.

Warmly,

Cindy Suelzle

June 15, 2024

Life Defining Moments Happen When We Least Expect Them

One of the life defining moments that influenced the direction I ultimately chose to follow in life was, as an adolescent, observing my Uncle Merlin kneeling in prayer beside his bed. I was walking from the bathroom to my cousin Jeri’s bedroom during a sleepover. I had never seen a man kneel. I instinctively knew he was praying even though I had never seen such a thing.

I didn’t know that dads knew how to kneel, let alone pray. Actually, it was so unusual that it struck me as pretty funny. Hilarious in fact. With a wide grin, I whispered to my cousin “I saw your father praying.”

Thank-you Uncle Merlin for a private lesson – taught thru your kind and gentle example of Christlike living. You changed my life, and because you changed my life, many years later, you altered the lives of my family, and of my future family.

The truth is, if I was to be completely honest – I wasn’t that good of an influence on my cousins. I sometimes got them into trouble because they were too nice to shut me down, and I often pushed things a little too far even for their comfort (though I did make them laugh). I think that sometimes my Aunt Jolayne must have dreaded me coming over, although years later she adamantly denied it. She certainly never ever made me feel like she did; she let Jeri keep inviting me, and she always made me feel welcome.

Thank-you Aunt Jolayne for YOUR private lessons – taught thru your kind and gentle example of Christlike living. You changed my life too. I owe a lot to you and Uncle Merlin. And I will love you forever for what you both did for me. And through me, for my family, and later for my children’s family.

I sometimes wonder where my life would have led me had I not had this moment, and a myriad of other seemingly insignificant little moments like it that added up. I wonder where I would be now, and by extension where my family would be had my uncle not been transferred to the same military base we lived on when I was a young girl. . . . I told my aunt many years later that I believed they moved up there for ME. That quite literally, Heavenly Father loved me enough and trusted them enough to not let him down – to orchestrate that event with all it entailed because of the sheer weight of influence that would come of it. I told her that I was told by my mom she was unhappy about moving up there to what she then considered the edge of civilization, but that I was convinced it was for ME. Not at the time of course, but with adult eyes as I reflected upon all that came of it. I thanked her for being patient with the direction God led them, and for letting Him prevail.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/MhMsXpG3MqLJm786

We must never, ever, ever underestimate the power of good example and charity. Trust in God. Let Him Prevail. See every moment as a gift with which to do something ordinarily good. Take every opportunity to be kind – even to those you don’t know are observing. And because we’re human, and we can’t possibly always be good – be quick to apologize, and turn it around. Share the gospel by showing and doing. THAT is true religion.

Warmly,

Cindy Suelzle

June 15, 2024June 15, 2024

is it Pizza? or is it Quiche?

Sometimes its simply a matter of looking OUTSIDE the proverbial box. This quick quiche loaded with protein and vegetables is eaten like a pizza. I call it QUICHE PIZZA, and it is a delicious, nutritious dinner that you hope to have leftovers of so you can eat it for lunch again tomorrow! It’s just as good cold.

This recipe serves four people with two eggs each. I use a family sized pie plate and two tortillas. If you want to make less in a smaller pie plate, just adjust accordingly. Shoot for two eggs per person, and the rest is up to you.

The vegetables:
Use what you have on hand. I like to use chopped onions, red peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, and of course spinach. I add spinach to almost everything it seems. These are vegetables I always have on hand because I mostly use freeze dried vegetables – but if you have fresh out of your garden, AWESOME! Use those.

ingredients:
8 eggs
1 cup cottage cheese, beaten into the egg mixture
2 large tortillas
seasoning salt of your choice
assorted vegetables, suggested: diced red peppers, chopped onion, sliced mushrooms, broccoli flowerets, spinach
shredded cheddar or blend of cheddar and pepper jack

directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat eggs till frothy
Add cottage cheese and beat it into eggs till well blended
Arrange tortillas in a large pie plate. Cut the 2nd one into half or even quarters to arrange in pie plate making sure all of the plate is covered.
Pour egg mixture in.
Assuming you’re using the same vegetables I use, begin by arranging about 1/2 – 3/4 cup mushroom slices in the bottom of the egg mixture.
Sprinkle about 1/4 cup chopped onions on top of them.
Sprinkle about 3/4 cup red pepper slices over top of the onions.
Arrange small broccoli flowerets in some empty places between the red peppers.
Sprinkle a layer of spinach on top of everything else. I put quite a bit on (about a cup of freeze dried spinach)
If using freeze dried vegetables, use a fork to gently submerge all vegetables into the egg mixture so that they’re moistened by it.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add a layer of shredded cheese. Be generous. 1-2 cups.

Place into heated oven in the middle rack, and set the timer for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes test the middle to see that it is no longer liquid – ‘jiggly’.
If it needs a few more minutes, lower the heat to 325 and lay a sheet of aluminum over top to prevent the tortilla crust from over cooking.

Watch it carefully at this point so that you don’t over cook it. When the center is firm, remove from oven and let the ‘pizza’ rest on a rack for 10-15 minutes.

Remove from pan and cut into wedges as for a pizza. Serve. Enjoy.
You can eat it with your hands, and it’s pizza so DO.

Here’s my Secret: When I make this quiche pizza (or anything similar to it), unless I have fresh garden vegetables, I use freeze dried vegetables. But not just any freeze dried vegetables. After trying many different brands over the years, I now use Thrive Life freeze dried vegetables. There’s a good reason for that, and its a very important one to me (actually a few good reasons, but I’ll tell you five of them).

1. Thrive Life guarantees that their produce is picked ripe (at the peak of what nature intended that fruit or vegetable to be), AND guarantees that in less than six hours from harvest (usually two to four hours), that produce is washed peeled, chopped and flash frozen! Locking in the colour, texture, taste and ALL the natural goodness. In that frozen state (-40 degrees Celsius), it is transferred to a facility where it has all the remaining moisture removed without it thawing. That’s the second step in the two-step process of freeze drying.

2. Thrive Life fruits and vegetables are as organic as you can get without them being ‘certified’ organic. They monitor the process of planting, growing, harvesting, freeze drying and packaging from beginning to end. It’s part of what they call their NUTRILOCK Guarantee and its something they take very seriously.

3. Because of this attention to detail, Thrive Life foods are the BEST in the world and that is no empty claim. They have always been the best, but as of the beginning of 2024, they are also the biggest freeze dried company in the world. They literally are “Fresher-than-Fresh”, or what we frequently refer to as ‘fresh’ – the produce in our grocery stores, which are picked green if possible and are subjected to long travel times to get to us – anything but ‘fresh’.

4. Thrive Life freeze dried food has a 25 year shelf life, making it the most dependable, shelf stable, nutritious food on the market – the perfect choice for anyone interested in emergency preparedness, and long term food storage. So that means I always have fruits and vegetables in the pantry, ready any time I might decide I’d like to have spinach in my homemade quiche, or cheese on a homemade quiche, or mangoes in our yogurt, or blueberries on top of cereal or . . . . . well, the list is endless. And its always there because once you open that can, you can count on it being perfectly good for about a year afterward.

5. The other important reason I use Thrive Life freeze dried food is the convenience. Those vegetables are already washed and chopped. I just sprinkle the onions from the can, distribute the sliced mushrooms or red peppers from the can, add a layer of spinach from the can. It’s quick and easy. And guess what else? They even have freeze dried eggs! I literally had this recipe ready to go into the oven in less that ten minutes. With zero mess!

There now you have it. My secret. How I do things. And make no mistake – I’m all about down home goodness, and doing things from scratch. These are not ‘processed foods’. These are CLEAN, WHOLE FOODS and nothing but. Making dinner from scratch still counts even when you’re using freeze dried food. Don’t let anyone tell you different.

I hope you’ll try this easy recipe for a great dinner, lunch or brunch. Whether you use garden fresh, freeze dried or a mixture of both as I do much of the time.

Let me know what you think.

Warmly,

Cindy Suelzle

June 7, 2024June 7, 2024

Fajita Burrito Bowl

Loaded with bright, fresher-than-fresh ingredients, a burrito bowl is a fresh, healthy, customizable meal that the whole family can enjoy. It contains a few basics pantry staples like rice, beans, chicken (or beef), salsa, and shredded cheese . . . and then you add the extras: peppers of your choice, tomatoes, corn (not to be missed in my opinion) and dressing (either lime or salsa). Burrito Bowls are essentially a wrap without the tortilla, but you do you. Wrap the fixings in a tortilla, or serve them on top of cooked white rice or your choice, brown rice or quinoa. Use chicken, pork or beef, or skip the meat all together if that’s you – your choice again. Switch it up next time – to give you a completely new dish.

True confession: I have a hard time writing down a recipe because it varies so much almost every single time I make it. So much depends on what I happen to have on hand at any given time. I love having freeze dried food because I can count on it to ALWAYS be there.
I do often jot down the ingredients for a recipe so that I don’t have to rely on memory every time, but the amounts I rarely write down. This recipe is my best attempt to include the necessities while encouraging you to use what you have on hand. I will highlight the freeze dried ingredients in RED for your convenience.

I used instant black beans, freeze dried ground beef, cheddar, onions, corn and peppers in this picture. I didn’t have any fresh tomatoes on hand, so I used tomato powder instead. In the summer I for sure would have used a fresh tomato.

It is helpful to me to prepare everything ahead of time – I use mostly freeze dried, so they’re already prepped. Usually it simply a matter of assembling them to make it easier. I used black beans in this picture, but don’t go out and buy black beans if you don’t have them today. Use what you have: red, kidney, pinto, pink . . . .

The amounts in this recipe will serve 4 adults.
ingredients:
2 T oil of choice
garlic minced
beans
meat of choice (or no meat)
vegetables: peppers, onions, corn, tomato
seasonings Taco seasoning ¹
water
served over rice ²
dressing ³

Prepare ahead and assemble ready to go:
1 cup raw black beans – bring to a boil in 4 cups water the night before. Boil for 5 minutes, then cover and set aside over night. Drain in the morning, top off again with 4 cups of clear water then bring them back to a boil with 1 teaspoon of salt. Reduce heat and simmer approximately 3 hours till beans are tender. Old beans will take a little longer to cook.
OR use canned black beans.
OR refresh 1 cup INSTANT BLACK BEANS*. If you use hot water, you can expect them to refresh in about 20 minutes. If you use cold water it will take 30+ minutes.

Shred or chop cooked chicken to yield approximately 1 +1/2 cups.
OR use the same amount of cooked ground beef
OR refresh 1 cup FREEZE DRIED DICED CHICKEN
OR refresh 1 cups FREEZE DRIED GROUND BEEF*

Cook your favourite rice. Set aside.
OR cook rice, then use it to make Cilantro Lime Rice (see recipe below)
OR cook quinoa

slice 1/2 fresh green pepper, 1/2 red pepper, 1/2 onion (red or white)
OR use 1/2 cup FREEZE DRIED Red and 1/2 cup FREEZE DRIED Green Peppers, 1/3 cup FREEZE DRIED SLICED ONIONS (don’t refresh any vegetables first)

dice 1 large fresh tomatoes
OR use 1 cup FREEZE DRIED Chopped Tomatoes
OR use 2 Tablespoons Tomato Powder (dehydrated tomatoes powdered) added with the seasoning.

chop up a handful of fresh chili peppers or jalapenos
OR use 1/3 cup FREEZE DRIED CHILI PEPPERS

measure out 1 cup grilled whole kernel corn (fresh from the cob) set aside (use more if you love grilled corn)
OR use 1 cup frozen corn
OR use 1 cup FREEZE DRIED SWEET CORN (use more if you love corn)
optional but nice: toast your dry corn in medium hot skillet with a tablespoon or two of olive oil till it has a beautiful grilled look and smell

Shred
1+1/2 cup cheddar cheese or pepper jack cheese
OR refresh 1 cup FREEZE DRIED SHREDDED CHEDDAR or PEPPER JACK CHEESE

Seasoning:
1 Tablespoon Taco Seasoning
OR your own Taco Seasoning (see below)

Directions:
1. Heat oil in medium hot skillet, and lightly toast minced garlic and corn for one or two minutes or till it gives off a nice aroma, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
2. Add freeze dried onions, peppers and tomato. Continue to toast for another minute.
If you are using fresh vegetables, then take the time to saute over high heat while stirring constantly.
3. Add 2 cups water and continue to stir.
4. Add prepared meat and prepared beans. Continue to stir.
5. Add seasoning with tomato powder if you’ll be using it.
6. Turn heat off, add most water if needed. Add chopped tomato and stir in.
7. Add shredded cheese and stir to thoroughly combine.

Serve approx. 1 cup fajita mixture over top 1 cup rice, and top with dressing of your choice.

optional but nice: 2 cups freshly guacamole
optional but nice: 3 cups chopped fresh lettuce – make it a salad
optional but nice: a bunch of fresh cilantro lightly chopped and added on top at serving
optional but nice: sour cream to serve on the side
optional but nice: lime wedges for serving to squeeze additional lime flavour

Pico de Gallo OR Salsa OR Lime Dressing (recipe below)

This is such a quick and easy dinner to make, especially when using freeze dried ingredients. Who says dinner needs to take an hour to prepare? Please try it – I’d love to hear your comments.

Enjoy!
warmly,
Cindy Suelzle

Footnotes:

Homemade Taco Seasoning
4 T Chili Powder
3 T Cumin Powder
1 T Smoked Paprika
2 teaspoons EACH salt, garlic powder, onion powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
– this combination will give you approx. 3/4 cup seasoning. I usually use it 1 T at a time. Don’t be afraid to try new combinations of your own. ↩︎
Cilantro Lime Rice
3 cups cooked rice of your choice
1 T olive oil, 1 clove garlic minced, 5 green onions chopped, juice of 2 limes, zest of 2 limes,
1 bunch fresh cilantro chopped
pinch of red pepper flakes if desired. Salt and pepper to taste if desired.
Toss everything together and serve. ↩︎
CILANTRO LIME DRESSING
1 cup fresh cilantro lightly chopped
1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
1 clove garlic minced
1 T apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup mayo
1/4 t salt
1 T Thrive freeze dried chopped onions OR 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
juice of 1 lime
Puree in blender. Chill till ready to serve.
can Store in fridge for a week ↩︎