eggs – Welcome to my backyard city homestead

06/04/202506/05/2025

sometimes life just ‘happens’, . . . but we still have to eat

We have my 88 year old mom living with us. She’s been here several years and we love having her. It’s not without adjustments of course, on both sides, but over all its been a good fit. For the most part she’s quite healthy and active for her age. Occasionally we’ve have some medical problems we needed help with. A few times in the last few years, she’s been in the hospital for issues that are not so minor when you’re 88. She has the beginnings of dementia, and though she can function in her normal day-to-day, when she’s sick of course, or when other things throw her equilibrium out, she becomes even more easily confused.

Gramma Great playing a game of Racko with great grandson Deacon

sourdough muffins with freeze dried blueberries

During one of her hospital visits, when she was there for a week or so, she was very confused and I didn’t want her to be alone. I sat with her every day and into the evening until she fell asleep, and was back every morning before she woke up. She’s hard of hearing and its difficult for her to understand what is going on, even though she’ll look right at the doctor when he’s talking, smile and nod as if she understood everything he tells her. It’s confusing for everyone else when she does that, because all her signals are that she heard you. You actually have to stop, and ask her “Did you understand what I said?” No one ever does that of course. She’ll easily give the wrong message simply because she didn’t understand the question. In an environment like a hospital, its easy to get confused—and that can be scary. This is very time consuming for me, so ‘things’ I would normally do get set aside for awhile.

There certainly wasn’t time for things like grocery shopping, but people still need to eat right? Dan was still packing a lunch to work, and I was still preparing meals for those who lived here and those who came by to visit Mom. Let’s face it—eating is something we all do. Every Single Day, whether it’s convenient or not. And if we’re not making our own meals, we’re buying them – because going without is not really an option.

Sour dough crepes made with freeze dried eggs. Served with freeze dried peaches and black berries

Several times I wondered about going to the grocery store, but honestly, I never really had a need to. I had everything I needed right here in my pantry, including freeze-dried fruits, veggies, dairy, and meat that were all healthy and nutritious – “fresher-than-fresh”. And meal prep gave me a distraction while still being present. Nevertheless, I found myself being quite amazed that I didn’t feel any compulsion to go to the grocery store, but there simply wasn’t anything we needed.

Why amazed? Because a few weeks before all this happened, Mom had gone to stay with my sister for a bit while Dan and I went on a pre-planned vacation. The week before we left, I cleared out the fridge—used up or gave away every last perishable item in there. When we got home, I considered grocery shopping . . . but I didn’t need anything, so – I didn’t. And now it had been several weeks of not going to the store. No fresh milk, no fresh eggs, no sour cream or ‘fresh’ produce in the fridge. No bread.

Mujadara with freeze dried onions, served with freeze dried green beans. and homemade tzatziki with freeze dried cucumbers.

Shortly after picking Mom up from my sisters is when she went into the hospital, and we started that unexpected routine. By the time I decided to go to the grocery store and pick up some fresh asparagus and a few other traditional things for Easter dinner, it had been 10 WEEKS since I had been shopping. I picked up some of the niceties – perishable vegetables, fruit, and a few dairy items. That was all I felt I needed.

So—what’s my point?

Sometimes life just happens. It doesn’t have to be some big emergency or crisis. Sometimes it can be as simple as you’re just busy, or your priorities temporarily shift, and the “everyday” stuff—like grocery shopping—just doesn’t fit in.

Fajitas with freeze dried peppers, served with rice n beans with ground beef and cheddar.

But what if you didn’t have to worry about that detail?

What if your pantry was stocked with whole, simple, healthy, shelf-stable food you could count on when life gets hectic? No stress. No scramble. Just open the cupboard and make a meal. What if much of those food items were freeze dried? so you had confidence in the high quality and level of nutrition? What if that included FRUIT, MILK, EGGS, VEGETABLES and yes, even MEAT?
What if it included things like SOUR CREAM and BUTTER? What if it included things like CHEESE and Complete MEALS? What if you didn’t have to wash, peel or chop any of that because it was already done? What if you didn’t have to brown the meat because it was already cooked.

Italian wedding soup made with freeze dried sausage crumbles, onions and spinach.

Whether you’re thrown a curveball and you spend several days in the hospital; or you find yourself caring for a loved one for long hours in each day; or perhaps you’re the one who’s sick and you are not well enough to tend to the normal errands like grocery shopping, or (heaven forbid), you find yourself stuck in the house isolating because of something unforeseen like say, . . . a pandemic; or the truckers go on strike and too many shelves at the grocery store are empty, or perhaps you find yourself without power for a few days; or you experience unemployment; or some unexpected expenses cut into your budget and you simply have nothing left at the end of the month; or any number of different scenarios – what if you didn’t have to worry about the detail of food?

Samosa pancakes made with freeze dried onions, peas, green beans, peppers, and potatoes; served with fresh applesauce.

Let’s face it—eating is something we all do. Every Single Day, whether it’s convenient or not. And if we’re not making our own meals, we’re buying them – because going without is not really an option.

What made the difference in my situation? Having a well stocked pantry was certainly one of the things that took the stress over meals out of the equation. But that on its own, is not enough. I adhere to the rule of “STORE WHAT YOU EAT, and EAT WHAT YOU STORE”. Simply put, this means I am familiar with what’s in my pantry, and I am comfortable preparing it. I know how to use it.

freeze dried shredded beef served with homemade stuffing, freeze dried mashed potatoes, freeze dried corn, fresh carrots and freeze dried green beans

Decades ago, when Dan and I were just starting our life together, and our kids were little, money was tight, with the only flexibility in our budget being ‘groceries’. If something had to give, it was always gonna be in the grocery department, as that was the only place there was flexibility. Perhaps you can relate. I considered possible scenarios and I worried how they might affect my children. I wanted to shield them from the hard things in life. I wanted them to be comfortable, and to have confidence that our family was doing okay. No matter what.

I didn’t want the worry of debt to hover over our heads. Life is full of worries as it is, I didn’t want preventable ones to crowd in. The solution to all of these things was ‘preparedness’. Dan and I saw eye to eye on this. Being prepared meant many things, but one of the simplest things was to STORE WHAT WE EAT, and to EAT WHAT WE STORE. I cannot begin to tell you of the peace of mind that comes from planning ahead and managing those PREVENTABLE worries.

That philosophy has made our life much more comfortable in every single way. Life is hard enough. It doesn’t make any sense to make it harder because of lack of planning.

yogurt bowl with freeze dried berries and freeze dried spinach. Don’t knock it till you try it. DElicoius and super nutritious.
Complete protein, fresher-than-fresh produce.

grilled cheese french toast, made with sourdough bread, freeze dried eggs and freeze dried shredded cheddar

In the situation that prompted me to reflect and write this post – before having my elderly mom live with us, I hadn’t had the experience of being at someone’s bedside day after day after day. There had been prior reasons that prevented regular grocery shopping, but this was a new one. I cannot express the comfort of not having to worry about it. The weightless peace of mind that attended us as we navigated those weeks. And yet, the comfort of outward things continuing on as ‘normal’.

Tabouli with freeze dried tomatoes, onions, peppers and cucumbers

Several years ago (2009 to be exact) I discovered a new line of freeze dried foods that became a game changer in the way I lived my life of preparedness. Yes, we had tried freeze dried food before, but we didn’t much like them. This was different. Yes, we had tried some of the longer shelf life food before, but they were horrible. Yes, food storage was important to us, but variety was an issue, and vegetable were pretty much non existent.

I was introduced to THRIVE LIFE freeze dried foods, and they became the game changer. Soon after, I decided I wanted to be the one to introduce others to the solutions I found here. I did that. And I’ve been doing it ever since.

Because life just happens, . . . . . but we still need to eat. Even if its inconvenient.
You could say “Peace of mind” is my big WHY.

If you’d like to learn more about it – go ahead and check out my link.

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Warmly,

Cindy Suelzle

because in real life, ‘things’ happen . . .

12/04/202412/13/2024

Maple Pulled Pork Waffles

Whether you’re feeding the family, hosting a backyard dinner party or whipping up something quick for a weekday meal, pulled pork is always a guaranteed pleaser. You can serve it with your favourite BBQ sauce and sides, in sandwiches and tacos, or over nachos, but have you ever served it over top a perfectly crispy waffle? Don’t knock it till you try it. My first introduction to chicken on waffles was a complete surprise. This just takes that favourite dish to a whole new level. How bout adding the flavour of maple syrup? Better yet, add a splash of sriracha sauce at the end for some extra zing.

What if I told you it could BE ON THE TABLE in less than half an hour? I know right! True story. Read on.

*full disclosure: this is not my recipe. I just wanted it written down somewhere so that I could share it. It originated with Chef Todd Leonard ¹ (see below).

I am not a vegetarian but I do not eat much meat and could easily imagine a life without it. However, I live with people who DO like to eat meat, and I’m okay with that, though I do NOT like to handle raw meat. Having freeze dried meat checks off a few boxes for me.

Box 1: Food storage is important to me – not just for those BIG emergencies where the sky comes falling down, but for the more frequent emergencies like job interruption, like unexpected expenses, like illness that keeps one from shopping or meal preparation, like – I dunno, maybe something WAAAY out there, like a pandemic that keeps us out of the stores . . . . so many other of the day to day realities of normal life.
There is something to be said for the peace of mind that comes with preparing for those times. Properly sealed freeze dried food has a shelf life of 25 years. Once opened, it generally will last up to a year if protected from the moisture in the air.

Box 2: Saving money is important to me, by NOT cooking more meat than we need at any given time (meaning we either ate too much, or we ate leftovers for too long, or we wasted food by throwing it away, or worse – all three). Now I just prepare exactly what I want.

Box 3: Convenience of putting a NICE meal on the table in less than half an hour. Thrive Life freeze dried meats are all precooked and in some cases, lightly seasoned. You can even eat them straight out of the can!

Box 4: Never having to touch, smell or deal with raw meat. BIG box for me.

I’ll admit – waffles and meat never used to fit together in my mind UNTIL I tried it a few times. Now this is one of our favourites. So put away your slow cooker and get over yourself. You don’t need to thaw, precook or shred the meat. It’s already done.

*Someone recently told me they spooned the pork mixture onto the waffle maker, and poured the waffle mix over top! Wowzers! Definitely trying THAT next time I make this recipe.

MAPLE PULLED PORK WAFFLES

I am using mostly freeze dried ingredients here (FD), but not to worry – you can substitute with equal amounts of garden fresh in every case. And if you have a pork roast in your freezer, but not the freeze dried pulled pork – not to worry. Just slow cook it like you would for any other ‘pulled pork’ recipe (without all the seasoning). What you’re going to end up with is cooked pulled pork – just the long way around. Freeze dried pulled pork is delicious and accessible – the short cut way.
Amounts intended to serve 4 or 5 people

Ingredients
normal stuff in your kitchen:
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
water
1/4 cup butter

Freeze Dried foods: (FD)
2 cups FD Pulled Pork ²
1 Tablespoon FD garlic OR 2 cloves minced
3/4 cup FD Onion Slices OR 1/2 cup FD Chopped Onions
1 cup FD Red Peppers
1/2 cup FD Green Chili Peppers
1/3 cup FD Green Onions
1 teaspoon Chef’s Choice Seasoning (or your favourite seasoning mix)

* optional: add more FD vegetables as desired. Green Peppers, Asparagus, Green Beans, Peas, Kale, Spinach . . . . etc
Put away your cutting board. These vegetables are already washed and sliced.

Waffles:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 T baking powder
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups warm milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Sift all dry ingredients together, set aside.
Beat eggs and oil into milk.
Pour liquids into dry ingredients and stir to moisten all.

OR
use 2 cups of your favourite Pancake mix or try my mix (recipe in this blog site)
+ 2 eggs (beaten) to whatever liquid your mix calls for
*tip: 2 T Thrive Life Scrambled Egg Mix +3 T water = 1 egg

Directions:
1. refresh PULLED PORK by putting it in a jar or container with a lid. Add 3 cups warm water, fasten lid and roll the jar ensuring all meat is moistened. Set aside to allow to soften 10-15 minutes. A little longer isn’t going to hurt.
It is helpful to gently tumble the jar every few minutes.

2. make Waffles:
Preheat seasoned waffle iron and pour batter onto oiled, HOT griddle. Approximately 1/4 cup in each quadrant. Close waffle iron and watch the time. I leave mine for 4 minutes until they’re toasty brown, but every waffle iron is probably a bit different.
Cook waffles and set aside.

3. Pork mixture:
Using a large skillet, heat oil and lightly toast onions and garlic till aromatic and slightly browned.

4. Add the moistened pork with remaining water. Stirring gently (so as not to break up the delicate meat), add all the vegetables and Chef’s Choice Seasoning, adding extra water (1/4 cup at a time) as needed to keep the mixture wet. Last time I made this in addition to the onions, I used red peppers, green peppers, chili peppers, green beans and spinach.

5. Add brown sugar, soy sauce and maple syrup. Reduce heat and simmer gently another couple of minutes stirring, till all vegetables are moistened. If mixture is too dry, simply add a little more water. Taste test and season with salt and pepper to taste if desired (I never add either as I find the Chef’s Choice is perfect for me).

6. Remove from heat and add butter, allowing it to melt and emulsify.
Give it one final stir.

To serve: spoon a dollop of juicy, shredded, maple infused pork over top your fluffy waffle.

As mentioned above: *Someone recently told me they spooned the pork mixture onto the waffle maker, and poured the waffle mix over top! I’m loving that idea! Definitely trying it next time I make this recipe.

ENJOY.

Warmly,

Cindy Suelzle

Chef Todd Leonard, master behind the kitchen door

Chef Todd Leonard is the department chair of the Utah Valley University’s Culinary Art Institute, one of the top professional cooking programs in America. Winner of the Nations Top Chef in 2018, and the first Chef from Utah to ever win the honour.
https://kutv.com/features/inside-the-story/inside-the-story-utah-chef-is-national-chef-of-the-year ↩︎
Unlike many freeze dried meats, PULLED PORK is a ‘high fat’ meant, which affects its open shelf life. Once the can is open, use it within a few weeks. Personally, I always write the date I open a can on the lid so I can stay on top of it. In the case of PULLED PORK, I put it in the fridge to buy me an extra week or two. If I know for sure I’m not going to use it right away, I’ll put it in the freezer part of my fridge to buy another week or two. Don’t forget about it – USE it! For this reason, I generally buy the smaller cans so that I can use them more efficiently, and I ALWAYS buy them when they are on sale. ↩︎

10/03/202401/10/2025

Two Delicious Zucchini Cakes that belong in your recipes

I don’t know who had the bright idea of making zucchini into a cake, but they must have had a few get away from them. I think we can all relate, and I’m sure everyone has their favourite recipe. This one may have become my favourite this year, this month, this week! It is rich and delectably CHOCOLATE; light (from the eggs and leavening) and moist (from the zucchini). The perfect combination of everything.

You don’t have to be a visionary to know that THIS

can be THIS:

but it does require a little bit of previous experience because they don’t look like they should belong together. *Don’t waste small zucchini by making them into dessert, eat those fresh out of hand, in a salad or grilled with a little bit of parmesan on them. Baking is reserved for the ones that get too big.

Double Rich Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Begin by peeling your (too big) zucchini, then cut into manageable pieces and shred. Measure out 4 cups shredded zucchini and set aside. If you only have 3 cups go for it anyway, but don’t use more than 4 cups – there’s such thing as too much of a good thing.
Preheat your oven to 350 F.
Lightly butter a 9×13 pan or two loaf pans. I also add a sheet of parchment paper to the bottom.

Sift together in a large mixing bowl the following:
2 cups flour
1 cup cocoa (I know it seems like a lot, trust me – its okay)
1 scant teaspoon baking soda
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Ensure all are thoroughly blended.

In another bowl, beat together:
5 eggs
Add 1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar and mix well.
Add 1/2 cup plain yogurt (or sour cream)
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Mix well.

Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients. And mix by hand to make sure all flour is moistened. Add 3-4 cups shredded zucchini (see above) and stir to combine.

Add 1 + 1/2 cup REAL chocolate chips and stir in.
I also add sunflower seeds (I can’t help it).

Pour into your prepared pans (see above). I use a 9×13 glass baking dish.
* optional: Sprinkle another 1/2 cup REAL chocolate chips over top.

Place on the middle rack of your oven.
Set the timer for 20 minutes, then turn your cake or loaf pans around and bake for another 20 minutes. The loaf pans will take longer because they’re deeper. Check again and gently touch the middle of your cake. If it feels firm and bounces back a little, then test with a toothpick for doneness. If the toothpick comes out clean then remove from the oven and let it cool in the pan on a rack. Don’t rush it. Let it bake for a little longer if needed. Check every five minutes. Don’t under cook, but don’t over cook either. Once its firm to the touch, be sure to test with a toothpick.

Good Ol’ Fashioned Zucchini Cake with Raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Sift together and set aside:
2 cups flour
1T cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder

beat 3 large eggs
add 1 cup sugar
1 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
mix well.

Add 2 cups shredded zucchini and mix to thoroughly combine
Add sifted dry ingredients and stir to combine.
Fold in 1/2 cup raisins

Pour batter into buttered 9×13 baking pan and place in middle of hot oven. Bake 40-45 minutes or until centre bounces back when lightly pressed. Insert toothpick as a final check. When it comes out clean, cake is done.
Remove from heat and allow to cool in pan.

If you decide to frost it, make a wonderful cream cheese icing with
8 ounces cream cheese – beat till smooth with hand mixer
slowly add 2 cups icing sugar beating all along to avoid lumps.
Add a tablespoon of yogurt, sour cream or milk if needed to keep the icing from being too dry.
Spread over cake after its fully cooled.
Serve in cake pan.

Enjoy!

Which one is better? I am partial to the plain zucchini cake with raisins; it tastes like Sunday dinner dessert should. But the chocolate is extra special, so you have to have both in your life for different times.

Warmly,

Cindy Suelzle

06/15/202406/15/2024

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