PREPPING for WINTER STORMS

3/13/19 Cook’s Corner

Betty Kaiser

Uh, oh! Sunday, February 27, snowflakes greeted us as we left church. As long-time residents at Cottage Grove Lake, we have learned to go into survival mode when it snows. Inevitably, we will lose power, whatever the conditions. So, we made sure that we had groceries, bottled water and that the car was gassed up. We headed home, walked in the door, and the power went off. Groan.

Living in the country I have put to good use my Girl Scout motto to “Be Prepared.” And my husband was a Boy Scout. Together we make a great team. Following are some ways for all of us to be prepared for winter living. It may be a little late for this year but it’s never too late to be prepared. You may never need this stuff, but you’ll have it “just in case.”

We Kaisers have a small generator that enabled us to go 11 days without electricity. That still meant that we had no heat, no shower, no oven to cook in, no telephone and more. It also meant that we needed copious amounts of gasoline to keep Genny the generator running intermittently.

Because I went to the grocery store just as the storm started, I had stocked up on bananas, bread, frozen stir fry meals, soups from the deli, canned meats, etc. Mostly we just ate simple stuff from the freezer because Genny generator allowed us to use the microwave and one burner on the stovetop. A sample recipe is at the end of this column.

Now, giving advice after a storm is sort of like locking the barn door after the horse has runaway. However,  just in case you need a be-prepared-refresher course, here are some basics to stock up on for another unexpected 3-11-day Snowmageddenl:

OUTSIDE:

Firewood for wood stove (we almost ran out!)

Fire Logs (backup)

Full tank of gas in car

Full 5-gallon gas cans for generator (thanks to our friends)

Tire chains (a 4-wheel drive Jeep)

Snow Shovel and strong back (or neighbor)

Bags of sand (didn’t use)

Cooler to fill with ice or snow

A camp stove to cook on

INSIDE:

Non-electric light sources. i.e. Battery-operated lanterns, flashlights

Wireless or battery-operated RADIO

Batteries for everything (we didn’t have ‘C’ for our radio!)

Matches and lighters for candles, firewood, etc.

First Aid Kit

Extra blankets, warm jackets, hats, gloves

COMMUNICATION

Good luck! Phones will and do go down

Internet only if generator is on and sometimes not then

PEOPLE FOOD:

Think non-perishables and ready-to-eat like canned soup, chicken, tuna, salmon, beans, fruit, crackers, energy bars, peanut butter, cookies!

BABY FOOD and supplies

PET FOOD and supplies

WATER:

 1 gallon per person, per day; juices, instant coffee, tea bags.

MEDICATION:

Try and keep at least 10 days on hand at all times

TOILETRIES:

Keep an ample supply of toilet paper on hand, wipes and hand sanitizers.

REFRIGERATION (it will go out with when generator is turned off)

Put meat, etc. in coolers outside in the snow.

We had intermittent electric, so I put bowls of snow in our frig and freezer, changing daily. It worked! 

Whew. Now that we’re all up-to-date on how to stock up for a snow storm, let’s eat! Following is a one-pot chicken chili dish that everyone will love.

WHITE CHICKEN CHILI

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup frozen whole kernel corn

1 large red bell pepper, diced (about 1 cup)

1 small onion, diced

1 Tablespoon chili powder

2 cups shredded cooked chicken OR

1 can (12.5 oz) Swanson white chicken

1 can Campbell’s Cream of Chicken Soup

1 cup Pace Chunky Salsa

1 cup water

2 cans (15 ounces ea.) white cannellini beans, drained, rinsed

1 can tomatoes (with juice and liquid); or Rotel tomatoes.

Add garlic salt and pepper to taste

GARNISH:

2 green onions, sliced

Cheddar Cheese to taste

Heat the oil in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add corn, green peppers, diced onion and chili powder. Cook for 2 minutes.  Stir in the chicken.

Stir in the soup, salsa, water, tomatoes and beans in the saucepan and heat to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low.  Cover and simmer for awhile.  Serve hot, topped with the cheese and green onions.

Note: If you like a hotter chili, I substitute white chili beans for the cannellini. Season to your taste, garnish and serve with crackers. Serves 4-5.

Contact Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner

by email bchatty@bettykaiser.com