Well, we got hit with one hell of a summer storm yesterday! Wow. Sheets upon sheets of sideways rain, ridiculous amounts of lightening and thunder. Knocked my tomato garden sideways

My husband had previously agreed to make dinner yesterday. (!!!!)
Thunderstorms are a great time for napping, and he was conveniently doing just that around time to start making dinner. And of course, the power decided to go out right around time to start dinner.

My husband always does the grilling, but I figured I'd let him sleep and go ahead with dinner. (Eating Chef Boyardee cold out of a can is something I'd rather save for the Zombie invasion).

I managed to cook breaded chicken breast, roasted new potatoes, and summer vegetables on the grill, all on my own! I EVEN figured out how to turn on the grill all by my lonesome.

On a side note, we were well prepared for the power outage: with candles and flashlights placed in such a way that they were super easy to grab. The whole thing was really very minor, but as my first power outage of the year, I felt very pleased with myself for being at least sort of prepared.

One thing I do know, is that I need to get at least one or two small cast iron skillets. I wanted to melt some butter to coat the asparagus, but all I had was a HUGE cast iron skillet. I ended up just using spray-on butter. I imagine a smaller pan would be much more convenient.

Power outages do make one appreciate preparedness and are great opportunities to practice. I had been acquiring camping gear for about a year in the early 1990s when we were hit with a week of ice storms, severe low temps and rolling blackouts because the power grid was overloaded. On top of that misery I caught the flu from a friend who had flown out from the west coast before it all hit. The ice hadn't even begun to melt before I was accelerating gear acquisition with a newfound appreciation for the preparedness aspect. I'm still using stuff I bought then (such as candle lanterns).

I'm a cast iron fanatic and especially devoted to Lodge for their excellent value (and free shipping on most items from Amazon). Here's a 6 1/2 inch skillet for $9.37

http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Logic-Pre-Se...192&sr=1-11

I've got several Lodge skillets, from the 17" beast for group camping to this itty-bitty 3 1/2"

http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-LMS3-Logic-M...412&sr=1-28

Your dinner sounded scrumptious Krista. I grill several times a week in the summer. Sorry about the tomato plants, I had one of mine get messed up pretty bad in a rain storm last week out here.

Short term outages are a great way to figure out what you really need in the event of a big storm. I’m on the water and when we get a wind event it gets a really good run at me with nothing to break it and I’ve had outages for over a week in the winter here.

I second Dagny on the small cast iron pots they are really handy. The Lodge brand will last a lifetime. I also keep a couple of cans of Pam on hand as that is a lifesaver when grilling.

I’ve sort of gotten away from candles with the two dogs and two cats in the house. Cats are especially bad about knocking stuff over and anything new draws their attention. I’ve gone mostly to rechargeable batts with led lanterns. If you keep an eye out they can be found on sale and pretty reasonable. I got lucky and found some at Target on close out for $10. Don’t think they carry the River Rock brand anymore but you might keep an eye out at Wal-Mart. Some of the small led AA sized lanterns put out an amazing amount of light anymore. I've had so many power outages that I have permanent hooks on several beams to hang lanterns. In the fall Costco also sells lanterns and the small round led lights that can be attached to walls, all very reasonably priced and if you can get some rechargeable batts it makes them very cost effective to run.

Dagny- I like the cast iron too. Growing up, my grandma made everything in cast iron, from fried chicken to cornbread, fried potatoes... yummm. I'm trying to keep that tradition alive somewhat, and with the need to melt butter realized I need more than one! Thanks for the links, by the way.



Thanks rebwa! It turned out pretty yummy. I hate that my plants got knocked over, but I'm hoping they will survive. They're the first vegetables I have ever grown successfully (except a pumpkin once, by accident!)

I'm kind of a "traditionalist" if you will. I like candles! We do have a couple of the LED lanterns you mentioned, but the candles set such a nice ambience on a stormy day! Of course, with the rascally devil pup running around, the candles have to have places up on high shelves! Cats are a non issue for me, lol... don't have any and don't care to have any! They make my skin itchy!



I would like to get some of those too, but don't really want to order from online. I still like real shopping, but not sure where you would find those Walmart used to carry cheapo ones, not sure if they still do. They're have more of an "old-timey" feel than the battery operated lanterns, but longer lasting than most regular candles, and of course, they still have the nice "flickery light" effect.

Cast iron does have offensive and defensive utility, which could mean it's illegal in DC. I'd better check the code on that.

I amassed a collection of candle lanterns in the 1990s -- the UCO original single candle lanterns and the three-candle "candeliers" which put out a decent amount of light (the tops of them get very hot!)

The candles are still pretty cheap and last for nine hours. I have gobs of them on hand. Campmor and REI sell them.

My favorite candle lantern for home is one that LL Bean sold for a brief time back then, it's a replica of one that wives of mariners would put in their windows. Puts out a lot of light for a long while with a 6" pillar candle.

As Krista said, the cozy light of a candle is bonus in a power outage.

http://candlelantern.com/

Stable base - Sturdy 3-legged base helps stabilize the lantern on uneven surfaces.
Convenient Handle - Stainless steel handle makes the Candlelier easy to hang and carry.
Constant Flame Height - our unique spring loaded candle tube keeps the flame height constant while a small viewing window shows how much candle remains. Each candle burns for up to 9 hours.
Stove Capability - The heat shield provides a stove-like surface to boil small amounts of water, melt snow, or keep foods warm.
Economical - the Candlelier Lantern is affordable to purchase and economical to use. Other lanterns can cost up to $2.00 per hour to operate, the Candlelier costs only about 25 cents per hour.
Safe - No combustible fuels, no complicated starting procedures.
Reliable - no batteries to fail and replace, no mantles or bulbs to break.
Environmentally Friendly - no batteries or fuel cartridges to dispose.

$5 is a fantastic deal.

My old ones must've been made in America.


;-)