Getting Through Hurricane Sandy

We are in New York City, so the last entire week has been consumed with Sandy. Preparation, anticipation, and dealing. We were hit hard but were among the VERY lucky ones. My heart breaks for New Jersey and the rest of New York whose homes, neighborhoods, cars, and even families, were devastated by this epic storm. I am looking into what we can do to help and will post what I find in this post and on Facebook. Until then, this is how we rode out Sandy.

We prepared by completing our already-begun "Apocalypse Kit". In it we have flashlights, batteries, Swiss Army knife, duct tape, ponchos, and a sea of candles. Half of NYC lost power and most of it won't return for A WEEK. Somehow we never blacked out but were prepared for that and for a seance apparently by our collection of bodega candles. To see what recipes and DIY window-saving efforts got us through the storm, click to read after the jump.

We have a gas oven and stove, so we knew that if we did  lose power we would still be able to heat up dishes to eat. So in anticipation, I made Martha's Tuna Casserole that was DELICIOUS! Heats up so nicely and provided a lot of comfort during such a scary time. It will now be known as the Sandy Casserole. *I didn't have Panko, so I just made 2 pieces of whole grain bread stale by leaving them out over-night and diced them up instead.




I made my "famous" (amongst a small group of friends may not count) chili and it was JUST what the weatherman ordered. Paired with 2 loaves of corn bread. Get. It. In. My. Mouth.



As a treat, Trader Joe's chocolate truffle brownies came correct, as they always do. When in doubt, or in a hurricane, COOK!




The night wasn't all fun and games and comfort food though. For awhile we were sitting on our couch watching tv trying to distract ourselves form the terrifying sound of the wind whipping up against our old Brooklyn apartment. At a certain point, it just didn't sound right so we relocated into the bedroom with the pups. Within 15 minutes our window flew into the living room landing on the spot I had been sitting. It was a terrifying sound and sight and Will and I scrambled to fix it. We struggled to put the window back as the wind was incredibly powerful. Once in place, I held it there while Will quickly measured and cut some 2 x 4's to hold it there. As I held the window against the blowing wind, it felt like zombies were trying to push through. I am not even kidding, it felt like a force bigger than all get out trying to push through the window into our living room. It was terrifying. A small scary moment compared to what others endured. Some of the saddest things I have seen are the 80 houses that burned down in Queens, basically the entire Jersey Shore being engulfed by the ocean, and countless families being displaced, losing everything they own, and the death toll that is rising every day. My heart bleeds for those effected in such horrific ways.

Stay safe. Rebuild. And let's pitch in and help wherever we can.