Four Recipes to Make Before the Power Goes Out

We’ve got Hurricane Sandy coming up the East Coast and ready to collide with a cold front from the north, which has all the meteorologists telling us that it’s going to like that movie The Perfect Storm…but worse, because it will make landfall in a highly populated area. All of the weather and news channels have told folks from North Carolina on up through Canada to prepare for power outages that could last over a week through Election Day.

So what are we all going to eat while the power’s out?

I have a few suggestions from my own recipe collection…

1. Make focaccia bread out of the pizza dough recipe from my Prosciutto Calzone recipe. Make the dough, roll it flat into a rectangular loaf, and top with your favorite seasonings: rosemary, garlic, onion, cracked pepper, Parmesan cheese, sun-dried tomatoes… Go crazy. It will be welcome after your third meal of peanut butter sandwiches by candlelight.
2. Bake up some apple bread. Ignoring the sugar and the shortening, this is a fairly healthy treat for when you can’t cook. It’s packed with all the fiber and vitamins you get from the apples, and it uses whole grain flour to add to its nutrition. It’s also completely addictive. You can eat some for breakfast instead of (another) bowl of cereal or you can save it as a snack between lunch and dinner or before bed.
3. Nah, eat it for breakfast. For snack time, you’ll want some of the best gingerbread cookies in the world. I’m not gonna lie…they’re high on sugar and calories, but they are also made with whole grain flour to make them better than your average cookie. (I call them my “fiber supplement.”) These keep really well in Tupperware or in plastic bags for over a week…if you can keep your family from eating them for that long.
4. And then you can hide some of my amazing microwave fudge under your bed so the kids don’t eat it. I mean, I’m sure you stocked up on all of your shelf-stable dry goods to take care of most of your meals when the power goes out, but who says you can’t keep something special just for you? You’ll need it when the kids are driving you crazy because they’re bored without their electronics and you can’t even vent to your friends on Twitter or Facebook because your smartphone died two days ago. That’s what chocolate is for. You know you want to.

Of course, this will help you through any power outage, not just the one we’ve got coming with Hurricane Sandy. So when all is said and done, what are some of your favorite recipes to make ahead of bad weather in case of a power outage? Link ’em up in the comments section!

Thanks to everyone who’s been searching for recipes to make before a power outage on Google, including searches such as: recipes for when the power goes out, foods to make ahead in event of power outage, good food to make in case electricity goes out, cook ahead recipes for power outage, cooking ahead for a power outage, and things to make to eat before the power goes out.

Christina Gleason (976 Posts)

That’s me: Christina Gleason. I’m a writer, editor, and disability advocate. I'm a multiply disabled autistic lady doing my best in this world built for abled people. I’m a geek for grammar, fantasy, and casual gaming. I hate vegetables. I cannot reliably speak, so I’ll happily conduct business over email or messaging instead.