Special Hurricane Michael post-includes easy meal prep recipes, and ideas, and tips for safe food storage during a power outage!
Here we go again, Hurricane Hermine, Hurricane Irma, and now Hurricane Michael is heading our way! And, just like the storms before, today like I am cleaning out my freezer in preparation Hurricane Michael, which is churning through the Gulf and will likely hit our area on Wednesday.
Today, I am hurricane food prepping, that is cooking everything I can ahead of the storm to tide us over for the next week when we will likely be sitting in the dark without electricity. Also, we don’t have a gas stove so everything needs to be cooked ahead or on our grill.
If you are in Hurricane Michael’s path, I thought you might appreciate a list of easy recipes that can be made with basic food items you probably already have in your pantry and what you likely might have in your freezer. This accomplishes two things; one, it makes space in your freezer for bags of ice and water, and two, you won’t have food spoiling in the freezer.
You probably already know this, but just in case, if you haven’t been able to get bottled water or ice, here are a couple of tips so you will have plenty if and when you need it:
For drinking water, fill up all of your pitchers, pans and other large clean vessels with water and cover with plastic wrap. You can also fill up quart and gallon size plastic bags with water and place them in the freezer now. The benefits of this are twofold, you will have clean cold water to drink, and the extra ice will help keep the food in your freezer frozen longer.
Before the storm and 12-24 hours before the possibility of losing power, reduce the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer to the lowest possible settings to get them as cold as possible.
Also, line your bathtub or large plastic garbage cans with a plastic shower liner or plastic sheet and fill it up with water to use for non-drinking purposes. (Last year, I filled up both of our tubs with water without a liner and it all leaked out overnight.)
Because today is all about the business of preparing for Hurricane Michael, I’m not going to spend a lot of time telling you about the virtues of each dish. I know you are busy preparing and just need options, so here goes. All of these dishes can be eaten hot or cold. I mean doesn’t everyone eat cold pizza and pasta?
Easy Ten Minute Roasted Shrimp – Can be eaten hot or cold and you definitely don’t want shrimp spoiling in your refrigerator. Can also be used to prepare Roasted Shrimp and Orzo Salad, Caesar Salad with Roasted Shrimp, or Shrimp Cobb Salad.
Ten Minute Gazpacho (cold soup)
Butter Pecan Cookies – Just because…
Hurricane Cocktail – the most popular recipe on my blog this week…
Southern Potato Salad
Easy Classic Southern Tomato Pie
Steak Shish Kabobs
Spaghetti Pie
Black Eyed Pea Hummus
Summer Garden Pasta Salad or Pasta Salad with Green Goddess Dressing
Tomato and Artichoke Pizza
Cherry Tomato Pie
Easy Make Ahead Baked Ziti
No Bake Oatmeal Balls
Easy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Best and Easiest Grilled Chicken
What tips and tricks have you learned over the years to make the most of hurricanes and the subsequent power outages!
Stay safe!
I’m sorry, I hope this doesn’t offend anyone, but sometimes you just need a little levity!
This post was originally published September 2017. Republished today with updated hurricane tracking map additional tips, and information about Hurricane Michael.
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