Hurricanes, barbeque grills and family

As the Tropical Storm Fay draws closer to my home I can't help but think about it and my family's safety. As far as being prepared goes, we're in pretty good shape. We keep food and water on hand for emergencies like this. It beats going out last minute and waiting in long lines.
I think about the possibility of losing power and the thought doesn't immediately bother me. Actually the thought of it comforts me in a small way. When I grew up, there was a period of time that my family couldn't afford to have electricity and didn't have running water.
I'm not gonna try to sugar it up at all. Not having running water sucks!
On the other hand, not having electricity wasn't that bad. It really brought my family closer together and made us thankful for the smaller things we had.
And now for the food.
Believe it or not, it is entirely possible to cook without electricity. I know, I know. You think I'm crazy right? (Huge amounts of sarcasm here.)
The things that come to mind for me are the things my father prepared over a Coleman camp stove or a nice warm campfire outside. The same things I'll be making for my family if we lose power when Fay gets here.

• Hot chocolate in a percolator on a cold morning.
• Venison roast wrapped in bacon.
• Dads biscuit dough fritters.
• A big mess of beans on the camp stove that have been simmering all day.
• Birdies in a nest.
• Ramen noodles.
• Cornbread.
• Country sausage.
• Potato and onion hash cooked in a cast iron skillet.
• Breakfast burritos.
• Cornmeal battered fish fillets.

All these things we enjoyed as a family. The bonding over food brought us together as a family.
We didn't just bond over a meal. It was the making of the meal. Hunting with dad. Going fishing with the family and catching our dinner there on the riverbanks in Tennessee. Learning how to do all of this and make a great meal of it.
You don't need electricity, you need family.

Eat Well,
J.G.