Snowtoberfest NJ

I thought I prepared for the snowstorm that graced our presence the weekend before Halloween.  There was going to be slow cooker chili, peppermint hot cocoa, apple spice tea, and movies galore.  I was wrong, very very wrong.  I prepared for a snowstorm, not a power outage, and that was my downfall.

Saturday morning (well ok, afternoon) hubby and I woke to a white landscape, beautiful flakes falling from the sky, making for a cozy weekend inside.  Well that was the plan anyway, until the power cut off at 4:30pm Saturday night, not to return until Wednesday at 6:30pm, and we were some of the lucky ones, getting back power before Friday!  People are STILL without power, and it is now Friday, a full week after the storm.

The snowfall accumulation by us was 17 inches of heavy, wet snow that took down tree branches and power lines. As the heavy snow on the trees melted, the weighed down tree branches that survived would snap up and take out more power lines, creating a disaster worse than Hurricane Irene.  Power crews from 5 states were called in to help Jersey Central Power and Light restore over 600,000 customers who lost power for days.  A total of 3.1 million customers lost power across the Northeast from this freak October Nor'easter snowstorm.



Our comfy Saturday turned into a desperate attempt to cook tortellini, sauce and steamed broccolini on my propane grill outside, in the freezing snowstorm.  It was so cold the pot of hot water never did boil.  I started  cooking dinner around 10pm, and we didn't eat until about 1:45am.  I was determined to get that water to boil!  I failed, but the tortellini re-hydrated quite tastily in the hot-but-not-boiling water.

So in the past few months NJ has lived through an earthquake, a hurricane, and now a snow disaster.  What next, Mother Nature?  Bring it on!  (maybe I shouldn't have said that...)

This morning I stopped for my breakfast bagel and coffee, and on the door was a sign from the nearby New York Sports Club offering the community free use of their showers for those who are still without power.  Kudos to you NYSC!

This weekend I would like to attempt a slow cooker beef stew that looks mighty tasty.  I will post the recipe next, but only if it is a winner.
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