When I was a teenager, I sang in the church choir and we had prepared a program that was well-attended. It was a stormy Northwest day and I kid you not-with our voices raised in a resounding crescendo, singing "He is the light..."-all the lights went out in the church, and stayed out. The choir director frowned, but continued directing adamantly. After a short pause while we listened to the tittering from the now-dark pews, we continued singing.
My brothers and I loved it when the power went out. It meant popcorn and hot chocolate (and maybe more) cooked on top of our woodstove. And as I look back, I think it also held meaning that everyone would come out of their bedrooms and gather near the stove-together. I re-create the family time with my kids now when the same happens. With no (or limited if we are hooked into a generator) TV or electronic distractions, it’s an ideal time to play board games all together by the light of a lamp.
If your Rich’s stove has a surface that can be cooked on and heats enough to do so (check with Rich’s or the manufacturer about that first as some surfaces do not get hot enough to cook on), here are some things to remember:
Cast iron works the best at distributing heat evenly and taking the wear and tear.- Recipes requiring temperature adjustments are more difficult, unless it is a gas stove with various heat settings.
- Food should be watched carefully while cooking as it may heat (and burn) faster.
- Multiple dishes are harder. Try for the one-skillet combination meals.
- Keeping a pot on the stove with hot water is handy and acts as a humidifier-just make sure the water doesn’t all evaporate.
- Supplies you would normally buy for a camping trip-such as a long-handled butane lighter or camp stove toaster (see pic)-will make your cooking easier.
- If your refrigerator is not being used to store food, it comes in handy to stack dirty dishes in until you can clean them (also keeps smell to a minimum).
What's your favorite power outage story? Please comment and let us know.
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