{"id":1049,"date":"2015-11-02T08:03:59","date_gmt":"2015-11-02T13:03:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/robinbotie.com\/blog\/?p=1049"},"modified":"2015-11-02T10:01:52","modified_gmt":"2015-11-02T15:01:52","slug":"storm-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robinbotie.com\/blog\/storm-food\/","title":{"rendered":"Storm Food"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"StormFood2\"<\/a>\u201cIs there anything to eat?\u201d my son asked, staring for a long time into the empty refrigerator.
\n\u201cLook in the freezer,\u201d I told him. \u201cThere might still be some storm food left.\u201d<\/p>\n

Everyone I spoke to last week agreed that storm food was a good idea.
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s storm food?\u201d one friend had asked. \u201cYou mean the non-perishable, no-cooking-necessary stuff you keep in the cupboard for when the power goes out? Like powdered milk and canned beans?\u201d
\n\u201cIck. No.\u201d
\n\u201cYou mean comfort food. That\u2019s what I want in a storm,\u201d she\u2019d insisted.
\n\u201cNot exactly. I\u2019m thinking hearty stews and homemade soups that you freeze for emergencies, for when you can\u2019t cook or get out of the house. Like turkey chili or Moroccan lamb stew. It should be healthy and delicious. It has to feed body and<\/em> soul,\u201d I had told her, trying to sort out the difference between storm food and comfort food. \u201cComfort food is too high in sugar and carbs; it\u2019s more about nostalgia than nourishment.\u201d I then listed a half dozen dishes, like the Curried Lentil, Kale and Butternut Squash Soup at the Finger Lakes Feasting<\/a> website; and the Pork Pot Roast with Pears at Ciao Chow Bambina\u2019s<\/a>; and Alton Brown\u2019s Sauerbraten<\/a> recipe. There were five Sundays in November and I intended to make five different stews.<\/p>\n

Storm food is purposefully and lovingly prepared, and then stashed away for future catastrophes. The packed freezer and individual-sized portions of nourishing foods provide a feeling of wellbeing similar to that found in comfort food. Each meal that finds its way to your table in a time of turmoil is like a care package.<\/p>\n

Even before my daughter died, every fall I stored food to help weather winter storms. A storm could be a blizzard, a level-4 hurricane affecting the entire East Coast, or simply a headache. Once in a while a storm appears in my son, coming home hungry, looking pathetic like he hasn\u2019t seen food in a year. Feeding my son a bowl of care brings even more joy than quelling my own storms.
\n\u201cReally, look in the freezer,\u201d I told him. \u201cIt only takes ten minutes to nuke up a storm food. How about turkey chili from last December?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How do you weather a storm? What special things do you do to take care of yourself and the ones you love during a difficult time?<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Is there anything to eat?” my son asked, staring for a long time into the empty refrigerator. “Look in the freezer,” I told him. “There might still be some storm food left.” Everyone I spoke to last week agreed that storm food was a good idea. “What’s storm food?” one friend had asked. “You mean […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[374],"tags":[655,656,660,657,654,661,653,659,658],"class_list":["post-1049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-374","tag-emergency-foods","tag-food-for-the-heartbroken","tag-grief-food","tag-healing-foods","tag-soups-and-stews","tag-storm-food","tag-storm-food-versus-comfort-food","tag-taking-care-of-yourself","tag-weather-the-storm"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t