2 Blizzards 30 years Apart - What has Changed

I survived the weekend and the Blizzard of 2015...The blizzard of the century.  This isn't the first blizzard I lived through.  Back in 1985 I was in Buffalo NY, a senior in college and lived through that major blizzard that dumped four feet of snow in two days.  So pardon me if I don't get crazy over storms.

Thirty-One years ago I lived in a house off campus.  We watched over the course of the weekend the snow pile up to 4 feet.  We had to pound on the front door so I could squeeze through with the shovel and shovel enough for us to open the door so we could get out.  We weren't smart enough to get milk, bread and eggs so we could make french toast, but we did have enough beer (Meister  Brau) to get us through the tough parts.  What did we do? We baked cookies and played board games and watched TV, drank beer.  We did venture out to the bar "Past Times Lounge" on day 2.  I remember walking down the street being taller than the cars and watching the National Guard trucks drive by. Remember this was before the internet.  Heck, we didn't even have cable.

Thirty-one years later living at the beach I heard the warnings.  I was looking forward to being stuck inside with my husband and dog for a few days.  Perhaps a neighbor or two would come over if we lost power since we are the only ones on the block with a generator.  My thought process for this storm was

1. What was I going to cook
2. What wine was I going to pair with it
3. Who would come over
4. Test the generator!

The snow began on Friday night.  It was grilled cheese and homemade tomato soup paired with Hudson-Chatham 2009 Baco Noir from Casscles Vineyard.  

They've told me that Baco Noir ages well and I cant attest to that.  This wine was great!  It showed it's age in the color as it was a tad brickish.  The aromas on it were smokey and oaky with black cherry.   The palate was smooth and silky.  There was still enough acidity in the wine to pair well with the tomato soup. 

Saturday we were expecting snow, but it was 40 degrees out and rainy.  The bay side of the beach where I live didn't have any flooding.  However the city of Cape May did at high tide. Other parts of South Jersey along the shore towns of Wildwood, Ocean City and Sea Isle did.  They are right on the ocean, so high tide, full moon and the 70 mile an hour winds just flooded them out.  

We didn't lose any electricity so no neighbors or relatives came over to party.  It's times like this that I miss my Rombout Road neighbors in NY as we didn't need an excuse like loss of power to party. We just needed a storm and pot luck dinner at someone's house it was.

I spent most of storm Saturday on the computer finishing up some things. Braised Lamb Shanks for the first time and of course took a nap.

I paired a Nebbiolo and Montefalco with the lamb shanks (separate blog post for them) and had enough for dinner for 6 but it was only the two of us.  I guess it's lamb shanks for a few days.

Looking back at the two blizzards what has changed?  Just my choice of beverage and what I cooked. Of course the company is different and my two housemates from Buffalo now live in Florida.

The next time you hear Blizzard here are somethings to keep in mind.  Don't go crazy. You might be stuck inside for a few days, but make the best of it.  

Make sure you have the essentials, batteries, blankets, water.  Don't forget the milk, bread and eggs. Also think about what you will prepare if the power does go out.  Don't stock the fridge so it's busting at the door.  If you have a gas cooktop, think about the meals you can prepare on it.  Make sure your grill has gas because you can use that too.  Most of all, don't panic, relax and enjoy the downtime.