sigh. no gas for a week. cooking what?
Don't ask but I hate Dominion East Ohio Gas with a passion. I could rant about their idiocrity for decades but lets chalk it up to no gas until at least next Monday.
My stove, oven and hot water tank are gas.
I have a microwave, george foreman and a large electric griddle as well as a waffle iron, bread machine and crock pot.
I made a roast and veggies and a loaf of bread today.
Next????
Oh and any ideas as to heating water OTHER than microwaving quarts to take half warm half ice cold showers with would be fab.
Happy camper? NOT SO MUCH.
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14 Comments:
Wait. Wait. Wait.
I also have my big ass Weber Elite Series propane grill but sometimes....sometimes....I just get tired of grilling. Blasphemy, I know.
ChelleyD01 at 8:18PM on 05/18/08
The elctric grill and bread maker spell PANINI. Make a loaf of something good and then get out that 2 lb can of something and a plate and iron you some paninis.
Kebobs on the grill.
I remember ice cold showers from when I had a water heater break. Ah the thrill of screaming and olympic washing. Good for the soul all that central nervous system shock.
JerzeeTomato at 8:39PM on 05/18/08
Ouch! Sure doesn't sound like fun, so first of all - my heartfelt condolences!
In any case, you can:
*use your griddle to: make egg dishes, roast vegetables, make pancakes, crab cakes, croquettes, sear fish, etc.
*use your microwave to: boil water to make couscous (no cooking required; add your favourite veggies and have a great side dish/couscous salad), make rice (well, you'll have to get the "boil in bag" variety for this, but still), steam vegetables, etc.
*use your grill to grill anything when you feel like it:-)
*use your crock pot to make a soup
If it were me, I would probably just live on fruits, salads and sandwiches for a week:-). I actually once lived for a year without gas (don't ask, I worked in an office and the gas guy was giving me "between 10 am and 3 pm" time frame, so it never worked out, and my gas oven didn't get installed for almost a year. I had a microwave oven and a toaster oven. And an electric kettle. Honestly, I barely noticed that I was missing something:-). But - I was single, so it was very easy). Now, absence of a hot shower is a whole different thing. I take it, you don't have an electric kettle? You could probably heat a large pot of water over your grill, but I personally wouldn't be willing to be in a proximity to a large pot of hot water that should be moved from one place to another (yes, I'm a total klutz). So I'm not sure how to help you with this one :-(
brooke29 at 8:46PM on 05/18/08
With the things you have to cook with, you really could make just about anything. I have had some great salmon on my George Foreman, it is good for getting that nice sear on the outside. It also is good for burgers, though chicken on it has been a little more iffy. My favorite sandwich right now (herb brie, roasted chicken, fresh tomato, salt and pepper on soursough) would make a great panini for lunch, with a light salad or some fruit (Cubans are a good idea too). You can make pancakes and french toast for breakfast.
As for the hot water, I don't know how to heat it, but I know that when my hot water goes out, I make sure to wash my hair over the side of the tub before I shower off my body. You aren't as cold for long with this method!
brittj8585 at 9:15PM on 05/18/08
We had the same problem last March with them. It was 30 degrees out and we had no gas for 3 weeks because they had to install updated meters outside the house. We would nuke water to take showers and wash our hair. It would take 15 small buckets of water to wash my husband's long hair, running back and forth from the kitchen to the bathroom. I actually just went w/o shampooing my hair for 5-6 days at a time because my hair is a lot thicker than his, and at that time came down to my knees. My husband was miserable. But they said the weather wasn't bad so it wasn't considered an emergency. Each day we would all call to inquire, there was no estimated date. We live in a 3 unit century home, and there's another house in back.
With it being so warm out in NE Ohio, you'll get to hone your skills at creating new salads, with grilled meats, fruits, seafood, etc. with all types of bread. Sandwiches are fine too. Sounds almost healthy!
All we had (still have) is a microwave oven that runs on electricity and a bread machine that is only utilized as a rice cooker, so we ended up eating out a lot, or I'd buy food on the way home from work. We ate a lot of Vietnamese, Cici's and Subway...spending $10 - 20/night total on dinner for the two of us. I would just take rice to work and buy a bowl of stew, chili or go to the soup bar at the cafeteria and be stuffed for $1.50. I grew to appreciate stuffed bell pepper soup.
Good luck on getting your gas back up asap.
Cassaendra at 9:34PM on 05/18/08
You could get a solar shower for bathing water. A bit spendy, but a good investment for camping or emergency situations.
erinlovestoeat at 12:18AM on 05/19/08
Besides the other suggestions, you "happy camper", maybe rent a campsite for the week, not use it, but at least you'll have a place to take a hot daily shower.
LunaPierCook at 6:46AM on 05/19/08
The little tabletop propane stoves made for camping are really good back-up systems to have (they come in one or two burner)(you can find them at Wal-Mart and they are not too $$).
Also for the shower thing, often health clubs offer daily or weekly memberships. :)
Karen Resta at 8:02AM on 05/19/08
@Cassaendra & Cheeley--WTF? Are y'all serious?! Could you maybe check-in to the Four Seasons and send the bill to the gas company?!!! Would serve them right! sheesh!
Get a turkey fryer--beg or borrow one if you don't want to buy one. Use it to boil water. Heck, you might even want to fry a turkey one day when you have gas again, but not right now, use it for hot water.
I was also going to suggest the table propane stoves. I don't know about the campsite ones, but the ones sold in Asian markets are cheap, fuel cartridges are cheap, and can be used indoors.
Soup from the crockpot and roast beef sandwiches sound great. I'm not a frequent salad maker/eater, but this sounds like perfect salad time. Salad with anything off the grill.
Lately my husband has been microwaving a russet potato for about 2-3 minutes depending on size (pretty much 90% cooked), splits it in half, brushes olive oil all-over it, sprinkles with salt and pepper and grills on low for about 5 to 10 minutes, until the skin is crisp and the cut side is golden. The interior is moist and creamy, the exterior is crisp and salty, yummy!
Sorry you have to rough it. I really feel bad about the lack of hot water situation! Hope the above suggestions help.
wookie at 11:24AM on 05/19/08
That's awful, I would cry if I were you. I've been using my George Foreman to make fajitas lately (no balcony/yard = no grill for me, sad!) Pound, marinate and grill boneless skinless chicken breasts, then add whatever, black beans, corn, salsa, cheese, sour cream, etc. etc. etc. the possibilities are endless. i've been making them with peppers and onions, too, but your lack of a stove probably prevents that. Good luck!
embolini9 at 11:50AM on 05/19/08
Can you leave the crockpot full of water heating overnight so you have some nice warm water for your morning bath?
Penelope at 12:28PM on 05/19/08
One summer we lived in Lumberton, NC, when the kids were small. It was mid-August in a place called Howellsville where pretty much only people named Howell lived, except for us. We were hemmed in by tobacco fields, corn fields in their mid-summer high tasseled glory, a stream muddy with tons of little ugly frogs, a tiny store on the deserted corner that seemed like Southern Mafia if there is such a thing with cages of fighting cocks stacked outside it and a long road heading flat out to nowhere except the crick (creek) where people dumped their unwanted dogs.
There was a hurricane that August and we lost electricity for a little over a week. It was ugly, I tell you Chelly. Hot, hot, damp hot. And we'd moved from Michigan the month before. Nothing cold to drink, nothing hot to eat, nothing to cook on, no electronics which children stick to like glue happily.
The only thing I remember is setting up a kiddy pool in the sunshine for baths and trying to remember how to play the stupid four songs I know on the guitar to entertain the children. Did I bother to cook? No, ma'am. Out I went over and over to the grocery store deli and funny little restaurants. We kept a cooler full of drinks and lots of snacks at home and that was it.
Whatever you cook, place two points on your scorecard for "good behavior". It ain't easy, for we are really used to our conveniences. :)
Karen Resta at 1:32PM on 05/19/08
I'm thinking antipasto. Some salad, some sliced meats and cheeses, some marinated veggies and a nice loaf of bread. And a bottle or 3 of wine.
Kerosena at 2:21PM on 05/19/08
Truly, I would like to kick someones ass. It is exactly 64 degrees in this house. It is 65 outside and it will drop fast tonight. The microwaving water for the half ass bath is such a crock. I do the wash my hair in the sink deal before I start the rest and keep it wrapped in a towel. Soap up belly button up with warm water from the nuker and then brave the elements of the shower for all the important parts belly button down, including shaving the legs. Thank God I have an electric space heater.
Dinner tonight is tilapia on the grill and some of the nuked then grilled potatoes. I am about saladed out already. Grrr. Screw Dominion East Ohio Gas.
ChelleyD01 at 5:03PM on 05/19/08