Tag Archives: hurricane

Hurricanes in a Hurricane

Hurricanes with homemade Cherry Syrup

Does this say “Hurricane” to you?

How about this?

Well, it’s 6pm and Hurricane Irene is starting to make herself known here in the NYC/NJ area.  And we expect to be hardest hit between midnight and 2pm tomorrow .  Now, just a bit of rain and slight wind.  The biggest indicator of what’s to come is the eerie quiet on the streets and the stacks of sandbags piled up at all the ground floor / garden apartments.  Iain and I are tucked away inside and I took it upon myself to cook and bake like we won’t be leaving for months!

But, the best thing I’ve made so far, this variation on Pat O’briens’ in New Orleans Hurricanes.  Appropriate, no?  The typical Hurricane calls for Passion Fruit Syrup.  But, I had a bunch of cherries on hand and thought I’d swap it with a homemade cherry syrup instead.  It’s easier than you think.  Even if a Hurricane isn’t pointed directly at you, I recommend this refreshing drink.

Hurricanes with homemade Cherry Syrup

  • 1 oz orange juice
  • 1 oz lemon juice
  • 1 oz lime juice
  • 1 oz Cherry Syrup (recipe below)
  • 2 oz Rum
  • Ice
  1. Place all liquid in a cocktail shaker.
  2. Fill shaker with ice.
  3. Shake baby shake.
  4. Pour into a glass and batter down the hatches!

(Iain approved – yes I made him go stand on the deck in the rain for this picture) 

Homemade Cherry Syrup

  • 1 1/2 cups cherries, pitted
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 4 Tablespoons sugar
  1. Place pitted cherries in a food processor and pulse until liquid and all skin is integrated.
  2. Pour liquid cherries into a heavy pot on the stove and add water and sugar.
  3. Bring to a boil.
  4. Reduce to “medium” and stir continuously for 10 minutes.
  5. Remove from heat and let come to room temperature.  Use immediately or cover and store in fridge for up to a week.

Voila! You have just made homemade cherry syrup.  Perfect for Cherry Hurricanes or on top of pancakes.  Which I’ll make if we have power in the morning….

Staying healthy and safe during a hurricane – what to buy

I’m no stranger to hurricanes, since I grew up in South Carolina and lived in Florida for 4 years.  They are, pretty much, a Hallmark of late Summer / Fall.   But I definitely didn’t expect to be preparing for one in the NYC / NJ area.  No way.  I think Irene has caught us all by surprise.  And I’m mad because Hurricane Irene thwarted an Annual Girls weekend in Florida this weekend!! Not because she’s barreling down on Florida, because she’s barreling to NYC.  I still can’t get over that!

Nonetheless, we now know in the NYC area that a hurricane is on the way, scheduled to impact our area early Sunday, and we need to start to prepare.   Hurricane prepardness is no joke.  Plan for the worst, hope for the best.  This post assumes that electricity will go out, water will not be available and you’ll be home-bound for 1-3 days.  But, fingers crossed that this will be the worst anyone will suffer.

Stock up on non-perishables AND fill your freezer.  When power goes out, you want your freezer to be chock full of frozen goods so that it takes longer to thaw out.  So YES, this is your excuse to go to the store and PILE up on ice cream.

The hubby and I went shopping last night for some basic supplies (along with the rest of New Jersey). The goal was to stock up on healthy eating items.  Here’s what was on our list:

  • Water (obviously)
  • Bananas (fruit that will be ok at room temp)
  • Bread (tons to stuff in the freezer)
  • Crackers
  • Ice cream!  (We got several So Delicious pints)
  • Lara bars
  • Canned soups (ensure you have a manual can opener)
  • Canned rice
  • Canned beans
  • Almond milk (great because it won’t spoil at room temperature)
  • Candles & batteries (obviously)
  • Apples  (fruit that will be ok at room temp)
  • Pita Chips
  • Garbanzo beans ( I plan on making a big batch of hummus early Saturday)
  • Carrots
  • Green & Blacks Dark Chocolate
  • Board games & Playing cards!

And I most definitely plan on making “Hurricanes” Saturday night.  (come on over !) 

  • 2 lemons
  • 2 limes
  • 1 orange
  • Passion Fruit Syrup
  • Dark Rum
  • Maraschino Cherries

I’ll post the full recipe tomorrow as I make it.  Assuming we’ll have wi-fi!

One last thing.  Precautions to take at home:

  • Bring in patio furniture and outdoor plants
  • Remove A/C units from windows.  (don’t want these flying out!)
  • Fill up bathtub and pots with water for extra provisions.

Stay safe, people!!  And “Constant Vigilance”!  (my two favorite words from the Harry Potter series, appropriate in ANY situation, CV).