Hail to the Chef

See, that's funny, because it was HAILING...



Ahem.

It was a dark and stormy night. The wind was whipping and the sky threatened rain. The severe thunderstorm warning had been on the radio for hours, then suddenly said that Redcliff, just west of here, was already being brutalized, which gave the Hat about 10 minutes to get ready.


Suddenly, the wind picked up even more. The rain started - big, splatting raindrops that looked and sounded like they would hurt a lot.


Hail was now hitting Redcliff. Uh oh.


There had been a massive hailstorm here 2 years ago, and the fallout was still evident when we were house hunting: roofs that still needed to be replaced, insurance claims still outstanding, and, of course, insurance policies changing to exclude hail damage from coverage; apparently, prairie hailstorms are pretty exciting.


So, I was making myself a nice, creamy bowl of comfort, to sit inside and wait it out with a book. Ahhh, KD, well actually, PC White Cheddar macaroni and cheese, which is so good, it doesn't even need ketchup - high praise indeed.


I apparently have a "funny" way of making KD (according to the Peanut Gallery). First, when I'm alone, I only make half the box. No need for extra temptation, and also, reheated KD just isn't as good. I boil the noodles in the normal way, then drain all but about 1/4 cup of water. Then, I return the pot to the burner, and add about a tablespoon of becel (light, of course!), and about 1/4 cup of milk, mix in the cheese, and then let the whole thing come back to a boil. I find that it makes a sweeter, creamier sauce. Yum.


Of course, one of the more odd pg cravings is Cheez Whiz, so I added a scoop of that, too. Oooo... now THAT's cheesy!


Anyhoo, I sat down at the table just as the hail started to hammer the deck. I thought that perhaps I should move the bbq back from the steps a bit, but then quickly rethought that, as it would necessitate me going out into the storm. Tout à coup, the bbq lurched towards the stairs. Oops. Luckily, Husband Supremo had locked the whole thing to the railing, so it stopped about an inch short. Whew!


The hail was only about dime-sized, but still bigger than I'd seen before. It only lasted about 15 minutes, but was an incredible show of the power of nature.


I'm glad that Nature decided not to unleash all she's got... this time, at least.