Somehow, even in Buffalo, there are people who don’t plan for snow. Blind to the arm-waving forecasters, deaf to radio hosts’ warnings, they wake up to find their power out, their street blocked, and children arguing over the last piece of bread.

Only then, when a grocery store run requires an Iditarod-level effort, do they start thinking about the Blizzard Pantry.

Try this before the next snow day. Here’s a list of a dozen items that can keep for months, yet allow you to cook delicious, satisfying winter dishes on a range top. Or camp stove, or barbecue grill, for that matter.

We’ll include three recipes and a bunch of suggestions, in a handy clip-and-save chart suitable for refrigerator posting.

The Blizzard Pantry is designed for blackout conditions. Some folks might open their refrigerator once, to pull items that will keep in a cool place, and some folks won’t. But frozen items count, as frozen food can abide in the frigid temperatures of a car or convenient snowbank.

The full recipes to start you off have been chosen for sheer satisfaction— beautiful food for ugly times.

There’s a pot-braised beef in a cheesy tomato sauce that’s reminiscent of Tex-Mex dip, designed to be ladled over rice or noodles. Skip the Velveeta and skip the spaghetti sauce, and it would be savory pot roast.

There’s black beans and rice, a variation of the world’s most popular comfort food, in a vegetarian version that can get carnivorous in a hurry if you add kielbasa.

Then there’s a classic pasta presentation that relies on good tuna. That’s not an oxymoron; chunk albacore packed in water is a low-fat gem, while Italian tuna in olive oil also soars above its cheapest cousins. Add whatever vegetables you can scrounge, and you might even call it healthy eating.

Each of these recipes is flexible. Use chicken thighs if you don’t have beef for the braised dishes. Substitute another canned or frozen vegetable for the corn. Use chickpeas instead of black beans, or cream of mushroom soup instead of cream of celery.

We’ve sketched out another seven dishes that work.

“Polish Mac and Cheese” is melted Velveeta, thinned with water, beer or broth, over pasta with seared kielbasa slices.

“Kielbasa bean soup” is broth or water added to browned sausage, joined by any friendly spices, fortified with black beans, corn and spaghetti sauce if you like tomato broths.

Beef “Stroganoff” starts with braised chuck, and ends with cream of celery soup.

“Creamed tuna” finds canned tuna and your favorite spices stirred into cream of celery, served over rice, pasta or mashed potatoes, if possible.

“Black bean dip” is simply mashed canned beans flavored with Italian dressing, and can make a meal with chips or crackers.

“Italian beef” is braised beef chuck that’s shredded, then sauced with Italian dressing and just enough of its broth to moisten the meat.

“Creamy sausage soup” starts with browned kielbasa and broth, then gets smoother with the arrival of cream of celery soup.

For dessert? They’re not on the list, but why not S’mores? Close observation suggests that the traditional campfire treats, assembled from chocolate bars, Graham crackers and marshmallows toasted over a gas burner — or outdoors over charcoal — have antidepressant properties.

That might seem like overkill now. But when you can’t see the end of your driveway, you’ll thank yourself for planning ahead.

Tuna Pasta Salad

1 pound dried pasta

2 cans chunk albacore or Italian tuna in oil

3/4 cup Italian dressing, or more

1 can corn (optional)

1 can black beans, drained (optional)

Cook pasta in boiling salted water and drain.

Put cooked pasta in large bowl. Add undrained tuna, Italian dressing, and canned or any fresh vegetables, if using.

Toss to coat pasta evenly, and serve.

Beef Queso Style

1 piece beef chuck, 2 to 4 pounds

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup spaghetti sauce (or salsa, or canned tomatoes)

4 to 8 ounces Velveeta

Water, as needed

Salt and fresh ground pepper

Season the beef well on all sides with salt and pepper. Put oil in a big pot, or skillet, with a lid, over medium high heat.

When it’s almost smoking, add the meat, avoiding hot splatter. Sear until mahogany brown, about 5 minutes, turning down the heat slightly if a bit of smoke bothers you.

Turn meat over and sear other side as well. With both sides browned, add water to a quarter-inch from the meat’s top, but don’t submerge it. (You could add aromatics here, like garlic, rosemary, oregano, onions, cumin, fennel or anise seed.)

When it begins to boil, lower heat to a simmer and put the lid on. Let it cook, turning meat over once an hour, until it’s tender (stick in a fork and twist; if the meat comes apart it’s done).

Remove meat to a plate. You could strain the liquid for chunks or whole spices. If you don’t have at least 2 cups of liquid, add water or chicken broth to make 2 cups.

Add Velveeta and spaghetti sauce (or other tomato product) to simmering liquid, and stir until well combined. Shred the beef back into the sauce.

Serve over rice or pasta.

Black Beans and Rice

1 cup white rice

1 can black beans, drained

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon oregano

1 tablespoon vinegar

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil

1/2 cup water

Hot sauce (optional)

Put 1 tablespoon oil in lidded pot over medium-high heat. When hot, add rice and stir to toast rice, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 2 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt, and let come to a simmer, stirring occasionally.

Turn heat to low, cover pot, and let cook 15 minutes. Turn off heat, leaving lidded pot alone. After another 15 minutes, lift lid and fluff rice with fork.

In another pot, bring 1/2 cup water to a simmer. Add dried spices, vinegar, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1 teaspoon salt. Let simmer 1 minute.

Add beans and lower heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally and mashing some of the beans, if desired, until thickened, about 5 minutes.

Stir beans into rice, and serve with hot sauce, if desired.