I would look at places like http://www.backwoodssolar.com/ who actually know something about living off the grid. They had a good deal a few months ago on American-made panels, I don't see it now. But to get started, look at solarworld or similar quality, then look at some AGM batteries to keep your computers and small appliances going after the power fails. If you want to run more than that (e.g. HVAC, hot water, etc) forget about solar and just get a generator.
Forgot about the inverter. Get a large high quality inverter. Again, backwoodssolar will have good advice on those. I got one of theirs (1000W) about five years ago and it handles a full sized fridge. But my next inverter will probably be 3000W.