Hobo Dinners

This is not so much a recipe as it is an event. We invited some friends over the other night to share this one with us. We all had a great time and enjoyed some delicious food! My family loves it when we have Hobo dinners (aka Foil Dinners) because, of course, that means roasted marshmallows for dessert. Not to mention that they all get to "make their own dinner." My 15-year-old even got to start the fire!

Here's how it works...

Step One:  Start a big fire. (In a fire pit, not your kitchen please.)

Step Two:  Chop a variety of vegetables. There is no set thing that you must include, but here is what we used: onions, potatoes, peppers, asparagus, zucchini and yellow squash. We also used peas and carrots from the garden (yum!). You can add anything you like such as: spinach, corn on the cob, broccoli, etc..

Step Three: Chop one or two (or three) meats. We used ground beef, chicken and Linguica (Portugese sausage- the best!). I lightly marinated the chicken in some sesame oil and rice vinegar just a few minutes before assembling the meals.

Step Four:  Grab an assortment of spices and sauces. We used Bragg (like soy sauce), Tapatio (hot sauce), pepper, Mrs. Dash type seasoning and Montreal Steak Seasoning. I also got out some butter to add to any meals if necessary.

Step Five:  Assemble meals in Heavy Duty Aluminum foil. Let each person assemble their own if desired. Make sure not to overfill and wrap foil tightly so juices don't spill out onto the fire. You can write names onto the foil to easily identify each meal once cooked.

Step Six:  Break up your fire, getting a nice big pile of hot (not flaming) coals. Set the meals directly onto hot coals in a single layer.

Step Seven:  Cook for about 15 minutes, turning once. Check each meal for doneness before serving. If the potatoes and carrots are soft, the rest of the meal (including meat) should be fully cooked.

Step Eight:  Dump onto a plate or eat straight from the foil. Recycle your foil when you are finished.