Fabulous Feasts From Foil
When I need a great, filling, healthy meal and don't want to spend much time prepping or cleaning up, I turn to one of our absolute favorites - foil dinners!
We normally think of these packet meals as something reserved for campfires and fireplaces, but they are equally wonderful after a little while in the oven. You can put almost any combination of meat, potatoes and veggies in a double layer of foil, set the oven between 350 and 400 and bake for about half an hour on a baking sheet. Each piece of chicken or quarter pound of meat goes in one meal packet.
Here are some tasty examples:
* The original hobo dinner - ground beef or turkey, sliced red potatoes, sliced carrots, sliced green onions. Add a couple of drops of liquid smoke and it will permeate everything in the packet. Wow!
* Hobo chicken - chicken breast, sliced onion, sliced potatoes, sliced carrots, small pat of butter, can of whole kernel corn, thyme and rosemary
* Pizza chicken - chicken breast, cup of pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, pepperoni slices, chopped green pepper, chopped onion, Parmesan cheese
* Tuna melts - 10" flour tortillas, can of tuna (drained), 2 cups of cooked rice, frozen peas, mayonnaise, lemon pepper, shredded cheddar cheese
* BBQ chicken - chicken breast, cup of BBQ sauce, can of whole kernel corn, chopped green pepper
* Spicy shrimp - 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, salsa, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, can of whole green beans (drained), grated Parmesan cheese
* Rice and bean burritos - 10' flour tortillas, can of refried beans, cup of cooked rice, shredded cheddar cheese, salsa, chopped green onions, chopped cilantro
And for my sweet tooth:
* Banana boats - firm banana with a channel scraped out of the middle, miniature chocolate chips, miniature marshmallows (only heat for about 15 minutes)
We normally think of these packet meals as something reserved for campfires and fireplaces, but they are equally wonderful after a little while in the oven. You can put almost any combination of meat, potatoes and veggies in a double layer of foil, set the oven between 350 and 400 and bake for about half an hour on a baking sheet. Each piece of chicken or quarter pound of meat goes in one meal packet.
Here are some tasty examples:
* The original hobo dinner - ground beef or turkey, sliced red potatoes, sliced carrots, sliced green onions. Add a couple of drops of liquid smoke and it will permeate everything in the packet. Wow!
* Hobo chicken - chicken breast, sliced onion, sliced potatoes, sliced carrots, small pat of butter, can of whole kernel corn, thyme and rosemary
* Pizza chicken - chicken breast, cup of pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, pepperoni slices, chopped green pepper, chopped onion, Parmesan cheese
* Tuna melts - 10" flour tortillas, can of tuna (drained), 2 cups of cooked rice, frozen peas, mayonnaise, lemon pepper, shredded cheddar cheese
* BBQ chicken - chicken breast, cup of BBQ sauce, can of whole kernel corn, chopped green pepper
* Spicy shrimp - 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, salsa, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, can of whole green beans (drained), grated Parmesan cheese
* Rice and bean burritos - 10' flour tortillas, can of refried beans, cup of cooked rice, shredded cheddar cheese, salsa, chopped green onions, chopped cilantro
And for my sweet tooth:
* Banana boats - firm banana with a channel scraped out of the middle, miniature chocolate chips, miniature marshmallows (only heat for about 15 minutes)
And here all this time I thought I was the Foil Queen! That's because I almost never clean a big baking dish anymore, on account of I swaddle it in foil to within an inch of its life. Everything -- but EVERYTHING -- is captured in that foil, and when it's time to do the dishes, you simply lift out the foil and throw it away! Depending on how fast everyone ate, you might even have to let your pristine baking dish cool down before you put it back into the cupboard!
ReplyDeleteLOL
But these packets are a marvelous idea. I'm going to print them out and I can't wait to share them with my daughters. They all love quick, easy, delicious, no-cleanup recipes as much as I! Must be a genetic thing!
I especially love the sound of that pizza chicken!
Thanks, Laura! I love your blog!
I love you! xoxo