A childhood recipe hits the spot…Hobo Dinners

September 9th, 2010 Posted by Rachel. Published under DIY Sustainable Living, Mini-Adventure, Recipes. 1 Comment.

As a child, I spent pretty much every summer at summer camp.  Once we campers got to be a bit older, the counselors took us out into the woods for an overnight camp out.  One thing I remember about those trips is being bitten to bits by mosquitoes out there too.  Another thing I remember is spending the entire evening chopping veggies and making Hobo Dinners.

Turns out Jessica LOVES this very simple dinner.  I find it tasty too, though.  Obviously, I found it tasty enough to keep wanting to make it year after year out on pretty much every camping trip since.

Here’s what you do:

1. Tear out sheets of aluminum foil and spread butter out on them.  (Jessica doesn’t mind using butter spray, but I like real butter).  *Tip: Keep the stick of butter wrapped except on just one end.  You can spread it much easier that way.
2. Chop up any number of veggies.  The core veggies are potatoes, carrots, onions, but we’ve also added corn and beans to rave reviews.
3. Add a meat or protein.  We used to use ground beef at camp, but seitan is also really yummy.
4. Put all food stuffs in the foil and season it.  We love Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute.
5. Roll up the foil VERY tightly so that the butter doesn’t boil out.
6. Place the foil packets directly in the campfire coals for at least 15min.
7. Remove, let cool, then ENJOY!

I have a feeling Jessica and I will be living off this on the road during our bike touring.  How else can we power our Surly LHT and Bianchi Volpe steeds for over a year?  It makes great leftovers, it sticks to your ribs, it brings fresh veggies and protein into your diet and it’s just one of the most tasty dishes ever.