Hobo Dinner - Tinfoil Meals

As most my posts have begun especially this summer....So I saw this on Pinterest, LOL

And I thought I can do that. Although it may seem simple to most people, you may have hopefully noticed by now, I am not most people. And I am definitely not simple. The simpler the harder as it comes to me.

Original pin:
http://pinterest.com/pin/196610339953233395/

So the basic idea is flavor your meat and veggies and toss in foil then onto the grill.

I of course being picky myself and having picky kids have had to make some changes.

So original post has mushrooms in it and called for ground beef or turkey.

I used no mushrooms, ick, and I used Italian sausage. I also didn't have any Worcestershire, but i think since we used Italian sausage it worked out for the best.

 

Our family has always liked Italian sausage instead of hamburger in our recipes, but you can do whatever you like.

 

My daughter loved that this was something she could help with. She got to do the mixing of the veggies and then she helped me make the meatballs.

 

I also only used 1 lb of meat, 3 large russet potatoes and 3 large carrots. I think I should've used more carrots especially since some of them got burnt and stuck to the bottom tinfoil. ;) I cooked it for 32 minutes. (It would've been only 30 minutes, but I was playing a game on my phone and got distracted)

Prep done and ready to grill



P.S. Don't touch the foil while it's cooking, it's FRICKIN HOT!

It's gonna be yummy yummy in my tummy.

So in conclusion, for a family of 4 it was a decent sized amount, but we had a piece of bread on the side. If you want this to be your main dish I would recommend using more food than I did. Also I would recommend USING OVEN MITTS and picking it up and trying to move it a bit, almost like shaking it, so you don't lose too much to burning and sticking to the bottom of the foil.

 



Crack Potatoes - Fancy hash browns!

So i saw this post on my frineds facebook and immediately knew i wanted to try it. But did I write it down....NO. So after putting the word out a week later and getting the recipe I decided tonight is the night.
I hadn't really planned on what to serve with it so we are just going to have hot dogs. Don't judge me, i'm impulsive or slothish. You get one or the other ;)

 

Here is the original recipe:

pinterest.com/pin/196610339955602558

However I didnt feel like making enough for the round table so I cut my recipe down...and since I only had some of what it called for I decided to call it improvising ;) See, no stinkin thinkin here.

So this is what I put in:
30 oz bag of Hash browns
1 16oz container of Sour Cream
1 C shredded cheese, and a pinch more becasue I love cheese (i used a mexican blend not cheddar)
6 strips of bacon, cooked and diced. (Let's be honest, only 5 1'2 pieces made it in there ;)
1 pkt ranch dip powder

I started off cooking it for 30 minutes since it is a modified recipe.
(It is cooking as I type this so I will return later with the verdict.)

Im thinking of doing a 1-5 stars scale on how I like things. Am I important enough to start a rating system...I DO WHAT I WANT! So yes, I will start a Star rating system.

Also while we are waiting, I will point out that I have very picky eaters, so I am hoping this goes over well.
My daughter doesnt like cheese, or hash browns. My son doesnt like potatoes but likes hash browns. Ya this'll be fun.


My happy litlle helper

UPDATE:

We have tried it. It is pretty good. Some reccomendations are: Less ranch mix, it was a little over powering. And more cheese. My husband is having seconds and is going to try sprinkling some shredded cheese on top them microwaving it to melt it a bit. I think cheddar not finely shredded would work great for next time. I think ill put more bacon in too. Cuz, well, IT'S BACON!



I give it 4 stars

Crescent Roll French Dips

So I saw this yummy looking dish on ....PINTEREST. Ya i'm sure that was a tough one to figure out.

Original pin:

http://pinterest.com/luckymama10/foodies/

 

And It seemed simple enough that even I couldn't mess it up. And guess what....I DIDN'T!

 

Some reccomendations though, because the directions were very minimalist.

~I would reccomend cooking them straight on the pan, not on tinfoil. Tinfoil keeps the bottoms from getting a nice crisp.

~I do not reccoment string cheese cut up as the cheese on this. It did not melt as well and i think Mozzerella just isnt the right choice.

~I would pre-cook the roast beef in the Au Jus sauce and then prepare it as directed.

 

Here's mine, looking delish



So keep pinning, i'll keep trying and someday we will all reach nirvana ;)

Cheddar Bacon Ranch Pull

I pinned this a while back and finally got around to making it the other night.

It looked so yummy, i mean how could it not....IT HAS BACON!

So the original pin is here.

 

See it does look good huh.

So I happened to be getting a loaf of bread to go along with our soup and I had cheese. (I always have cheese in this house)

Once I got home I was in luck to see I still had some ranch dip mix left too. Like when does that happen.

So I was cutting the bread and its a little ore difficult than that picture makes it look. You definitely need a bread knife. I never really understood the need for all these different knives growing up. My dad had this one knife that was about a foot long and was rounded at the end and he used it for EVERYTHING! He needed to cut up some steak, he used it. Need to cut tomatoes, used it. Need to put a little butter on bread, he used it. We always made fun of him and that knife. And when I started cooking more I had a favorite knife as well, but it doesn't cut bread for crap!

 

So anyhow, I just cut mine in thick slits and once down the center. Then I stuffed the cheese in the slits. (I used shredded cheese because it melts evenly and we used it for just about everything.) Then I stuffed in the bacon bits. I used Oscar Mayer pieces I had bought for a  breakfast burrito.

(yes i sang the theme song to spell it right)

And then I poured on the ranch butter mix. I thought it didn't look like enough in the recipe so I added more ranch. DO NOT ADD MORE RANCH. It was a little too much.

 

It was very good though except for the piece where i poured the last of the ranch butter mix onto. You know when you have all that unmixed powder and you think "oh man this is gonna be awesome". Not awesome. That part was like just licking the powder straight from the packet.

 

Here's mine!

 

Here's the recipe:

1 unsliced loaf of sourdough bread
8-12 oz cheddar cheese, thinly sliced (I used as much shredded cheese as I could stuff in it)
3 oz bag Oscar Mayer Real Bacon bits
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Tbsp Ranch dressing mix

Using a sharp bread knife cut the bread going both directions. Do not cut through the bottom crust. Place slices of cheese in between cuts. Sprinkle bacon bits on bread, making sure to get in between cuts. Mix together butter and Ranch dressing mix. Pour over bread. Wrap in foil the entire loaf in foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Unwrap. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

 

I'd like to thank Plainchicken.com for being a great website that I have gotten several delicious recipes from.



Bird's Nest Breakfast

So another Pinterest recipe I have tried a couple times is called the Bird's Nest. It's a hash brown, egg and bacon or sausage combo.

 

So the first try was pretty good. I didn't press down the hash browns much and cooked them for 15 minutes and they didn't end up with enough crunch.

 

Also a variation was that since I was out of bacon, I used little smokies cut up. It was good.

I noted that for next time I would press the browns more and cook them for 17 minutes.

 

Here's pics from try #1.

They also stuck to the pan so this is how they came out. I shoulda used more cooking spray.

 

So attempt #2, I saw a similar pin using cupcake liners. So i tried that. I did press the browns using the bottom of a measuring cup, and cooked them for 17 minutes.

Then I did everything else the same but i did use bacon this time.

I do like the bacon ones much better, but when is bacon not better.

The all around taste was way better and it held together better. But it was hard to get the paper off the hash browns.

 

Original Bird's Nest Pin

Breakfast bites

So I saw this on Pinterest and being a bit of a food lover myself, felt I owed it to my family and fans ;) to try it.

Need:

Can of biscuits, not flaky layers. Country or original is best.

3 Eggs, scrambled

4-6 pieces Bacon, cooked and crumbled

4 pieces of Cheese, preferably sliced.

Start by cooking and crumbling the bacon. We used 6 pieces because my daughter doesnt like egg or cheese, so she just had bacon. Scramble your eggs. Quarter your cheese slices. 

Open can of 8 biscuits, roll each one out flat. In the center put some egg, bacon and 2 pieces of the cheese (2 quarters). Fold up all the edges to the center and press enough to make sure its all sealed, and formed into a ball.

Place with the folded side down into cup of a muffin pan. You cn either grease the pan or use cupcake liners.

Brush the top with an egg wash (egg and little water whisked together)

Cook for 16 minutes at 350 degrees.

(I think I should have left more in the pan before taking the picture, 2 looks wierd)

Let it cool for a few minutes before eating or you will burn the F outta your mouth. My son got a little excited about trying his creation. But the kids really loved this project becasue they got to make thier own and it wasnt messy at all.

Here is a better pic.

These are freakin delicious. And filling. I almost didn't finish my second one.

You can make them as small or large as you want. Smaller bite size so you can have 3-4 or larger ones on a flat pan so you only eat one.I'm not your mama, make up your own mind :)

MMM Simple and good lunch

I tried something new about 9 years ago and now I am a fan. There are many different ways you can make this but I like the simplest version because there is little time, effort and waste.

One of my largest pet peeves is recipes that require only a small amount of something but the stores only sell in in larger amounts so you have to store it or toss it.

So anyway, this is a turkey, lettuce and cream cheese wrap.

I use strawberry cream cheese for a fruity flavor but you could use plain or a different flavored cream cheese.

Another variation is during the holidays to use plain cream cheese and cranberry sauce. Thinly sliced from the can or use whole cranberry sauce.

Simply spread the desired amount of cream cheese on tortillas

Add your lettuce. I prefer green leaf lettuce but you could use iceberg or romaine



Then add turkey. the more you add, then less it will roll and it'll be more of a taco



Roll it

This is what it looks like on the inside. I like mine smooshed a little

Its yummy yummy yummy

Oh and did i mention, my kids like it too. Less lettuce for my son, but they like the strawberry flavor with it.

Potato Boat Breakfast

So I saw this "recipe" on pinterest and it looked good so I decided to try it. And I decided to post pictures of my procces since the other person didnt. I am the type of person that like step by step pictures because I can be a bit dumb in the kitchen. And i tweaked thier recipe a little since they didnt scramble thier egg, but I dont like my eggs anyother way.

~Preheat oven to 350.

So first you need to lay your potato down til it stops moving so you know where to cut it so that all your filling wont spill out if the potato rolls



Then cut off a slice from the top, not too far down.









See like so.



But be careful







Using a spoon, dig out the center leaving a decent thickness wall and bottom.



Like this.



Add bacon (cooked ALMOST all the way, crumbled) cheese, salt and pepper as you wish. Green onions and some chopped red or green pappers would work nicely too. Basically anything you like in an omelet.

Then pour in scrambled eggs. (i used 4 eggs for these 3 potatos) leave some room at the top for they will puff up some, like a muffin. And top with a little more bacon, cheese, etc.

Carefully place on a try and slide in the oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes. The thicker your potato walls are, the longer you will need to cook these since the center will not heat properly. Since these are scrambled eggs, i pulled them out at the 20 minute mark and stirred them a little to distribute the heat better.



Unfortunately I do not have an after picture to show you because once these were done, I was so excited to try it and it looked so yummy, that I just started chomping and forgot to take a picture. :( Sorry