I know I’ve said it before, but I absolutely love evenings spent around the campfire with friends or family. This Monday our cooking group chose Campfire Food as our theme and it was so much fun!

Jenny, our resident ex-camp counselor, decided that we should do Hobos. So we passed around great shiny sheets of aluminum foil, folded them into envelopes and filled them with all sorts of splendid things.

I brought onions and bell peppers in a marinade of soy sauce, sesame oil and fresh ginger and Jenny showed us the “proper” way to add raw potato to a hobo: bite off small chunks and spit it into the bag. Apparently at her camp they weren’t allowed to have knives and their incisors did the trick nicely. 🙂

We also had fresh green and purple beans, Kielbasa, salmon, and spicy sausages.

Everyone fixed their own hobo and due to our unconventional potato adding method, folks kept a beady eye on their packet so as not to get it mixed up with anyone else’s. 🙂

While the packets cooked on the grill, we clustered round the fire and bit into juicy, flame-roasted corn on the cob. Oh my! So sweet and smoky it didn’t even need butter. Mmm, mmm!

By the time dinner was over night had fallen and the stars were out. We pulled on cardigans and sweatshirts, refilled our wine glasses, and edged our chairs closer to the fire. Jon pulled out his guitar and we took turns joining in on the songs we knew.

We roasted marshmallows for s’mores made decadent with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and dark chocolate with cherries and almonds. Then Selwyn showed us how to make our second dessert: fire-roasted bananas stuffed with chocolate, toffee, mini-marshmallows and pecans. Oh. My. Word. Twas pure campfire bliss.

Do you like camp food? What is your favorite meal?

Hobos

Ingredients:

meat – chicken, salmon, kielbasa, beef, sausage, etc
vegetables – potatoes, peppers, onion, green beans, corn, etc
sauce – Asian, Italian dressing, pesto, etc
Aluminum foil
Roaring fire

Directions:

1. Using two sheets of aluminum foil, make an envelope and fold the edges to seal.
2. Add your choice of meat, vegetables and sauce. Fold to seal.
3. Place on grate above fire or directly in the coals.
4. Cook 15-30 minutes. Test potatoes for doneness. Eat hot.

Fire-Roasted Bananas

Ingredients:

bananas
Toppings – chopped nuts, mini chocolate chips, toffee bits, mini marshmallows, raisins, coconut, etc
Aluminum foil
Roaring fire

Directions:

1. Peel back one strip of banana peel, but do not remove.
2. Cut a trench down exposed portion of banana. Fill with toppings of choice.
3. Replace banana skin over filling and wrap tightly with aluminum foil.
4. Toss into hot coals and cook for ten minutes, turning halfway through. Eat hot.