Hobo Packs on the Grill

12 Simple Ingredients:

3 small/medium Squash (zucchini if you prefer) (diced)

A heaping handful (or 2) of cherry or grape tomatoes (cut in half)
A handful of grapes (cut in half)
3 ears of corn (cut in 4 pieces)
1 onion (large dice)
1 bell pepper (large dice)
1 meatless patty and/or 1 boneless chicken breast

Olive Oil (a dash)

Seasoned Salt
Italian Seasoning and/or Chili Powder
(Salt & Pepper to taste)
(This will easily feed 2 adults, a picky toddler, and still provide left-overs for lunch the next day!)

Prepping the Goodies:
(You will probably just want to stick with one version, unless you're an over-achiever like me. ha!)
Combine squash, tomatoes, grapes, corn, onion, & bell pepper in a bowl.
Add about 2 tbsp olive oil.

Add 1 tbsp of seasoned salt.
Add 1 tbsp of either Italian seasoning, or chili powder.

Add salt & pepper to your liking.
Combine well.

Meanwhile, place the chicken (if you're using chicken) in a Ziploc bag & pound it with a meat mallet, rolling pin, spoon, your hand... Whatever you got! (The Ziploc will keep the juice & bits o' meat from flying all over your kitchen. Feel free not to use it, I just prefer a salmonella-free home. lol) I prefer *really* thin meat. It cooks faster & seems to absorb flavor better. And, when I say that I prefer really thin meat, I of course mean that I prefer to serve it really thin, I'm not eating the stuff. ;)

Making the Packs:
Cut 2 longish pieces of aluminum foil. (Or, if you're doing 2 meals, like I did, cut 4 pieces.)
Lay 1 piece of the foil out on the counter.
Pile the veggie mixture on the foil, spreading it out a bit.
Place the meat on top of the veggies.

Take the 2nd piece of foil & lay it on top of the mixture.
Fold the edges on all 4 sides up really well. Make sure there is no place for steam to escape!
Now, On To the Cooking!:
Place the packs on the grill, over medium-high heat.
Cook for about 40 minutes - no peeking or you lose your steam!
(You can cook it in the oven if a grill isn't available. My guess would be 35 min at 350*.)

How to Eat:
You can serve it straight out of the pack. (Great for outdoor parties or camping!)
Or, you can be a bit fancier & serve it on a plate, like I did. ('Cause I'm REAL fancy.)
Serve it with some bread that you butter & grill... Yumm-o!

Luke's response? Heck, I made this like a month ago, I don't remember. (Yes, I know, I've been busy. Toddler people - toddler. -and if you've never had one, then no, that word doesn't mean anything to you.) I want to say he actually skipped the BBQ sauce this night though - that says A LOT. I remember the chicken was soooo moist, it was just falling apart. Steam really is a great thing. I really think fish is the best meat for hobo packs, but there's not a lot of fish eating in my house.

Meat-lover Variation:

Um, what? You got meat this time. Duh. ;) Really though, if you like fish, this is the perfect kind of recipe for it!

Easy Spicy Grilled Dinner

I'm baaaaaack. At least for now. ;) Here's a quick, easy, flavorful dinner idea for you.

13 Simple Ingredients:
Olive Oil (as needed)
Lime Juice
Garlic Salt
Cayenne Pepper (optional - not recommended for kiddos)
Chili Pepper
Paprika
4 tbsp Butter

Chicken breasts (or other parts) - 1 portion per diner
2 Ears of Corn on the Cob (halved & cooked in boiling water for about 8 min)
2 Squash (cut in equally thick pieces, long ways)
1 Zucchini (cut in equally thick pieces, long ways)

1/4 Large Red Onion (cut in equally thick pieces)
Flat Bread (1/2 piece per person)

Prepping the Goodies:
Marinate the chicken over night in a mix of chicken broth & lime juice. If you're like me & decide to make this at the last minute, splash 2 tbsp of lime juice on the chicken & defrost it in the microwave. :)
Then beat the crap out of it. Okay, let's just say - flatten it out pretty well, being careful not to tear it into a million pieces.
Now, sprinkle both sides of the chicken with garlic salt (LOTS of it!), cayenne (Go easy on it, I've seen bad things happen with ppl & too much cayenne - think hospital trip. Seriously.), chili powder, and paprika.
Brush the veggies all with enough olive oil to keep 'em from sticking.

For the butter:
(You will need to make more if you're serving more than 4 people.)
Soften (NOT melt), 4 tbsp of butter.
Add 1/2 tsp lemon juice,
1/2 tsp garlic salt,
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 paprika
(Throw in a pinch of cayenne for heat if you want to.)
Mix all of that up really well.

Now, on to the Cooking!
Now, put it ALL on the grill. It will all stay there on medium heat for about 20 min. Be sure to turn it after about 10 min.

(Once everything is cooked, throw the flat bread on the grill for a few minutes to warm it up.)

How to eat:
Cut the squash, zucchini, & onion into bite sized chunks.
Throw them in a serving bowl.
Add 1/2 of the butter mixture.
Stir.

Take remaining butter & spread on corn & 1 side of each piece of flatbread.
I added a dollop of sour cream for the chicken 'cause... well, why not?

Luke's response: it's pretty good. When asked if I could make it again ('cause it's SO easy) he said yes. That's a good sign from a man that wants BBQ sauce on all chicken. haha!
My thoughts? The veggies are wonderful! I didn't add cayenne to the butter 'cause I really hoped the kiddo would eat some. He didn't & I would've liked more spicy flavor on the corn personally. (The veggie mix was fine 'cause the onions added a kick.)

Meat-lover Variation:
You have got to be kidding me. That's more than enough meat for anyone! ;) But, some crumbled bacon would add a good dimension to the veggie mix.

Beanie Burgers

Or, I suppose you could make them beanie weenies. haha Yummy alternative to ground beef burgers... Here we go!

9 Simple Ingredients:
2 tbsp Basil (I like the paste stuff!)
1 tbsp garlic (I like the pre-minced stuff so my hands don't get stinky.)
1 can of kidney beans - rinsed & drained
1 cup of bread crumbs
1/2 cup of walnuts - chopped pretty finely
1 cup black olives - chopped
1/4 yellow or white onion - chopped
1 tbsp olive oil

4 hamburger buns
(And, of course, any fixins' you want!)

Prepping the Goodies:
In a food processor, add the basil, garlic, kidney beans, 1/2 of the bread crumbs, walnuts, olives, & onion & combine until all ingredients are chopped & blended & they begin to stick together really well.

Then form 4 equal patties, that should be about 1/2" thick. Rub olive oil over both sides & coat both sides with remaining bread crumbs.

Now, on to the Cooking!:
Cover grill with foil. Make sure you poke holes in the foil to allow the heat to escape (spraying the foil would be helpful too - just do it before turning the flame on please!).
Cook the patties over medium heat.
Grills are all a bit different, so I'll say you need to cook it about 5-8 minutes per side.
You'll have to just watch it, and make sure it's firming up, but not burning.
I prefer to cook with the cover closed. I'm no grilling expert though.

Here's what you'll have when the patties are done:

How to it eat:
Like any other burger. :) I made a basil/garlic mayo by mixing 2 tbsp mayo with 1 tsp basil paste, 1/2 tsp garlic, and 1/4 tsp dry mustard. We had grilled broccoli & mac-n-cheese with our burgers. Yummm!Luke's response was: pretty good. I'm sure he would've preferred something more spicy on there, and I should've thought to add cheese to his (I'm not a cheeseburger eater).



Meat-lover variation:
Throw some bacon on there if you must.