FOIL DINNERS

One of the meals that is always asked for every time we camp is foil packet
dinners. Since the ingredients change every time, I don't mind making this
over and over, and clean-up is very easy - you don't even need a dish if you
eat out of the packet.

To make the packet:
Take a 18x12 inch square piece of foil and set it with the shiny side up. Take
a 9x12 inch strip of newspaper, dip it into a pan of water so that it is dripping wet, and place it on half of the foil sheet. Fold the other half of the foil sheet over. You should now have a 9x12 sandwich of foil and wet paper.

Fold this in half to make a 6x9 rectangle, with the fold at the top. Now flip up the side, leaving a 1 inch fold at the bottom; turn over and repeat. If you did this right, it looks like a W from the side. This pleat is the bottom. Crimp the two sides by folding over and squeezing the edges tightly about three times.

Now stick your hand in the top and open up the packet so that it will stand up (the pleat opens into a flat bottom). It looks like a little foil bucket or lunch bag if you did it correctly.

This sounds complicated but it's really not that bad... and it works – I’ve never had these leak food or burn.

Now layer in the food. Do not overfill. If the person eating wants more than the bag can hold, they should make 2 bags instead of 1 giant one. When I do this with my girls I just make a few extra out of the leftovers, they always seem to be eaten.

To put in the food:
If your packet has relatively fatless meat or no meat, put in a pat of margarine or a strip of bacon. If we have leftover bacon from breakfast, we put it in regardless.
Next, put in the meat. Hamburger meat (about 1/4 lb per packet) seems to be the favourite, with chicken (boneless, cut into chunks) a second choice.

Next, put in the potatoes or rice. If using rice, you would want to add liquid.
Next, add vegetables, fresh or frozen, cut into bite size chunks. Broth or gravy and other seasonings are added last. Soy sauce always seems to go well in these.

Crimp the top and mark as you like.(We use permanent markers)

To cook:
Set on hot grey coals for about an hour. Do not turn or flip or lay on its side, just stand up on the coals and leave it be. You can check after 45 minutes for doneness, I've never had them cook sooner. You can usually start smelling them about 15 minutes before they are ready, it really gets the girls moving on setting the table.