Eating in Color ... and in Foil

Don't think that this meal is a representative sample of our everyday menu. It isn't. I like recipes that come recommended from others, but I know I am more likely to make them if I can see how it is done, or what the finished product looks like. So, here is a step by step picture recipe. We made 9 dinners with this recipe. They were huge and easily could have served 12.

Colorful Veggies in Foil
Ingredients:
1 zucchini squash, chopped into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 yellow squash, chopped into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 lb. mushrooms, quartered
1 pkg. cherry or grape tomatoes
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 green bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
2/3 c. Kraft Zesty Italian dressing
Parmesan Cheese

Step 1 Wash and cut all veggies. Toss with dressing to coat. Attach 2 pieces of foil together by folding edges 3 times. (like if you were sewing a hem) Dump all veggies onto foil.
Step 2 Fold sides up over the ends of the veggies.
Close top by bringing last 2 sides together and "hemming" the last 2 pieces together. This is how it looks when it is done. Cook in the same manner as the foil dinners (below) except cook only 6 minutes per side. Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese and serve.
Foil Dinners
Ingredients:

5 lbs. potatoes, chopped
8 lbs. marinaded chopped meat (this shows chicken)
2 lbs. carrots chopped
1 onion, chopped
3-4 stalks celery, chopped (I forgot to put this on my grocery list, so we used celery salt instead: Oops!)
salt & pepper to taste
garlic powder, abt. 1/2 tsp. per foil pouch

I marinade my meat in Kraft Zesty Italian dressing


Step 1 Lay out 2 sheets of foil per dinner. (Don't be stingy or your dinners might not fit!)
Step 2 Spray foil with Pam, and place a pile of potatoes. I chop all my veggies ahead and keep covered with water, then just before I use them, I drain them with my Tupperware Impressions Colander. Step 3 Add carrots (and celery if you remember to buy it)
Step 4 add onions, garlic and seasonings to taste. These are my well-used Tupperware Salt & Pepper Shakers. I don't usually use celery salt. Potatoes are bland, so be generous with the seasonings.
Step 5 add the meat. I cut my meat frozen (its easier) and then throw it in my Tupperware Season Serve container with the dressing, and as it thaws, it absorbs the marinade. Marinade meat at least 4 hours, for best flavor
Step 6 Just like the veggies, fold up the dinners into pouches. Wrap one sheet of foil at a time.
Step 7 I use a cookie sheet to transport my dinners out to the fire. This is what they look like all wrapped up.
Step 8 the coals or briquettes should be grayish. This means they are hot enough to cook the food. Troy came home early to get my fire going. (Our friends arrived at 6pm) We used really dry firewood and it took about 30-40 mins. to get this hot.
Step 9 Place foil dinners directly on hot coals. Cook about 10-15 minutes
Step 10 Use metal tongs to turn dinners. Be very careful not to pierce or tear foil. Rotate the positioning of dinners, as there may be "hot spots" in the firepit. After another 10 minutes, check for doneness and enjoy. We topped ours with BBQ sauce. Sorry- I was so anxious to eat, I forgot to take a picture of the finished product.
Last Step Sit back and enjoy the food, the fire, and the friends. We made S'mores for dessert. I ate 7!! Yummy!

Hot Dogs, Marshmallows, Books? and Firewood

As you can see from the enormous wood pile, we need to get rid of some of it. What better way than with a backyard cooking fire? So, while Troy was at work today, we walked to the store, bought the hot dogs (Oscar Mayer Cheese Dogs- My favorite!!), buns, and marshmallows.
We also dug the firepit and hauled the 10 stepping stones to border it, filled 2- 25 gallon water jugs with pitchers and water from the kitchen sink, and selected the book to use to start the fire.

When Daddy got home, we were ready! Because it rained today, the wood was a little damp, so it took a little longer than normal to get it going. But, Troy is really good at making fires. When we camp, all the girls try to start a fire and after a while, they inevitably come find him to really get it going. In the meantime, Timmy got tired of the fire, but busied himself climbing on the woodpile. The first 2 pictures were taken with him standing in the same place on the wall. So, you can see what a huge pile it is. Soon enough, the fire was ready for cooking. We all cooked our own hot dogs, including Timmy. He was so pleased to eat his charcoaled outside, cold inside dog, just because he had done it himself. What an independent streak! Then we roasted some marshmallows, and for dessert, We burned a book.

What!?!

Yes, I am in a book club, and last month, someone, I won't mention names, chose the worst book I have ever read. The storyline was terrible, the language was so foul it was offensive, and I didn't like the writing style. I almost hate to mention the title, to peak your curiosity, because I would never recommend this book to anyone. But just to illustrate the irony of the title and the book's fate, I will. It was titled "Juniper Tree Burning," and I told someone in the book club that it deserved to be burned, so I included 2 pictures of the book in the fire, just to prove the point. I know it's silly, but it made me smile.

If any of you locals want to join us for a backyard cooking fire, just let us know. Or, if you need wood to have one in your yard, you know where to get it!