photo by sporkist

Foil-packet meals are ideal for camping and open-fire cooking. But they can be made at home and cooked in the oven or on the grill, too. You can make sides such as potatoes or vegetables or entire meals. Grease your foil with nonstick cooking spray. Stack the ingredients in the middle of the foil, and don’t overfill your packets. Wrap loosely, and double-fold the foil over one inch to make a tight seal at the top, then double-fold the ends. Use tongs to turn your packet.
Once it’s cooked, you can serve the meal in the foil or transfer food to plates. The best part? Cleanup is a breeze!

Steak in Foil

1 pound sirloin steak, cut into strips
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 pint cherry or Roma tomatoes
1 zucchini, chopped
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup steak sauce

Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, and lightly oil the grate. Place the steak strips on a piece of foil large enough to hold the meat and some vegetables. Layer with the red, green and yellow peppers, chopped onion, cherry tomatoes and chopped zucchini. Dot with butter, and drizzle with steak sauce. Fold the edges of the foil to seal the packet well. Grill over medium-high heat for 45 to 60 minutes. About halfway through the cooking, flip the packet and be careful not to puncture it. Cook’s note: Take care when opening the foil packet; the escaping steam will be very hot. — Amy, Ohio

Ham Sandwich in Foil

2 cups chopped cooked ham
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese or cubed Velveeta
2 tablespoons pickle relish
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons salad dressing or mayonnaise
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
8 hamburger buns

Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix together first six ingredients. Lightly butter hamburger buns. Fill buns with mixture, and wrap each sandwich in foil. Bake in oven for 20 minutes.

Asparagus in Foil

1/2 pound asparagus (8 chubby spears)
2 tablespoons butter
garlic salt
Parmesan cheese
juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 green onions, chopped
10 Roma or cherry tomatoes, halved
aluminum foil

Preheat oven to 350 F. Tear off a large enough piece of aluminum foil to wrap around the bunch of asparagus securely, and place asparagus in foil. Dot with butter, and sprinkle lightly with garlic salt. Squeeze on the juice of one lemon. Sprinkle on Parmesan cheese, garlic, onions and tomatoes. Wrap securely. Bake in oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve in foil or remove from foil.

photo by Mike

Banana Boats

2 bananas
1/4 cup chocolate chips or a milk-chocolate bar broken into sections
1/4 cup miniature marshmallows
1 teaspoon brown sugar
chopped walnuts or peanuts

Slit each banana lengthwise through the peel, making sure not to cut all the way through to the other side. Stuff the bananas with marshmallows and chocolate chips. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon each of brown sugar and desired amount of nuts. Wrap each banana in aluminum foil, and cook over a fire, on the grill or in a 300 F oven for 5 minutes, or until chocolate is melted. Eat with a spoon. You can add ice cream, too. — Sondra, e-mail

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