This week our families have been on vacation together which is probably the start of a new tradition for us.
We found a great cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains which is located on a large amount of acreage. This has allowed us to fly kites, take hikes, and play outside in the grass. Also located on this property is a fire pit. It is probably only 3 feet across and 1 foot deep, but it does the trick nicely.
Because we knew from the literature attached with our reservation that a fire pit was here so we planned a few menus to cook on the open fire.
We especially enjoyed making hobos–a name that I remember from my girl scouting days. It also doesn’t hurt being married to an eagle scout and also having a 16-year old boy scout in the making. By putting our heads together and testing different options, we were all able to come up with a very successful recipe.
Ingredients Used:
- 2 slices of heavy-duty aluminum foil for each person
- Pam spray
- hamburger patty OR 3 to 4 chicken tenderloin pieces for each meal (we picked tenderloins instead of chicken breasts because they are even in thickness)
- If using chicken, consider marinating in Italian dressing for 3 to 4 hours ahead of time
- Sliced mushrooms
- Thinly sliced potatoes (we used red so we wouldn’t have to peel them
- Sliced carrots
- Diced onions
- Sliced bell peppers (we bought the kind already sliced with 3 different peppers)
- Shredded cheese
- Barbeque sauce and/or worcestershire sauce
- Salt & pepper
Begin by making a campfire. Continue burning until a nice bed of hot coals is formed. Make sure someone is in charge of watching the fire while others in your dinner party proceed to assemble their dinners.
Directions for Assembling the Hobos:
- Use two slices of heavy-duty aluminum foil for each meal.
- Spray top piece of foil lightly with Pam spray
- Place a beef patty or chicken tenderloins directly on the foil.
- Place desired amounts of potato slices, mushrooms, bell peppers, diced onions, and carrots on top of meat.
- Season with barbeque sauce, worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper if desired.
- Shredded cheese can be added at this point if desired, but it tends to burn. We found it best to add it after the meal is cooked. That way, the hot meal melts the cheese when added.
- Bring the end pieces of foil to the middle and roll them together. Then roll each end inward to seal the meal securely
- If you have numerous people like we do, you will want to take a sharpie marker and put each person’s initials on the outside of the foil.
Cooking the Hobos:
- Take the foiled meals out to the fire pit.
- Once the fire has burned down and a nice set of coals are present, place each foiled meal with the meat nearest the coals, on the floor of the fire pit, directly on top of the coals
- Allow the Hobos to cook for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Once time has elapsed, open one of the meals to make sure the meat is done.
- Remove the Hobos from the fire pit.
- Now, being very careful of the steam that will escape when the foil is opened, expose the meal by curling back the sides of the foil.
- All you need now is something to eat it with and something to drink.
- Once you finish eating, the best part is you get to throw your dish away!
Kids, young and old, really enjoyed this activity because it wasn’t only fun to make, but was very tasty, too.
Now we are all talking about going home and making our own fire pit so we can do this some more.
I thought the dinners were good as well. Make sure they all go on about the same time, otherwise early additions will end up overly done while you wait on the rest to cook.
So, in my typical “Sidetracked” mind, I was thinking about the term “Hobo” and how it’s not a term commonly used anymore and probably not too politically correct. So, I decided to look up more about the term. Apparently, a Hobo was simply a migratory worker that traveled from place to place looking for a job. But my favorite find was this list called the “Hobo Ethical Code” from 1889. The code listed below was on Wikipedia.
Hobo Ethical Code
An ethical code was created by Tourist Union #63 during its 1889 National Hobo Convention in St. Louis Missouri. This code was voted upon as a concrete set of laws to govern the Nation-wide Hobo Body; it reads this way:
- Decide your own life, don’t let another person run or rule you.
- When in town, always respect the local law and officials, and try to be a gentleman at all times.
- Don’t take advantage of someone who is in a vulnerable situation, locals or other hobos.
- Always try to find work, even if temporary, and always seek out jobs nobody wants. By doing so you not only help a business along, but ensure employment should you return to that town again.
- When no employment is available, make your own work by using your added talents at crafts.
- Do not allow yourself to become a stupid drunk and set a bad example for locals’ treatment of other hobos.
- When jungling in town, respect handouts, do not wear them out, another hobo will be coming along who will need them as bad, if not worse than you.
- Always respect nature, do not leave garbage where you are jungling.
- If in a community jungle, always pitch in and help.
- Try to stay clean, and boil up wherever possible.
- When traveling, ride your train respectfully, take no personal chances, cause no problems with the operating crew or host railroad, act like an extra crew member.
- Do not cause problems in a train yard, another hobo will be coming along who will need passage through that yard.
- Do not allow other hobos to molest children, expose all molesters to authorities, they are the worst garbage to infest any society.
- Help all runaway children, and try to induce them to return home.
- Help your fellow hobos whenever and wherever needed, you may need their help someday.
- If present at a hobo court and you have testimony, give it. Whether for or against the accused, your voice counts!
I think it is still timely and much of the code would be beneficial even today.
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