50+ Lifestyles

Tin Foil Dinners

The traditional camp foil dinner consists of: (per person)
1/4 lb ground beef – can be patty or loose meat, your choice
1 medium sized potato – sliced or cubed to bite size pieces
1 carrot – sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
seasonings to taste

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I always use a patty, but have it fairly thin. I place the potato on the foil first, then carrots, then onion, the seasonings then the meat. This is the only time I use hamburger with a fat content. My seasonings very depending on what I want at the time. Always a little salt, pepper, parsley. I might add rosemary, basil or chili powder. This is entirely a personal choice. You could also add a small amount of A-1 or bar-b-que sauce. Or use the sauces after it is cooked.

My son would always put the onion on first. The onion is tender enough that if it is next to the foil it will burn. He didn’t like the onion, but he did like the flavor it added while cooking. So he let it burn on the foil, then just didn’t eat it.

These are great for cook-outs. Everyone can prepare their own meal. You can also add celery, green peppers. Whatever you like. Chicken pieces or strips can be used in place of the beef. Just make sure that the chicken pieces are small enough to cook through.

These individual meals can be cooked on the grill, in coals in a fire pit or in your oven indoors. Enjoy the meal!

Frozen Fruit Salad

1/2 cup white sugar
2 cups water
1 (6 ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 (6 ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
4 bananas, sliced
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice
1 (10 ounce) package frozen strawberries, thawed

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Use a large bowl to mix Alfredo, chicken, broccoli, and cheeses.Spoon the mixture you have into pasta shells.Grease 13 x 9 baking dish with butter or cooking spray. Try to spread spaghetti sauce on bottom of baking dish. Arrange shells in baking pan. Cover with foil and bake 35 minutes.

Options: Use tomato spaghetti sauce or marinara sauce or a combination of the Alfredo and tomato sauces. Use regular shell macaroni, cooked according to package instructions, and mix all together like a casserole .

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Stuffed Shells

1 jar (16 oz) alfredo sauce
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
2 cups cooked broccoli, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup shredded parmesan
21 jumbo pasta shells, cooked DO NOT OVERCOOK

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Use a large bowl to mix Alfredo, chicken, broccoli, and cheeses.Spoon the mixture you have into pasta shells.Grease 13 x 9 baking dish with butter or cooking spray. Try to spread spaghetti sauce on bottom of baking dish. Arrange shells in baking pan. Cover with foil and bake 35 minutes.

Options: Use tomato spaghetti sauce or marinara sauce or a combination of the Alfredo and tomato sauces. Use regular shell macaroni, cooked according to package instructions, and mix all together like a casserole .

Pasta Salad with Bacon

1 lb. Cut or Elbow Macaroni
1 large cucumber, peeled and cut in small chunks
2 cups diced fresh tomato
5-6 chopped green onion scallions
8 pieces bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
1 cup mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch dry mix
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

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Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain in colander and cold water. Place drained pasta in large bowl. Combine mayonnaise and dry ranch mix and gently stir into pasta coating well. Add cucumber, tomatoes and scallions and gently blend. Add bacon and cheese and blend all well. Refrigerate until chilled.

Gooey Turtle Cake

1 cup chocolate chips
2 cups pecans (1 cup chopped, the other cup in halves or larger pieces)
3/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 (14 ounce) bags caramels
1 1/3 cups water ( or as called for by your cake mix)
1/3 cup oil ( or as called for by your cake mix)
3 eggs ( or as called for by your cake mix)
1 (18 ounce) boxes German chocolate cake mix

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Prepare cake mix as directed. Pour 1/2 of the batter in a 13×9 inch pan. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Remove and let cool. In a double boiler, add caramels, milk and butter and stir constantly till melted.

Pour 1/2 melted caramel over cooling cake. Sprinkle on top chopped pecans & chocolate chips. Pour remaining batter on top and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Remove and slightly cool. Then pour remaining caramel sauce over the top. Add rest of pecans. Let cool before cutting.

Ella can be contacted at ellaweeza@yahoo.com or Ella – 50+ Lifestyles, 804 W Lombard Street, Davenport, IA, 52804