If you know me well, then you know I love Cajun food! It’s my favorite thing to make and eat. Actually, I like Southern cooking, in general, but especially Cajun-style. I have to stop myself from putting Cajun seasoning in just about everything b/c I think it would make everything taste better, but I also don’t want everything to taste the same either so it’s a trade off.
My husband LOVES to camp. Me, not so much, but I try to make him happy and go every once in a while b/c I know he loves it. For me, it’s more that I don’t like bugs that I don’t like to go. And I cherish sleeping in a cozy bed with A/C. And I like all the luxuries of having a bathroom nearby and being able to go to the restroom without a spider staring at me. And so many other things, but the main thing is BUGS.
I seriously think that one day I will die of a heart attack from an ill-timed bug landing. But that’s another matter – maybe once I hit a certain age – I will have to refrain from going camping for safety reasons. :-p But, hopefully, right now I’m out of heart attack range – we shall see. Although, it’s also a safety hazard for those I’m with b/c I’m known to scare the pants off everyone around me as well when I scream like I’m being murdered so people might start banning me from going too.. :-/ We shall see.
But I do like the adventure of camping. I think it’s exciting in some ways and fun stuff usually happens along with the bad stuff. I remember a saying and I don’t know where it’s from but I didn’t make it up: the difference between an adventure and an ordeal is attitude. So, if I keep in the right frame of mind, it is an adventure. And if I don’t, it’s an ordeal for everyone which is not ideal.
Anyhoo, these foil packets are right up my alley for camping and even for not camping b/c I like real, hot food regardless of where I’m at. I think these foil packets are so easy to make for dinner that it’s also good for times when you are renovating a place. Of course, I learned about them on Facebook but I added to the recipe a little bit (cheese and sour cream make everything taste better, in my opinion).
I use regular frozen corn not corn on the cob b/c I don’t like to get messy. And after it’s done cooking, I add cheddar cheese and sour cream to the little packet and seal it back up so that it melts into it for about 5 minutes – it’s a must do! Then, you just spoon feed yourself directly from the packet. And each person gets their own individual packet so you can customize each one. My husband and 2 of my kids hate shrimp so I always do theirs with chicken and it’s just as good maybe even a little better, I dare say..
Ingredients:
-Shrimp or Chicken (cubed)
-Potatoes (cut up kind of small-ish – the smaller you cut them the faster they cook) – I get those small new potatoes from Sam’s club (prewashed) and cut them in quarters
-Smoked Sausage (cut up into bite-sized pieces)
-Frozen corn
-Olive Oil
-Cajun Seasoning (I use Tony Cachere’s b/c I think it’s the best) – copious amounts of this – don’t be scared. Well, for the kid’s packets go light on it b/c it can get spicy. But for the adults, let it rain!!!
-Sour cream
-Cheddar cheese
Directions:
Get a really long piece of foil – about the length of a baking sheet or a little longer and put the desired amount of food in the midddle (shrimp or chicken, sausage, potatoes, corn, drizzle of olive oil and desired amount (copious?) of cajun seasoning), then fold up all the sides and make sure it is sealed well (this seals in the juices so everything stays juicy and not that other word that everyone hates).
You can cook this in the oven or on the campfire. For the oven, place the foil packets on a baking sheet and cook at 425 degrees for 15 to 17 minutes – or until potatoes are soft and chicken is cooked through. It usually takes 30 to 45 minutes for me. You’ll start to smell the wonderful aromas when it is getting close to being done. When done, open up the foil and add a dollop of sour cream and handfuls 🙂 of cheese, then close it back up and wait 5 minutes for the cheese to melt.
This can be customized in sooo many ways – I’m looking forward to trying all kinds of variations. How about barbeque sauce instead of cajun seasoning? YUMMM!!
Here’s a link to the original website where I found this recipe:
http://damndelicious.net/2015/08/26/shrimp-boil-foil-packets/