Hobo Pies

I had the best of intentions to catch up on blogging this summer, but I've been busy enjoying my newfound free time in other ways. So, while I have baked, I haven't gotten to the blogging part yet. Until now, that is.

This is one of my favorite summer recipes: hobo pies. Every year I look forward to camping—the time that we usually make hobo pies—so that I can eat my fill. It's been two years since I went camping and I'm not going this year, so I was delighted when my aunt suggested making them in their fire pit.

In case you aren’t familiar with hobo pies, I’ll explain.

Hobo pies are grilled cheese sandwiches parading as campfire food. They are made in a hobo pie maker, which consists of two bread-shaped pieces of iron with long handles. Buttered bread and some choice toppings go inside the iron part. The hobo pie maker is put in the fire until the hobo pie is crispy on the outside, hot and melty on the inside.
Everyone looks forward to hobo pie night when we’re camping! We usually do pizza hobo pies for dinner, and blueberry marshmallow hobo pies for dessert. However, the filling choices are practically endless.

Neither I nor google is exactly sure where the name "hobo pies" came from (hobos sitting around a campfire making a simple dinner?), so, without further ado, here is the recipe.

Pizza Hobo Pies

Ingredients:
Sandwich Bread
Butter, for spreading on bread
Pizza sauce
Mozzarella Cheese
Pizza toppings (ham, pineapple, pepperoni, ground sausage, onions, peppers, etc.)

Directions:
1. Spread butter on two pieces of bread. Put bread in hobo pie makers, buttered side facing the iron.
2. Spread sauce on one or both pieces of bread. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on one of the pieces of bread. Put desired toppings on top of the cheese.
3. Put the hobo pie maker back together—it works best if the iron with the piece of bread without toppings is tipped over onto the iron holding the bread with toppings.
4. Put hobo pie maker into the coals of a bonfire; after about 3 minutes (depending on how hot the coals are), check the piece of bread facing the coals, and check about every minute after that until the bread is golden brown. Once golden brown, turn the hobo pie maker over so that the other piece of bread is facing down.
5. Remove from fire when both pieces of bread are golden brown. Be careful with the hobo pie maker when dumping out the hobo pie; it will be extremely hot. Be sure to place the hobo pie maker where it won't melt anything or burn someone. Wait 1-2 minutes when it is cooler to eat the hobo pie.

Dessert Hobo Pies

Ingredients:
1 can of pie filling (blueberry, cherry, etc.)
Marshmallows or marshmallow fluff

Directions:
1. Spread butter on two pieces of bread. Put bread in hobo pie makers, butter side facing the iron.
2. Spread pie filling on one or both pieces of bread. Spread marshmallows or marshmallow fluff on the pie filling (marshmallows work better if they are torn up).
3. Put the hobo pie maker back together and proceed the same way you would make pizza hobo pies.

This process can be replicated with any fillings, such as ham and cheese.