So, sure enough, in just a week. Jack and his
father were off for the woods of Maine, to a
lake where the fishing was wonderful. They
had a little log-cabin to sleep in, with a lean-to
for their stores and cooking things, and there
was a circle of stones, all blackened from other
fires, where they could cook out of doors. The
trees ran right down to the water's edge, and it
was so still, and cool, and lovely that, if they
122 THE FUN OF COOKINa
had not been so hungry they conld have sat and
looked out at the lake for hours. As it was, as
soon as they were settled and the guide had
paddled off, they decided to have supper at
once.
The first thing was to make a fire, and Jack
brought an armful of twigs and began to lay
them in the stone fireplace.
**No, that 's not the way," said his father.
* ' There are several kinds of camp-fires, and the
one we want to-night is the quick one. You
must get two green sticks, about three feet long,
with crotches at the top, and stick them well into
the ground so they will cross at the top; then
you can fill the kettle with water and hang it up,
two feet from the fire, and under it you arrange
loosely some very dry small twigs; have some
larger ones at hand to put on as they bum up ;
that makes a hot, quick fire ; some campers call
it a * wigwam* fire, because they build it up in
that pointed shape. To-night, however, the first
thing to do is to start the coffee ; this is the way
to make it :
CAMP COFFEE
1 pint of cold water.
3 heaping tablespoonfuls of ground
coffee✪ Camp Coffee.
The First Supper in Camp
IN CAMP 125
As soon as the water bubbles, and before it really boils,
take the kettle off and let it stand for ten minutes where
it is hot. Pour a tablespoonful of cold water down the
spout to settle it."
While the coffee was making, they cut a large
slice of ham from the whole one they had
brought with them, and after the frying-pan was
heated on the coals, they put this in it to cook.
Then Jack got out four eggs to have them ready,
while Father Blair gave him this simple rule :
HAM AND EGGS
Cut off the rind; when the pan is hot, put the meat in;
turn often; season with pepper✪ Ham and Eggs. Take up, put on a hot
dish, and cover; break the eggs into the hot fat, and when
they are set, turn each one carefully over and brown it.
'*You cook bacon exactly in this way, too;
only you must be careful not to cook it too long ;
you take it up when it is still transparent and
before it turns to dry chips. Now, if you will
get out the cups and sugar and condensed
milk, and the bread and butter, supper will be
ready. ' ^
They slept that night rolled up in their
blankets in the bunks built on the cabin walls,
and woke very early to hear the birds singing at
the top of their little lungs. When they had
had a dip in the lake and the fire was burning
126 THE FUN OF COOKING
brightly and the kettle was on, Jack said he
wanted more ham and eggs for breakfast.
**Not.a bit of it!'^ said his father. ^*We are
too far from civilization to have eggs every
day ; remember, the guide will not be back for a
week with any more, and we must be saving of
these. This morning we wiU have bacon — ^lots
of it — and corn-cakes; by dinner-time, if we
have any sort of luck, we shall have some fish to
fry.^*
As they had two frying-pans. Jack used the
smaller one on one side of the fire for the bacon,
while his father, after mixing the cakes, baked
them in the larger one. As the strips of bacon
grew a little brown and curly. Jack took them
up one by one and kept them hot till the cakes
and coffee were ready too.
* * Pour out all the bacon fat from the pan and
save it,'* said his father, as Jack finished the
last piece. * ' It 's the best thing in the world to
cook with in camp, for it flavors everything just
as you want it. We '11 need all we can get of it.
And here 's your receipt for the cakes. ' '
CORN-CAKES ✪ Corn-Cakes
Page 29 · 3 recipe records on this page
Presented as published in 1915. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
A modernized reading is not available for this page yet. You are seeing the original text.
So, sure enough, in just a week. Jack and his
father were off for the woods of Maine, to a
lake where the fishing was wonderful. They
had a little log-cabin to sleep in, with a lean-to
for their stores and cooking things, and there
was a circle of stones, all blackened from other
fires, where they could cook out of doors. The
trees ran right down to the water's edge, and it
was so still, and cool, and lovely that, if they
122 THE FUN OF COOKINa
had not been so hungry they conld have sat and
looked out at the lake for hours. As it was, as
soon as they were settled and the guide had
paddled off, they decided to have supper at
once.
The first thing was to make a fire, and Jack
brought an armful of twigs and began to lay
them in the stone fireplace.
**No, that 's not the way," said his father.
* ' There are several kinds of camp-fires, and the
one we want to-night is the quick one. You
must get two green sticks, about three feet long,
with crotches at the top, and stick them well into
the ground so they will cross at the top; then
you can fill the kettle with water and hang it up,
two feet from the fire, and under it you arrange
loosely some very dry small twigs; have some
larger ones at hand to put on as they bum up ;
that makes a hot, quick fire ; some campers call
it a * wigwam* fire, because they build it up in
that pointed shape. To-night, however, the first
thing to do is to start the coffee ; this is the way
to make it :
CAMP COFFEE
1 pint of cold water.
3 heaping tablespoonfuls of ground
coffee.
The First Supper in Camp
IN CAMP 125
As soon as the water bubbles, and before it really boils,
take the kettle off and let it stand for ten minutes where
it is hot. Pour a tablespoonful of cold water down the
spout to settle it."
While the coffee was making, they cut a large
slice of ham from the whole one they had
brought with them, and after the frying-pan was
heated on the coals, they put this in it to cook.
Then Jack got out four eggs to have them ready,
while Father Blair gave him this simple rule :
HAM AND EGGS
Cut off the rind; when the pan is hot, put the meat in;
turn often; season with pepper. Take up, put on a hot
dish, and cover; break the eggs into the hot fat, and when
they are set, turn each one carefully over and brown it.
'*You cook bacon exactly in this way, too;
only you must be careful not to cook it too long ;
you take it up when it is still transparent and
before it turns to dry chips. Now, if you will
get out the cups and sugar and condensed
milk, and the bread and butter, supper will be
ready. ' ^
They slept that night rolled up in their
blankets in the bunks built on the cabin walls,
and woke very early to hear the birds singing at
the top of their little lungs. When they had
had a dip in the lake and the fire was burning
126 THE FUN OF COOKING
brightly and the kettle was on, Jack said he
wanted more ham and eggs for breakfast.
**Not.a bit of it!'^ said his father. ^*We are
too far from civilization to have eggs every
day ; remember, the guide will not be back for a
week with any more, and we must be saving of
these. This morning we wiU have bacon — ^lots
of it — and corn-cakes; by dinner-time, if we
have any sort of luck, we shall have some fish to
fry.^*
As they had two frying-pans. Jack used the
smaller one on one side of the fire for the bacon,
while his father, after mixing the cakes, baked
them in the larger one. As the strips of bacon
grew a little brown and curly. Jack took them
up one by one and kept them hot till the cakes
and coffee were ready too.
* * Pour out all the bacon fat from the pan and
save it,'* said his father, as Jack finished the
last piece. * ' It 's the best thing in the world to
cook with in camp, for it flavors everything just
as you want it. We '11 need all we can get of it.
And here 's your receipt for the cakes. ' '
CORN-CAKES