Part 18 (2/2)

Wash potatoes and dry well; bury them deep in a good bed of live coals, cover them with hot coals until well done. They will take about forty minutes to bake. When you can pa.s.s a sharpened hardwood sliver through them, they are done, and should be raked out at once. Run the sliver through them from end to end, and let the steam escape and use immediately, as a roast potato quickly becomes soggy and bitter.

Baked Fish

Dig a hole one foot and a half deep. Build a fire in it, heaping up dry sticks until there is an abundance of fuel. After an hour, take out the coals, clear the hole of ashes, lay green corn husks on the hot bottom of the hole. Soak brown paper in water and wrap around the fish. Lay it in the hole, cover with green corn husks, covered in turn with half an inch of earth. Build a fire over it and keep burning for an hour. Then remove and you have something delicious and worth the time taken to prepare.

Fried Fish

Clean fish well. Small fish should be fried whole, with the backbone severed to prevent curling up; large fish should be cut into pieces, and ribs cut loose from backbone so as to lie flat in pan. Rub the pieces in corn meal or powdered bread crumbs, thinly and evenly (that browns them).

Fry in plenty of very hot fat to a golden brown, sprinkling lightly with pepper and salt just as the color turns. If fish has not been wiped dry, it will absorb too much grease. If the frying fat is not very hot when fish are put in they will be soggy with it.

Frogs' Legs

After skinning frogs, soak them an hour in cold water, to which vinegar has been added, or put them for two minutes into scalding water that has vinegar in it. Drain, wipe dry, and cook. To fry: Roll in flour seasoned with salt and pepper, and fry, not too rapidly, preferably in b.u.t.ter or oil. Water cress is a good relish with them. To grill: Prepare three tablespoonfuls melted b.u.t.ter, one-half teaspoonful salt, and a pinch or two of pepper, into which dip the frog legs, then roll in fresh bread crumbs and broil for three minutes on each side.

EGGS

Boiled

Raise water to boiling point. Place eggs in carefully. Boil steadily for three minutes if you prefer them soft. If you want them hard-boiled, put them in cold water, bring to a boil, and keep it up for twenty minutes.

The yolk will then be mealy and wholesome.

Fried

Melt some b.u.t.ter or fat in frying pan, when it hisses drop in eggs carefully. Fry them three minutes.

Scrambled

First stir the eggs up with a little condensed cream and a pinch of salt and after putting some b.u.t.ter in the frying pan, stir the eggs in it, being careful not to cook them too long.

Poached

First put in the frying pan sufficient diluted condensed milk which has been thinned with enough water to float the eggs when the milk is hot; drop in the carefully opened eggs and let them simmer three or four minutes. Serve the eggs on slices of b.u.t.tered toast, pouring on enough of the milk to moisten the toast.

Coffee

For every cup of water allow a tablespoonful of ground coffee, and one extra for the pot. Heat water to boiling point first, add coffee, boil five minutes, settle with one-fourth cup cold water and serve. Some prefer to put the coffee in a small muslin bag, tied loose, and boil for five minutes longer.

Cocoa

Allow a teaspoonful of cocoa for every cup of boiling water. Mix the powdered cocoa with hot water or hot milk to a creamy paste. Add equal parts of boiling water and boiled milk, and sugar to taste. Boil two or three minutes.

SAMPLE MENU FOR AN OVER-NIGHT AND A DAY HIKE OR TRAMP

Breakfast

<script>