BREAD.
Corn Dodgers.
Take three teacups of Indian meal, one teaspoonful of salt, one tablespoonful of sugar, and pour on boiling water enough to wet it, nearly one quart; then make into small, flat cakes about an inch thick, and fry in boiling fat until brown. They will fry in fifteen or twenty minutes. To be eaten very hot.
Baked Corn Cake.
Three teacups of Indian meal, one teaspoonful of salt, one tablespoonful of sugar, one of butter; wet this with boiling water, and then beat in one egg. Spread half an inch deep on buttered tin sheets, and bake brown in a quick oven. This is delicious.
Oat-meal.
Oatmeal, Indian meal, and hominy all require two things to make them perfect; that is, plenty of water when first put on to boil, and a long time to boil.
Have about two quarts of boiling water in a large stewpan, and into it stir one cup of oatmeal, which you have already wet with cold water; boil this an hour, stirring often, and then add half a spoonful of salt, and boil an hour longer. If it should get too stiff, add more boiling water; or, if too thin, boil a little longer. You cannot boil it too much.
The only trouble there is in cooking oatmeal is, that it takes a long time; and surely no one will let that stand in the way when it is so much better for having the extra time. It is also very necessary that there be an abundance of water to begin with; if not, it will never be as good, no matter how much may be added after it has been cooking any time.
Hominy.
Wash in two waters one cup of hominy, then stir it into one quart of boiling water with a little salt, and boil from thirty to sixty minutes. It is better boiled sixty than thirty. Be careful that it does not burn. Hominy can be used more than oatmeal, as it can be eaten with any kind of meat, and should be cooked once a day. It is nice and appropriate for any meal. It is also good eaten warm or cold with milk.
Hominy Griddle-cakes.
To one pint of warm, boiled hominy, add a pint of milk or water, and one pint of flour. Beat up two or three eggs, and stir them into the batter with a little salt. Fry as any other griddle-cake. They are delicious.
Fried Mush.
Into two quarts of boiling water stir one tablespoonful of salt, and one cup of flour mixed with one quart of Indian meal (it may take a little more than a quart of meal to make it stiff enough); beat it well, or it will be lumpy. Boil gently two hours, and then turn into dishes which have been dipped in cold water, and set away to cool. Pans in which you bake loaves of bread are the best to cool it in, as it then makes handsome slices. In the morning cut into slices an inch thick, and fry brown in pork fat. Serve slices of fried pork with it. You can cook enough at one time for several breakfasts. If you do not wish to fry the mush, do not use the flour, and do not make quite so stiff.
Spider-Cakes.
Heat the frypan hot; also a cover for it. While heating, mix with one pint of Hecker’s prepared flour half a pint of milk or water; grease the hot pan with pork, lard, or butter, and pour half the mixture into it. Make smooth with the spoon; cover, and cook four minutes; turn the cake, and cook four minutes longer. Take up, grease the pan again, and put in the remainder of the mixture, which cook as before.
Biscuit.
One quart of Hecker’s prepared flour, one small pint of milk or water. Grease the pans, and drop the mixture by the spoonful on to it; bake in a quick oven from ten to twelve minutes.
N. B. If you prefer, shape into cakes with the hands.
Hecker’s Prepared Graham.
Rye and Indian are nice to take into camp, as all that is necessary is to wet with milk or water, and bake. The buckwheat is nice also.
When you have Hecker’s prepared Graham, rye, or Indian, use one half a cup of sugar to the quart of the preparation.
Milk Toast.
Put one quart of milk in a tin pail or basin, and set into a kettle of boiling water. When it comes to a boil, stir in two spoonfuls of flour, mixed with half a cup of milk, one spoonful of butter, and salt to taste; let this boil ten minutes, and then put in the bread, which must be toasted brown. Cook five minutes longer, and serve.