Maria Parloa

“ Have a clear fire and lay the steak on the gridiron, and dredge lightly with flour. If you desire the steak rare, cook ten minutes, if well done, fifteen. Dish and season with butter, pepper, and salt. Serve immediately. Never set steak into the oven to keep warm or to melt the butter. The dish must be hot, the butter stand in a warm room long enough to soften, but do not melt. If for dinner, serve potatoes, either baked or boiled, and any other vegetables which you choose. ”

“ When you take the potatoes up, dredge a little salt over them. When potatoes are cooked in this manner, they will be light and crisp. If they do not get cooked enough at first, they are very much improved by dropping them into the fat for one minute, after they have been standing in the oven a while.
Fried Boiled Potatoes.
Cut the potatoes into slices, and fry in either pork fat or nice drippings. Have just fat enough in the pan to prevent their sticking, and sprinkle with salt while cooking. When these are brown, take them up and put in a little more fat, and fry as before. ”

“ There are some families in the country who have no means of broiling. The next best thing such persons can do is to heat the frying pan very hot, and grease with just enough butter to prevent the steak from sticking; then lay the steak in, and cook, and serve as before directed.
Fried Beefsteak.
For two pounds of steak fry brown four slices of salt pork, then take up the pork and fry the steak in the fat; salt and pepper it. When you dish, add a little butter. ”

“ In camp life, small and large birds should be either roasted, broiled, or stewed.
Pick all the feathers off, cut a slit in them, and draw them. Either wash or wipe carefully. If for roasting, tie the legs down, and place in the pan. Sprinkle with flour, cover the bottom of the pan with water, and roast, if ducks, thirty minutes, grouse and partridges the same.
Small birds, about half as long. The oven must be very hot. ”

“ Pour boiling water over half a peck of ripe tomatoes. Let them stand in it five minutes, and then peel off the skins; cut them into slices, and put in a stew-pan with a little salt, pepper, and a spoonful of sugar. Simmer two hours, stirring often to prevent burning. Two minutes before dishing stir in one tablespoonful of butter. Canned tomatoes are cooked in the same manner, but do not require more than half an hour to stew.
Sliced Tomatoes.
Pour boiling water over them, and then peel and slice thin; lay them on small platters, and serve. Let each person season to his own taste. ”

“ Parties scorning the idea of bothering with so many things when simply going out to rough it, will find it better to see that every thing is provided before starting; even then, they will find camp life rough enough. ”

“ When it can be obtained take Hecker’s prepared flour, wheat, rye, Indian, or Graham. From this you will always be sure of good bread and griddle-cakes. Salt pork, [11] smoked ham, bologna sausage, eggs, dried beef, salt fish. Game, fresh fish, and fresh meat are supposed to be obtained in the vicinity of camp. Pilot bread, crackers. Canned fruit and vegetables, where fresh cannot be obtained. Potatoes, beans, onions, Indian meal, molasses, sugar, salt, pepper, mustard, vinegar, butter, coffee, tea, chocolate, rice, oat-meal, baking soda, ginger, spice, soap, parafine candles, and kerosene oil. ”

“ 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. ”

“ It is nice eaten with drawn butter or vinegar and pepper.
To Prepare the Fish, Vegetables, &c.—A party of ten to twenty will require a bushel of clams, which should be washed in two or more waters (fresh water; salt [31] water will not remove the fine sand) ; have ready, in a basket close at hand, as soon as the oven is hot. Clean the fish nicely, split the backs, season with salt and white pepper, and wrap in clean cloth. Peel onions, wash the potatoes clean, and cut the ends off; husk the corn, leaving the inner layer on to keep it clean. ”

“ If you can carry a farina kettle with you, and you use it with care, it will be almost invaluable to you, as by that means you can always be sure that your oat-meal, hominy, rice, &c., will always be cooked without burning. Always be sure that there is water enough in the bottom kettle. ”

“ 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. ”

“ The “Boston Gem,” made by Francis Morandi, No. 102 Union Street, I find, after a thorough trial, works to a charm; the oven baking as well as my stove oven. The broiler is so made that there is no difficulty in broiling with it. When in the woods, if possible, I would have a good bed of coals for broiling.
In regard to Cooking Utensils, coffee and tea pots should not have spouts, but lips: and the lips should be riveted on. It is foolish for a party going any distance to try to carry crockery. Have tin plates and cups made, and they will last you for all your camping life. ”

“ On the seaweed, spread the clams so the vegetables, &c., may be placed on top of them: then, in order, put on onions, sweet or Irish potatoes, or both, green corn, then the (blue or cod) fish, and a live lobster, if one can be had; if not, a boiled one, which will be very nice warmed up in this way.
Every thing to be used should be close at hand, to be put on the oven rapidly while it is very hot. Cover the whole bake with a piece of cheap cotton cloth, to keep out dirt; then cover all with seaweed until no steam escapes. Bake thirty-five minutes. ”

“ Baked Potatoes.
Be very particular to wash every part of [50] the potato clean, as many persons eat the skin. Put them in a pan (have an old one for this purpose) , and bake in a moderate oven fifty minutes. There is such a difference in ovens, that each one must learn for herself what the time will be for each; for some will bake in less time, and some will take much longer than the time designated. ”

“ When you pitch your tent, select a spot a little distance from it, for the refuse. Here dig a deep hole, if your stay is to be long, and into this hole throw the debris, each time covering with some of the earth which you have dug out. ”

“ This outfit is not prepared for the market by theorists who only guess at the wants of the camper, but has been studied out by gentlemen and ladies who, every year, spend months in the mountains, and who try to have all the comforts and conveniences possible, and yet to have very little baggage to transport from place to place. ”

“ The first thing to parties bent on roughing it is the selection of a tent, which can be hired of any of the sail-makers, for any length of time, and at a reasonable price. For a party of seven or eight, an eight-foot wall-tent, is the best. ”

“ Wash them clean, and let them drain in a cullender; then salt, and roll in a mixture of half flour and half Indian meal. Have about two inches deep of boiling fat in the frying-pan [25] (drippings, if you have them; if not, lard) ; into this drop the smelts, and fry brown. Do not put so many in that they will be crowded; if you do, they will not be crisp and brown.
Brook Trout.
Brook trout are cooked the same as smelts; or you can cook them as the angler does. They must be split nearly to the tail to clean. Wash and drain. For a dozen good sized trout, fry six slices of salt pork ”

“ The next important thing is the stove. The top of a common cooking-stove with covers and stove-pipe to fit, which can be bought at any junk-shop for a trifle, serves very well in dry weather. Dig out a place in the side of a bank the size and shape of the stove-top, about two feet deep, and line three sides with brick or stones, with the front open. ”

“ These beds should be placed so that the persons [6] will lie with their heads at the sides of the tent and feet toward the center. On the boards spread straw, hay, or dry seaweed, then the blankets. Every thing used about the bed should be laid in the sun every day. Some prefer sleeping on the ground rolled up in a blanket ”

“ Break and beat up two eggs, and stir into them two tablespoonfuls of milk and half a teaspoonful of salt; put them into a basin, with half a spoonful of butter, and set over the fire. Stir until it thickens, and then serve. ”

“ Three tablespoonfuls of pork fat, two of flour, one pint of boiling water, salt and pepper to taste. When the fat is hot, stir in the dry flour, and cook until brown, then stir in gradually the boiling water. Season to taste, and cook five minutes. ”

“ Clam Boil.
Fill the pot with clams (which have been washed in a number of waters to remove all the sand) ; add hot water enough to get up a good steam, and boil until the shells begin to open; then serve. ”