a pail or pan into a kettle of boiling water. Cereals for breakfast may
be cooked the day before and reheated in the double boiler, but should
not be stirred while reheating. A tablespoonful or two of cold water on
top will prevent a hard skin from forming while standing. All prepared
cereals are better if cooked for a longer time than the package
directions indicate. It is hardly possible to cook any grain too long.
The fireless cooker is especially valuable for cooking cereals, but a
longer period of time must be allowed than for cooking in a double
boiler. A home-made fireless cooker, described in another place, is
interesting to make. Ready-to-serve cereals are very expensive compared
with those cooked at home.

Cracked wheat, 1/4 cup to 1 cup water; 3-12 hours.

Rolled oats, 1/2 cup to 1 cup water; 1/2-3 hours

Cornmeal, 3 tablespoonfuls to 1 cup water; 1-4 hours.

Use 1/2 teaspoonful of salt to each quart of water. Have the water
boiling rapidly. Add the cereal gradually. Let the mixture cook directly
over the fire 5 minutes. Place over boiling water or in the fireless
cooker to cook slowly for a long time. Keep covered and do not stir.
The time of cooking given in the table means that the cereal is eatable
after the shorter time mentioned, but is better if cooked the longer
time.

TOAST--Good toast is worth knowing how to make. The cook should not be
satisfied with toast which is either white or burned.

Toast is most easily made from stale bread, which should be cut in
one-third to one-half inch slices. A single slice of toast may be made
by holding it over the fire on a fork. In camp a forked stick answers
every purpose. The easiest way to make several slices is to put them in
a wire toaster and hold them over hot coals. Begin carefully and hold
the bread some distance away from the fire, turning it often until it
dries. Then hold it nearer the coals until it a golden brown on both
sides. With a new coal fire or wood fire toast must be made on a toaster
on the top of the stove to prevent the bread from being smoked. If the
top of the stove is being used for other things, the drying may be done
in the oven.

MUFFINS--Any good cook book has numerous recipes for muffins, most of
which, can be made easily if the directions are followed exactly.

Cornmeal Muffins (for four persons):

Four tablespoonfuls butter or oleomargarine, 3 tablespoonfuls sugar, 1
egg, 1 cup milk, 1-1/3 cups flour, 2/3 cup cornmeal