Kid's Recipes

BROWN SUGAR PANCAKES

Small fry seem to enjoy making pancakes from scratch and this recipe fills even bottomless teenagers until lunch.

2 eggs
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
2 teaspoons butter
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon Crisco or butter

Blend eggs and brown sugar. Beat until creamy. Add flour and milk alternately and mix well. Add vanilla and melted butter. Then fold in baking powder.

Heat griddle to medium and grease with margarine or butter. Makes 20 small or 10 large pancakes.

Variation: Use pancake mix following package directions and add 3/4 cup fresh blueberries, raspberries or blackberries to the mixture if available.

SOUR CREAM SLOPPY JOES

Kids and messy foods go together like summer and watermelon eating contests. Sloppy Joes drip a bit around the bun, but that's fun in camp on a hot summer day where a swim in the lake sluices off spilled food and sticky fingers.

1 pound hamburger
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons flour
5 tablespoons catsup
1 tablespoon mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup sour cream

In a skillet, heat oil and cook onions until soft. Add hamburger and brown. Reduce heat and mix in other ingredients, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Serve on hamburger buns.

Serves four adults, three children, two 12 year olds or one teenager.

CHEESE HOT DOGS

This easy to fix delight finds favor with adults and kids alike. We prefer hard rolls to soft hot dog buns and, thick hot dogs or even garlic sausages from the deli to thin hot dogs.

8 to 10 hot dogs
1/4 pound cheese
8 to 10 sourdough rolls
4 tablespoons butter

Split hot dogs and brown split side down. Remove from heat, spread cheese on split and brown skin side down. Brown sourdough rolls, butter and serve with hot dogs. Add lettuce, tomato and other garnishes if you like. Variation: any soft cheese can be used.

TROUT ON A STICK

Kids also enjoy cooking food on sticks over the fire. The keys to success with this simple system are: first, letting the fire burn down to coals; second, using a pointed green willow or hardwood stick and, third, having extra fish on hand in case one or two go into the fire. We like this with trout, but black bass, bluegills and panfish work too. If green sticks aren't available, and many campgrounds don't allow wood cutting, use hot dog forks or, for small fry, hamburger holders. Keeping fish the right distance from coals so they cook without the skin burning takes a try or two to master. We serve this one with foil-wrapped potatoes also cooked in the coals. Any extra butter goes nicely on the potatoes.

6 to 8 small Trout
Pointed green sticks or hot dog forks
Light hardwood fire or charcoal at least 30 minutes before you plan to cook and make sauce. Trim sticks and get out the burn cream just in case. Then thread stick through trout and start to cook it back down so the thickest part of the trout gets the most heat. Then cook on both sides. If the trout flakes with a fork at the thickest point it's done.

HAM & PINEAPPLE IN FOIL

Small hands that can't handle a spatula or trout on a stick do nicely with this recipe. Cooking in foil eliminates most cleanup too. Just make certain that the coals aren't too hot and that food is well-enclosed in two layers of tightly crimped foil.

1 ham slice 1/2-inch thick per person
1/2 teaspoon mustard
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons pineapple chunks
foil

Cut two pieces of foil twice the size of the ham slice. Put ham slice on one side of one piece of foil after you spread both side of the ham slice with mustard. Sprinkle brown sugar on the top side and add pineapple chunks with one teaspoon pineapple juice. Fold foil into an envelope, crimping all edges securely. Repeat with second foil layer. Cook 6 minutes a side on top of charcoal gray coals.

NO-BAKE COOKIES

This recipe satisfies campers with a sweet tooth. Ingredients keep well and with no cooking required, the recipe suits hot, muggy days. We measure and bag dry ingredients at home.

1 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup dried apples
1/2 cup almonds
1/4 cup vanilla wafers
1/3 cup powdered milk
1/4 cup molasses or honey
1 cup shredded coconut

Mix raisins, apricots, apples and almonds. Chop finely in a food processor. Then finely grind vanilla wafers in a food processor (this can be done ahead of time). Blend fruit mixture with flour, milk and molasses/honey. Shape into walnut-size balls, flatten and coat with coconut. Makes 24 to 36 cookies.

Campfire Sandwich

Minute Pizza