My husband, daughter, and I ate five boxes of crackers for lunch while on an 8-day canoeing trip. We love 'em, but they take up a lot of room. Any suggestions for reducing the bulk of crackers?

	Ask the Expert Dorcas Miller Outdoor cookbook author Dorcas Miller believes ingredients should have zing - or they should stay at home. Ask Dorcas a question Meet Dorcas Previous Answers

When I worked for Outward Bound in Minnesota we ate the perfect lunchtime alternative to crackers: flapjacks. Not just any flapjack, mind you, but large, square oatmeal bars that convey a walloping 450 calories each. These babies formed the backbone of our trail lunches because they have lots of surface area for heaping on peanut butter and jelly -- a plus as far as I'm concerned. Later, my students in Maine called them"Golden Bricks of the North," a name you'll understand when you make them. Here's the recipe:

Golden Bars of the North

Cream until smooth:
2 cups white sugar
2 cups margarine
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup corn syrup

Add and mix thoroughly:
9 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup sliced almonds

Press dough firmly into four well greased 9-by-9 inch cake pans or a comparably sized cookie tray with turned up edges. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown. This part is important: Cut into 20 squares but leave the squares in the pan until they have cooled; otherwise they will fall apart. (When they are partly cooled, you can loosen them from the tray.) Store the bars in a plastic bag. To pack for trail, place the bag in a clean milk carton.

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