Community Cookbook

Browse historic recipes from the museum’s collection and submit your family’s favourite recipes!

Exploring history through food

Food is a wonderful storyteller and reviving old recipes allows us to step back in time! This online cookbook is a place for us to share recipes from the museum’s collection and historic cooking demonstrations. It’s also a place to share family recipes – both old and new!

If you would like to add a recipe to this cookbook, please email culturalcentre@mindenhills.ca

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Potato Pie from 1868In this week’s video we’ll be baking potato pie. Never heard of it? Neither had we! Watch the video to see how it turns out! Part of the Great Historic Bake Off series at Minden Hills Museum & Heritage Village.
Shortcake biscuit recipe from 1934This recipe is from ‘The Magic baking Powder Cook Book’ in the collection at the Minden Hills Museum & Heritage Village. This recipe is part of our Great Historic Bake Off series! Watch the video to see how this recipe turns out!
Skillet Cornbread“Skillet cornbread has been made in my family for generations. Cornbread tastes best when made in an iron skillet, which must be hot when the batter is added to give it a beautiful golden crust."
Sausage Rolls from Five Roses Cookbook, 1915“City line TV show guest chef often said just use a regular recipe for scones etc.  She got asked so many times for that information that she talked whitecap books into reprinting the Five Rose’s Cookbook (1915)  in 1999. I use it today.”
Buttermilk scone recipe from Five Roses Cookbook, 1915“City line TV show guest chef often said just use a regular recipe for scones etc.  She got asked so many times for that information that she talked whitecap books into reprinting the Five Rose’s Cookbook (1915)  in 1999. I use it today.”
1920s Sponge Cake“This recipe for sponge cake came from my grandmother – that is my mother’s mother.  It was considered exceptionally good and all of my aunt’s used to make it.  It was the family birthday cake"
Grapefruit MarmaladeThank you to Cathy Mc for contributing this lovely recipe from her grandmother’s recipe box. Cathy’s radio program ‘Food Family and Friends’ runs at 9am on Wednesdays on 100.9 Canoe FM. We’ll be adding a few items from this treasure trove of handwritten recipes!
Banana Bread, 1943 Joy of Cooking“This recipe is from my grandmother’s copy of ‘The Joy of Cooking’. She signed it in 1949. The book falls open to this page. It works every time!”
Birthday Cake recipe from 1894This recipe is part of our Great Historic Bake Off series! Watch the video to see how this recipe turns out! The recipe calls for 18 eggs and the finished cake weighs 10 pounds!
1948 Campbell’s Tomato Soup Chocolate Cake“I am thrilled! This cake tastes just like my old favourite "Spanish Bar Cake". It is so easy to make too. I don't know why they call it a Chocolate cake when it is more like a spice cake. It reminds me of the Spanish Bar Cake that A&P had many years ago.”