The Recipe Box

I found an old family friend when I was rummaging in the basement this morning - a recipe box from our home in north end Halifax in the 1950's. It had fallen behind a shelving unit and remained there for years.

Every girl in Nova Scotia took Home Economics in junior and senior high and the academic year was divided into two sections - cooking and sewing. I dreaded the sewing half of the year. My garments never quite came together - seams puckered, sleeves never set in properly, and, as for zippers - Mon Dieu! I distinctly remember one long sleeve, pink gingham dress with a zipper up the back and white rick rack at the wrists (can you imagine!) - laboured over with no real understanding of the principles involved and completely unwearable! How I hated those projects!

The cooking classes were more enjoyable and always involved transcribing the recipes onto index cards and this box, which was always in one of our kitchen cupboards at home, contains some of those recipe cards in a variety of handwriting. I can recognize that of at least three sisters, my mother's, and my own. Interesting enough, though the box is divided into many categories of recipes, the majority of cards are in the candy, cake, and dessert sections - a testament, perhaps, to the type of food that interested young teenage girls most!