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Recipes

We recreated this edible meat cottage from 1971 — and it's spectacular!

Presenting a party-ready Chatelaine recipe from way, way back: an edible homestead, complete with salami shingles and a ham-and-cheese chimney.

The issue: December 1971.

The times: Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau has just introduced Canada's Multiculturalism Policy in the House of Commons; Alice Munro's second book, Lives of Girls and Women, is published; the Montreal Canadiens defeat the Chicago Blackhawks to take the Stanley Cup.

The hors d’oeuvre: An edible cottage loaf, and star of Elaine Collett's Christmas feature, "Delectables they can make and love to eat." Designed to be a table centrepiece that doubles as a snack for a cocktail party or family get-together, the Country Cottage Ribbon Loaf is made of "tasty shingles of meat and cheese over ribbon sandwiches," filled with moist sandwich fillings (like devilled ham or egg salad), then slathered with a creamy cheese spread and decorated with salty nibbles. The demolition? A party trick all on its own.

edible meat cottage The original edible meat cottage, from Chatelaine's December 1971 issue.
Canada Project

This post is part of The Canada Project, a representative survey of Canadians from across the country. You can find out more right here.

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The cover of Chatelaine magazine's spring 2025 issue, reading "weekend prep made easy"; "five delicious weeknight meals", "plus, why you'll never regret buying an air fryer"; "save money, stay stylish how to build a capsule wardrobe" and "home organization special" along with photos of burritos, chicken and rice and white bean soup, quick paella in a dutch oven, almost-instant Thai chicken curry and chicken broccoli casserole in an enamelled cast-iron skillet

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