A couple of months ago I mentioned that one of my unique recipes had shown up in a national magazine. Both b5media and I contacted  the magazine to ask that they give me attribution for the recipe. The magazine didn’t even acknowledge our emails, or the emails of the lawyers.  If they will do it to me they will do it to any of you that are food blogging. After all, I had a network and network lawyers behind me and they still ignored us… The magazine is Tea Time, which is put out by Southern Lady.  Hoffman Media, LLC.

Recipe copyright is a tricky thing. You can’t copyright a list of ingredients…and really, the magazine was within it’s rights to publish the recipe. Legally they did nothing wrong. But the recipe was one that I had developed over a long period of time, one I had worked on to get just right..and spent money on… and it was unusual. In fact, if you list the ingredients in google, my recipe is the only one that comes up.

So, we weren’t talking about them using a recipe for chocolate chip cookies here. This was for white silk and berry tarts..and it took me a long time to get it just right. You see, just white chocolate and heavy cream, the way you would make a chocolate ganache is too rich. White chocolate and butter is too…bland…

After several tries I found that what chocolate and sour cream were just right. The perfect combination and back drop for the berries I chose. I published this recipe last May, almost exactly a year ago. White Silk and Berry Tarts.  I used premade shells because I had been concentrating on testing the filling…

Everyone that tried them loved them.  The slight almond flavor, the creaminess, the tanginess of the sour cream. Perfect.

Now, I do work for a network. I do make an income from blogging and freelance writing.  As some of you know, Marc became disabled 2 years ago and lost his job. We have been fighting with the VA to get his benefits. For awhile we were not sure where our next meal was coming from..seriously money has been tight.

This is not a hobby for me. I love it but Baking Delights, Kettle and Cup, and the other writing I do feeds my family and pays our bills.I don;t just write here. I write about 15 hours a day to make our budget.

So, I read Tea Time Magazine because I love the images, the recipes and the tea articles. I have been a reader, although not every issue, for a couple of years. Imagine how I felt, laying in bed one night and paging through my newest copy (May/June 2009) and coming upon a recipe for White Silk Tartlets.

Me:”Hey Marc! Look! Someone has a similar recipe to mine in a MAGAZINE!”

Marc:”Really? Let me see.”

We begin to read the recipe….

Marc:”Ummm, Kid? That IS your recipe.”

Me: “Seriously? No they wouldn’t do that..must be a coincidence…”

I pulled up the laptop and went to my recipe.  Here it is:

Marye’s White Silk Tarts

16 tart shells of choice (pastry, graham, puff pastry etc.)

1 c unsalted butter

3/4 c sugar

6 ozs good quality white chocolate melted in 1/3 c heavy cream and cooled to room temperature

1 tsp vanilla flavor

1/2 tsp almond flavor

2 TBS sour cream

2 eggs

1/2 pt blackberries, raspberries or both

Bittersweet chocolate for drizzle

+++++

The I looked at their recipe. Page 33.  Forgive me as I blatantly copy their recipe off:

6 oz white chocolate chopped

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 cup unsalted butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

tartlet shells

6 oz blueberries

6 oz raspberries

Melted white chocolate for garnish.

++++++++++++++

Instructions are basically the same. They sweetly used their own words.

The next day Matthew said, “Wow Mom! These tarts on the COVER of Tea Time look just like yours!

“Actually Matt, they look better, their photographer is much better than me but other than that THEY ARE MINE.”

I was astounded. I was sure that they had just made a mistake. SO I emailed them, expecting an email back. I mean, my recipe had made the cover of a national magazine that I admired! Surely I would get a quick apology and a small attribution in another issue….

They didn’t even say eff-you.  Nothing.

Nothing. It says By Valerie Kramer Davis, recipe development by Chantel Lambeth…Which is interesting since she was certainly NOT at my house while I worked on that filling…My poor family was forced to eat mounds of white silk..mounds of it I tell you!

So, am I writing this because I am angry?

Yeah, I am. I am angry that a big, profitable magazine would steal from a broke food blogger. If I had written one of there recipes without attribution I think I would have heard about it.

And you know what? I have inadvertently taken recipes from other bloggers without meaning to. Especially when I first started blogging. But as soon as I was made aware of it I apologized publicly and made it right as much as I could. Because I was raised that way.

You know, if this was a common recipe I really would not feel comfortable saying anything..but as you can see it is not. I am angry. Obviously I will NOT be buying the magazine anymore..which is kind of scary because if they will steal once what will stop them from stealing again?And if they do how will I know?

I don’t believe in signing some blogger’s ethics paper, or joining a bloggers group that has rules about what you can and can’t do. I think that everyone knows what is right and wrong and people can err on the side of caution and ask permission. You know, I would have said, “SURE! Just mention the blog!”

Several months ago a magazine contacted me by email. Niagara Magazine Group out of Canada wanted to use one of my images, with attribution. They asked if it would be ok..  I said, “SURE!” and they even sent me the magazine!

I am not a difficult person to get along with. I think I am pretty reasonable. But I have this thing about lying and stealing. I don’t like it. And I think, especially if you are a public figure, lying and stealing is…well….I don’t want to say unforgivable… but…beyond unethical. I, for one, do not want to be associated with an unethical company.

Food bloggers, really, there is no way to combat this individually. We are too small. But together we are a pretty scary force on the internet. As I told someone this morning..I have a spatuala and I know how to use it!

Try to notice what is on other blogs and then as you are looking around the internet or through magazines take note of anything that looks too familiar. Let’s help each other in this.  Also, if you find that a company or another blog has used your stuff email them. If they don’t fix it…let’s start calling them out. Do you really want to support a magazine like Tea Time that not only plagiarizes other work but refuses to acknowledge their mistake?

Another thing I do is to google my name, and Baking Delights regularly. I also run random pages through CopyScape AND I generally hide a link in the post that links back to one of my blogs or websites so I can track the blog thief.

I am very disappointed, frustrated, and hurt. I am pretty sure that they made a heck of a lot more on my recipe than I did.

Tea Time comes across as being a genteel, feminine magazine…but turns out to be little more than a bully in a frilly dress and a push up bra….. ” I can do this because I am bigger than you.”

Yep, Tea Time, you can.

You are bigger, wealthier, and more powerful than me…but I have something you will never have again. My respect, and I am guessing the respect of more than one of your readers.

Oh… and thank you for saying that this was your best dessert ever…I will take that as a compliment.

Images:(c) Marye Audet (that means I took them with my camera at my table a few minutes ago) 2009

Post from: Baking Delights

By the way, if any of you is really awesome with photoshop, I want a image for blogsurfing saturday of someone sufing across a cake.  There is no pay for it but I would really love it and be forever grateful…and I would link to your website whenever I used the image, giving you credit.    and it is my birthday this week.  and….

If you don’t get cable, or even if you do, you might want to check out iFoodtv which is a combo blog/vlog.  I haven’t spent more than a million hours there so there is a lot I still don’t know a lot about it.  It looks great though!

You know I always like cool kids food.  Well check out this Jello Pinwheel from The Wicked Noodle.   Is there a kid that does not like jello?

If you haven’t visited the Baking Delights Flickr group lately you need to.  Food porn watch! and while you are there…submit a photo.

You all know how much I love cooking with flowers, right? Check out this Nasturtium Ravioli  antipasto salad.  Beautiful and springlike from Cafe Nilson!

Rec(ession)ipes has a recipe for Asparagus, Bacon and Scallion Frittata that looks great.  I like egg recipes..our chickens never seem to stop.

Whenever I really mess something up, and it happens folks, I like to spend some time at Cakewrecks just making myself feel superior.

Jerry always has great meat recipes.  He is such a freaking carnivore.  But this Roast Beef, Sun dried Tomato, and Basil Taco recipe is …just… well…bloody good.

Tanna and I have a lot in common.  I  am still trying to maneuver an afternoon when we are both free to get coffee, since she lives blissfully close to me.  Both of us are avid bread bakers.  Both of us are over 25.  Just a little. And, of course, both of us are cool.  She has succeeded in the perfect Pullman loaf and that is not an easy task. Pullman loaves are amazingly perfect sandwich breads.

I have a vintage cookbook habit..we all know it.  Check out this blog, Vintage Cookbooks.  Exerpts, images, and recipes from old cookbooks.

Krispy Kreme Bread pudding.  Sounds interesting. As if I would ever have one of those left in my house!

Thats is folks! Have a great week. 

image:marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights

There were some amazing things that were posted in 2008 but from what I can see 2009 is going to be even better.

Congrats to all the Daring Bakers who completed their challenges. Oh my gosh..the yule logs and cakes were amazing.  I ALMOST want to try all the variations that I saw.

Please note the word ALMOST in that sentence.

Have you been checking out the Baking Delights Flickr group? I love the images that I am seeing there. If you haven’t signed up, please do.  If you are posting images there could you do me a favor and leave a link to your post in the comment section of the image on FLickr? That way when I do the blog surfing I can link to your post more easily.

There is an upcoming give away.  I decided that everyone had too much going on at Christmas and that a nice box of Sees Chocolate would be an awesome pick-me-up for some lucky Baking Delights reader in mid-January..so stay tuned for details!

In most parts of the country it is cold but for some reason here in the Dallas area today the sun is shining and it must be about 70 degrees.  When I was younger I missed the cold and the snow but I think I am over that now.  I am thinking of my spring garden and hoping I can get time to actually plant it.

So…are you ready to do some blog surfing?

Micha at Scraping the Skillet posted an awesome looking fresh dill bread.  I love dill, I love the flavor of it in everything from pickles to fresh salads and this bread not only sounds good…it looks great.

Closet Cooking is one of my favorite stops when I get time to surf a little. I could easily just make Kevin the weekly surf but I resist the temptation.  Perhaps part of it is that I live in a reality where men don’t cook…and seeing his amazing creations is a bit surreal to me.  Definitely this is the case with the turkey and cranberry quesadillas!

Texans, on New Year’s Day eat black eyed peas.  It is tradition.  Well, kudos to Lisa at Homesick Texan for managing an awesome sounding black eyed pea dip for the potential skeptics of black-eyed-peaology.

If you have resolved to lose weight this year check out the SouthBeach recipes at Kalyn’s Kitchen.  They all look amazing.

Hannah at Honey and Jam produced this grapefruit curd.  I am now thinking of five thousand ways I can use it.

That’s it for this week.

I am hoping to announce some new things next week.  Have a great weekend!

image:marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights

This is how we keep 15 year olds out of trouble at our house.    I told him to just call that “My Space”. Matt is a great kid.  He does most of the outside work since Marc has been sick, and rarely complains about it.  The most people have found to criticize him about is his hair.

It has been a weird week around here, busier than usual. It has been oddly cool for May in Texas, I think, and one afternoon I was tempted to get Matt to build a fire in the fireplace in the kitchen. Some of it might be me…I was reading on the symptoms of menopause, hoping to see some signs that it was close, and I read that some women have cold flashes rather than hot flashes. I think that is me! Chewing five pounds of ice a day doesn’t help.

We were at the VA last week, right, and a nurse is checking Marc’s vitals. I am leaning against the door frame chewing ice from my quart mason jar. She just looks at me and she is like:

“You know that is bad for your teeth”

“yep”

“Are you anemic?”

“yep”

“You should take iron”

“yep”

“You know all this don’t you?”

“yep”

Marc just laughed. I do know that ice chewing is a sign of anemia. And yes I should take iron. On the other hand, I do enjoy chewing it, it keeps me drinking water (close to a gallon a day or more) and I don’t tend to snack. Therefore, my five pound a day ice habit.

All right. I wanted to start off this morning with just a heartfelt thank you to everyone who reads my blog. I meant what I said yesterday, I truly feel blessed. You guys are cool.

O.k..grab your coffee and croissant…and let’s go.

First up…Dana McCauley’s Food Blog. Why? She lists five blogs that I have never before checked out. Seriously. I don’t know about you but I tend to move comfortably in my clique, you know? Daring Bakers, Leftover Queen’s Blogroll, bloggers that I have traded comments with since I started bloogging. Here’s a personal challenge. Check out five food blogs a week that you have never read. Blog about them. Sure, we are going to stick with the ones we like best, but by branching out I think we get challenged to try new things and think new ways.

Jenn, at Leftover Queen, has started a feature called Foodie Friday where she highlights several food blogs. I love her blog anyway because she has great ideas..Anyway..the F.F. thing is a great idea be cause she writes a bit about each blog that she is featuring that week. Mark that on your calendars for a weekly stop.

Did you know that there was a search engine specifically for food blogs? Food Blog Search is exactly that. I am so skyed! I put white chocolate silk tarts in and my post came up! Anyway…Searching for a particular recipe is a pain, and i would much rather get it off of oa foodie blog than from All Recipes or something where I could be unsure of the results..although, seriously, All Recipes is generally good stuff. Anyway, bookmark that so if you need a recipe for Pixie’s Chinese Vegetable Broth you can find it.

Sometimes I forget about Holler. She lives far away in Scotland but her recipes are always incredible. This week check out the Griddled Vegetable and Mozzarella Salad she’s got going on.

Have you ever used technorati or stumble or digg on a blog post? If you don’t, DO! You can get banned from any of these for adding your own posts but if you read a particularly good post submit it to one of the social networks. …or all of them. I guess it is sort of promoting the best on the internet, you know? Plus you introduce a ton of new traffic to the blogger that you add…Not sure if this makes sense or not. My personal favorite is stumbleupon You get a cool toolbar and when you click the link it will take you to random websites that it thinks you will like by what you stumble. So if you stumble food websites it will take you to those. Anyway, it is very cool. And any stumbling or digging you want to toss my way is certainly appreciated.

I wish to direct your attention to an article I wrote last week..I don;t usually do this but I feel that it is important that people understand about what they are eating. Genetically Modified Foods:From Test Tube to Table is an eye-opening look at how MUCH Gm food we are eating on a regular basis without our knowledge. Think about it. If you are not buying organic meat? The animal has been feed with genetically modified feed. It is places you never thought about.

Hershey’s came out with an organic chocolate! I was so happy. The bar was 2.99 for a large size, albeit thin bar. It was made in Germany. The taste was very good, although it maintains some of Hersheys classic waxiness.

Culinary Concoctions by Peabody is an awesome food blog. The images are always a treat, and the recipes are droolworthy, as Valli would say. Check out the butterscotch pudding...but be warned…you are going to want some after that and Jello will not cut it.

So..are you a reader that is inspired to start your own food blog? Maybe you are a blogger that wants to do better.  I know I am a sucker for any article that says”How to have a successful food blog” or some such. I have a lot of self help books, too. How to be a better wife, mom, Christian, friend, cousneling 101 you name it..anyway..Food Blogging Do’s and Don’ts is an great post about starting a food blog and what it takes to have a good one..lots of…ummm…food for thought!

Have a great weekend! Hey, leave a comment and tell me what you are baking!

Image:Marye Audet

Content:Marye Audet for Baking Delights 

Post from: Baking Delights

 Image:Marye Audet     Frozen Music

Hey look! My spinach is up!!

Today is an awesome day for surfing here at Baking Delights…The very first blog I read was A Cracking Good Egg and what did I find?  Coconut Lemon Twinkies. Yeah.  Right? I mentioned them in passing to my family who was sitting at the table eating a lovely lunch I had only just prepared for them and they all stopped with their forks in midair and asked if that was what we were having for dessert.  I just looked at them…Geez, it’s SATURDAY.

Daring Bakers is famous.  The Washington Post wrote a bit about us in this article. No mention of Baking Delights specifically but you know, it is a matter of time until I have my own food network show, right? Sort of a combo of This Old House, Leave It to Beaver, Saturday Night Live, and Jacques Pepin.

At What Did You Eat Sher makes a fantastic pasta salad with oranges and all kinds of awesomeness.

Laura from The Spiced Life made these incredible looking milk chocolate chip and caramel blondies. Is that brilliant or what?

Lori definitely IS The Recipe Girl, at least this week. She made Dorrie Greenspan’s Quintuple Chocolate brownies.

I am still looking at the blogs that did the Daring Baker Challenge, and The Canadian Baker’s version with lemon and blueberry is incredible. Check it out.

Deborah on Taste and Tell is doing 7 Days with Rachel Ray and has a fantastic recipe for garlicky bean enchiladas.

If you have not checked out the Daily Tiffin yet, you need to.  It is a group blog, written by some of the most talented food bloggers on the internet and is always a great read.

Ruth at Once Upon A Feast has been doing Presto Pasta Night simply forever.  If you have never visited her blog to check the amazing array of pasta recipes on fridays, please…do so without delay!

Megan, over at Megan’s Cooking, has a recipe up for raspberry chocolate dream bars..and that right there is a great reason to check out her blog.

All righty then..I am outta here for now…have an awesome weekend.

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