peas at a party

First, recipes can’t be copyrighted.  At least the ingredient list and instructions can’t, except for rare exceptions.  So this isn’t a legal issue.  It’s more an issue for Miss Manners.

This week’s newsletter had two recipes with very specific roots.  One, Cannellini and Italian Sausage, was from a favorite blog, Elise Bauer at Simply Recipes.  Her recipes are terrific; and even if they weren’t, her photography is so beautiful that I would probably keep trying them over and over again anyway.

The other was from Nicaraguan-born Julio Ramirez who was the executive chef at Fishwife in Pacific Grove, California.  Corn Island Tilapia with Cranberry Salsa is a big favorite of ours.

No doubt both of these talented recipe developers should be credited, but I often wonder, ”What if they don’t want credit?”  When working with a recipe, I convert to healthy fats, reduce the amount of fat and processed carbohydrates, adjust cooking techniques so the recipe is quick enough for weeknights, adjust portions to be in line with USDA serving size, and reduce the heat to make the recipe kid-friendly.  Maybe they wouldn’t want their names associated with this new version?  For now, I just stick with “inspired by,” “adapted from,” or “a version of’”; but I’m open to suggestions.

And then there is that annoying little scrap of paper in my Coming Soon folder.  It reads, “what about bkd migas?”  No recipe, no website, no nothing.  It’s just a thought, but where did it come from?