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For months I’ve had this in a pile of “must try” recipes found on favorite blogs and websites. To be honest, I could post something everyday featuring recipes I’ve seen on someone’s site. It would be very easy to be a follower, tweaking recipes here and there and calling them my own. But we don’t do that. The core group of bloggers I know would never re-post someone else’s recipe or photo without permission or without providing proper credit. That would be just plain bad manners.
Everybody has different motives for blogging. I don’t know why other people put their lives on hold and dedicate themselves to a weekly, bi-weekly or even daily, full contact hobby. I don’t know if I could fully explain in a single sentence why I love it. But I do. When my husband asks if I want to go out to dinner and a movie, why in the world would I tell him I can’t because I have a terrific dessert recipe to make and blog? Good thing he gets something out of this deal. Taste testing is a serious job! Really.
And as I’m sure you’ve noticed, there are some seriously talented people out there. Take this recipe for example. I saw this posted on my friend Mary’s blog Barefeet in the Kitchen. Mary mentioned in the beginning of her post that she heard about this recipe from friends and linked back to the original blogger. See, that was so easy and honest. Mary posts some beautiful creative recipes and always gives credit for her inspiration whether it was another blogger or leftovers in the fridge.
I’ve gotten a bit off track but think this is an important topic to discuss. I would have never thought to combine bacon, apples and Brussels sprouts and sprinkle the whole thing with red wine vinegar. I’m more of a baker than a cook anyway. But I thought it was terrific and want to share it with my readers/followers.
I read a post today by Kevin and Amanda about “How to see if your photos are being used on another site” This is a very interesting post and a “must read” for bloggers. I’ve found some of my photos posted on other websites from time to time. I politely ask that they remove the photo or provide credit for the source. I’ve tried Googling phrases like “lemon ice box pie” and occasionally scroll through the images. This is how I found my lemon pie photo (featured in my header) on a blog with no mention of where it was from. The writer had posted her grandmother’s recipe and her readers believed this is what the pie would look like. She seemed like a very nice lady with small children and was very apologetic. She immediately posted a link to my blog directly under the photo. Maybe she didn’t know any better, maybe she did.
By following the directions given by Amanda, I found that same photo on numerous sites and one was even selling pies. This made me mad. I contacted the company and asked that the photo be removed immediately. No response. I contacted the webmaster listed at the bottom and told them to take it down. They responded immediately with a story about this being a new site and these were test photos and they forgot to take the photo down. Yup, sounds like a story to me. I haven’t heard from the other site I found with the same photo. If I cannot get a response or if the photo is not removed, I’ll post a not so nice comment, which I’m sure they will remove.
I didn’t mean to rant today. I really wanted to post this delicious recipe and tell you how I found it. Having numerous bloggers posting the same dish should be a good indication of a great recipe. I loved it. The combination of flavors was brilliant and the red wine vinegar sealed the deal. I’ve always like Brussels sprouts and this recipe only made my love grow deeper for these tiny little cabbage heads.
As for the photo and content thieves, I’m going to do what I’ve promised to do for the past two years. I’m going to copyright all my photos and content. I may start adding a watermark to the better photos, or at least the ones I think are good enough to steal. That may not be much work, but I guarantee the cooking, baking, recipe development, failures, photo taking and photo editing have been, and will continue to be, a lot of work. I don’t understand stealing and never have – but hey, I’m naive.
Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Bacon and Apples
(original recipe posted on Little Pink Monster)
I adapted the quantities a bit, but the combination is the same:
4 slices of bacon (I used nitrate-free apple-wood smoked bacon- yum!)
6 cups fresh Brussels sprouts, cleaned, trimmed and halved
2 apples, cored and cut into bite sized pieces
Sea Salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the bacon on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until crisp. Remove to a plate and set aside. Add the apples and sprouts to the pan and toss to coat with the bacon drippings. Season with salt and pepper and bake until browned. I like my crisp so I baked them for about 20 minutes, stirring once after 10 minutes. Cut the bacon into 1 inch pieces and toss with the sprouts and apples. Remove to a serving bowl and sprinkle with the red wine vinegar. Check the seasonings and serve.
Oh so delicious!
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Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. I’m in full soup mode and hope to come up with something delicious to post next week. I have about 16 desserts I want to try but that’s just not reasonable. Somebody (like me) would have to eat them.
Ellen Rickard
Tricia,
This recipe is becoming a family favorite! Jim made it last Thanksgiving and we are making it again this year. Last year we gave the leftovers to our hostess, and one of her relatives contacted me this year for the recipe! I gave her your blog information so she can make it. Your photos and recipes are the best!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family ๐
Ellen
Tricia Buice
Thank you so much Ellen! Glad you are enjoying this recipe – it is a favorite of mine, too. Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with all your family.
Shiloh Barkley
Making this right now!
Blond Duck
What was the brand name of the bacon? I've been dying to find some good stuff! I love the brussel sprout/ apple combo!
Tricia
I searched and searched for a good nitrate free bacon and found a Wegman's brand organic applewood smoked bacon at our local Wegman's grocery store. It costs more and doesn't keep long so cook it up and enjoy! Thanks so much for stopping by!
The Cafรฉ Sucrรฉ Farine
I'm so happy to have this recipe, I've been looking for a recipe to entice my son to eat brussels sprouts, he hates them. This sounds wonderful, thanks Tricia!
Angie's Recipes
This is so tasty, Tricia. I am a huge fan of Brussels sprouts.
Mary
This really looks delicious. Your photos keep getting better and better. I'm envious. Have a great day. Blessings…Mary
Top Cuisine avec Lavi
Great recipe! Love your blog!
Inside a British Mum's Kitchen
this is a beautiful post – the photos are wonderful and the recipe is just perfect – I have all the ingredients in the fridge – this is tomorrow nights supper!!!<br />Mary x
Kari Lindsay
I'm just learning how to photograph food, I hope to one day acheive steal worthy photos. Good for you that yours are (I think your photos are beautiful), and good for standing up for yourself.<br />Speaking of photos, these ones are stunning; and the recipe sounds de-lish-ous.
Sue/the view from great island
GREAT post! The article is very enlightening, I guess I'll have to check and see if any of my photos are hanging out without proper credit. And as for the sprouts, well, this is officially the first Brussels sprouts post I've seen this season, so you're officially responsible for kick starting my yearly sprout mania—thanks!
Mary
I'm so glad that you liked this. I could hardly believe how crazy delicious it turned out to be! I have some thoughts for you with regards to the copyrighting. I will email you when I have a few more minutes later today.
Tricia @ saving room for dessert
So funny Shiloh! My husband and I were talking about you the other day. You have a very distinct name fit for a movie star! I'll call you next time I need someone to pull some muscle for me – confrontation – I could live without!
Shiloh Barkley
this recipe looks really great! I can't wait to try it. As for the thieves…I like the contacting them and telling them to remove the photo/give credit. Confrontation can be fun ;)<br /><br />http://www.shilohstaste.com