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Taste of Home, BEST LOVED RECIPES FROM HOME COOKS LIKE YOU
FIELD EDITOR NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 2015
  Field Editor News You Can Use:
Susan-Stetzel
Susan Stetzel
Field Editor Manager
Taste of Home
sue.stetzel@tmbi.com
Hello, fellow Field Editors!

Happy November! Are you ready to stuff yourselves with turkey and all the fixings? Got any wild kitchen experiments planned for this year or will you stick to the basics? Chime in with the rest of our team in the Field Editor forum or on Facebook. Personally, I like to make a new dish and try it out on my friends and family. They make the perfect guinea pigs and never seem to complain, which is always a good thing.

As promised, this month’s focus is on the ever burning question, "How do I make a recipe unique or original?"

The rule of three applies here. You need to change three things about a recipe — ingredients, amounts, or cooking method; all are fair game. I know many of you have heard this change three things rule before, and some of you still may be befuddled by it. It’s not as complicated as it sounds, I promise.

Many times I’ve heard, "no one owns a recipe; they’re meant to be handed down and passed around." In part, that’s true. But in today’s world, cooking and cookbooks can be big business, and folks can get upset if you take credit for their work. A list of ingredients itself can’t be copyrighted, but make sure you rewrite cooking methods in your own words along with your other changes. If you have any doubt about whether your changes can be interpreted as forming a new recipe, add an "inspired by" message in the notes section of the submission page. Then the editors can compare your version to the original. This just saves us all a headache down the road.

Some things to think about changing are:
  • Cooking method
  • Protein or vegetables
  • Herbs and seasonings (just increasing or decreasing existing ones doesn’t count)
  • Adding or removing ingredients
  • Reducing the calories/fat; making the recipe healthier
Use the notes section to give the editors options, too. Perhaps you’ve turned your grilled chicken into an awesome sandwich or wrap on occasion, or sometimes used pineapple instead of mango. Did you take a chance and use the slow cooker instead of the grill with success? Maybe you mixed the pasta right in and made a casserole instead of topping the noodles with sauce. These possibilities make a difference — one could be enough to make your recipe stand out. There were a few other questions related to the idea of original submissions:
  1. If I post a recipe I created on my blog, does that count as being published and therefore make me ineligible to submit my recipe for consideration for TOH or its sister publications?

    2. As long as the recipe is your original, it belongs to you and you can do what you like with it, including submit it to us for consideration.

  2. If we've won a food competition with a recipe, can we submit that recipe to you?

    3. Same as No. 1: As long as it’s yours you can share it, unless you signed over the rights to the recipe in that contest. Make sure you read the fine print on anything you enter.

  3. Can I submit a recipe that my mom got off the side of a can (or back of a flour bag, or off a box of baking mix, or… or… or…, etc.) two decades ago and has been a favorite of our family ever since, as long as I explain the history?

    4. Not unless you change it enough to make it uniquely your own. Remember that rule of three.

  4. Can I submit a recipe of my aunt's that makes an appearance at every holiday gathering, as long as I explain that it's hers and not an original of mine?

    5. Yes, as long as it’s your aunt’s original. Don’t know for sure? That’s OK – submit it anyway. We realize that not everyone knows where shared recipes originated. If you know it’s your aunt’s recipe that she got from Betty Crocker, that’s not a good recipe to submit.

I hope this information helps you. As always, if you need any help or have any questions, feel free to shoot me a note. My email box is always open.

Happy cooking, my friends!
Sue
Sue.stetzel@tmbi.com
     
  Get Cookin'
Thanksgiving Secrets
Topic 1:
Thanksgiving Secrets
Field Editors share your secrets: What makes your Thanksgiving go smoother? Do you have special make-ahead dishes? Do you have recipes you freeze ahead and pull-out to save the day? Does your slow cooker carry the load? We’re looking to your expertise to make this holiday flow. Submit your recipes under the General Submission category and put “Thanksgiving Secrets” in the notes.

Submit Recipes >
Fall Celebrations Contest
Topic 2:
Fall Celebrations Contest
Who's game for a fall celebration? Send recipes that always make your invite list. Readers crave Oktoberfest dishes like caramel-pear kuchen, slow cooker sauerbraten and German sweet potato salad. Lower the tailgate for bacon-corn dip, muffin-cup muffuletta, Tater Tot kabobs and root beer fudge. Your recipes that bring the noise (and have 12 ingredients, max) could win you $500 and big-time props in an upcoming issue of Simple & Delicious. Submit your recipe by Dec. 18.

Submit Recipes >
Joy to the Swirl
Topic 3:
Joy to the Swirl
Wound up tight and full of flavor, these rolled up goodies leave an impression wherever they’re served. Think about shapes like cinnamon buns, swirled breads (both sweet and spicy), spiraled cookies and savory pinwheels. If you make it swirl we’ll give it a whirl! Share your favorites with us.

Submit Recipes >
  What's new?

Since it’s November I’m sure some of you MUST be doing some holiday shopping by now. Be sure to visit Shop Taste of Home and pick up a little something for yourself. You’ve worked hard this year, you deserve a little something. Besides, I’m sure your family will thank you when you cook up something wonderful for them. Be sure to use the code FIELDFS to get free shipping on any order you place. It’s our little token of gratitude because you’re so awesome.



 

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