One of the most frustrating and disappointing things about food blogging (and I suppose blogging in general) is when you see your work published somewhere else without your permission. Photographs, text —even personal stories like the ones I share here—, of course recipes, appearing in somebody else’s website or blog, somebody who has essentially stolen from you. Because that’s exactly what it feels like; theft. As if someone has broken into my own house, or rather into my own soul, and has taken from me what I have generously put out into the world.
I am the kind of person who can’t just leave it at that. I send emails, I leave messages, in the hope that whoever did it, has no real understanding of what it is they did and that they will remove my work from their site. Some do, others don’t.
The idea of stopping blogging and shutting down my blog altogether has crossed my mind many times due to this. Ιt wears you down, it spoils the experience of blogging after a while. It is hurtful when people just take without asking, using your creativity and imagination for their own benefit. There are even big websites that have done this, even businesses that steal content from blogs and post it on their website without having to pay for a photograph or a recipe. It is so much easier for them to simply steal from a blog rather than pay someone for their work.
Unfortunately, however, it’s not only those people who act like that. It feels like they would steal from anyone anyway. No, there are others, those who know you, those who leave comments on your blog or your social media, those who send you emails, and what they do is either copy-paste your work from your website and publish it on their blogs as it is, or do something equally inappropriate and infuriating; copy your style, your way of writing and expressing yourself, copy your photos, your mood, the way you style your food. You know who I’m talking about. They are the ones who as soon as you post something, it magically appears on their blog or on their social media after a while, by pure chance. They are those who suffer from ideas and simply “borrow” yours.
Apart from infuriating, all these things also make me sad, and all I can think to say to them is that I hope one day they find their own voice and offer the world what only they can offer rather than the imitation of someone else. Because it is so liberating to be able to express what you have inside you and be authentic, and so terribly excruciating to have to steal or copy someone else’s work, thinking that it is worth more than yours. The only way for someone to stand out in this world is when what they offer is unique and part of themselves. To simply copy what another does, is unfair first and foremost to your own self.
It goes without saying that we are all influenced by others, by what we read, what we watch, who we admire and look up to, but being inspired by someone while cultivating your own style and point of view is completely different than shamelessly copying them. There are so many talented people out there that give me food for thought and creativity, but I have never consciously copied someone else’s idea. I have never sat down, for example, to study their photographs and food styling with the intent of copying their work —where to place the fork, the parsley, how to set the table—, or read something that I find interesting and then go on to alter it slightly and post it on my blog or social media. That would be ridiculous, wouldn’t it? Who would I be kidding? Obviously, only myself. Because for me, all aspects of blogging —the writing, the photos, the choice of recipes, the cooking, the styling, the aesthetic— is my process, my way of being creative, is what I have inside me and it is the means to get out into the world what I feel. And when someone steals my work, in any way, shape or form, whether it’s a big site or a small blog, it hurts.
My apologies to those of you who come here just for the recipes. This blog is my own little space in this huge world of the internet, and I really needed to say these things. I wanted people to read them —those people— and hopefully stop doing what they’re doing. I needed to get this off my chest and not let it bother me and preoccupy me anymore. I’d rather have positive feelings and thoughts than negative, and this post is my attempt to let go of all these emotions that make me uncomfortable in my own space and in effect spoil my blogging experience.
The recipe…
Chocolate brownies. With beetroot. A big revelation to me. Because I’m one of those people who like their brownies fluffy, moist and fudgy but not gloopy, and these are exactly what I was seeking. With a deep chocolate flavor resulting from the addition of dark chocolate and cocoa powder, and a slight caramel flavor from brown sugar; with a soft, moist, slightly sticky and fluffy texture, but also a bit crunchy from the ground almonds; with the beetroot flavor being discreet to the point that you don’t even taste it —I know many of you will appreciate this—, and finally, without being too sweet but rather even having a faint bitterness to them from the dark chocolate.
I’m so glad I discovered these brownies, and even more glad that I get to share them with you. So, behold. Brownies, a little different and very addictive.
Dark chocolate brownies with beetroot
Adapted from Harry Eastwood
Perhaps the only thing that gives away the presence of beetroot in these brownies is the slightly reddish hue that they have, especially on the inside.
You can use already boiled, vacuum-packed beets or boil them yourself. If you choose to do the latter, boil them with their skins on and peel them when cool.
It would be best if you grind the almonds yourself rather than buying them already ground. Apart from being cheaper, it also gives you the opportunity to control how fine or coarse you grind them. Don’t turn them into a powder but leave a few small pieces in so that your brownies have that extra little crunchiness.
The secret to fluffy brownies lies in the good beating of the eggs with the sugar so that the resulting mixture is very fluffy and more than doubled in volume. Unfortunately, I could not take pictures because I was sharing real-time videos of the procedure on Snapchat.
My fridge is filled to the brim with strawberries at the moment, and while these brownies contain beetroot rather than strawberries (you can check my strawberry brownies from last spring), their freshness and delicate, sweet and tart flavor is a prefect match for the intensely chocolaty brownies.
Also, they pair beautifully with a scoop of good homemade ice cream, or with some unsweetened whipped cream, or with a simple dusting of icing sugar before serving.
Yield: 25 small squares
Ingredients
150 g good quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), cut into small pieces
400 g boiled and peeled beets
3 medium-sized eggs
¼ tsp salt
200 g soft light brown sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
70 g Dutch processed cocoa powder
50 g blanched almonds, finely ground
35 g all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
Butter, for greasing the pan
Icing sugar (optional), for dusting
Fresh strawberries (optional), for serving
Special equipment: food processor, electric hand-held mixer, square baking pan (20x20 cm), baking paper
Preparation
Butter the bottom and sides of the pan and line the bottom and sides with a piece of baking paper, leaving an overhang on all sides.
Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water (bain-marie) and melt, stirring often with a spatula. The bottom of the bowl must not come in contact with the simmering water otherwise the chocolate will burn.
Remove the bowl from the top of the pan and set aside to cool slighlty.
Preheat your oven to 160°C.
Cut the beetroots in small pieces and purée them in the food processor. Make sure the purée is as smooth as it can be. If your food processor is small, purée the bees in batches.
In a large bowl, add the eggs and salt and beat with the hand-held mixer on high speed until the eggs become fluffy, light and creamy. Add the sugar in 3 increments, beating well after each addition. Then, continue beating until you have a very light, fluffy and creamy mixture that has doubled in size.
Add the beetroot purée, the melted chocolate and vanilla to the egg mixture and beat on medium until incorporated.
Then, add the cocoa powder, ground almonds, flour and baking powder and fold them in using a spatula. You don’t need to be super gentle with the folding because you don’t want any patches of flour or cocoa lumps in your mixture which will inevitably deflate somewhat.
Empty the brownie batter in the prepared baking pan and smooth the top with spatula or the back of a spoon. Place the pan on the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. To make sure they are ready, insert a wooden toothpick in the center and it should come out with several moist (but not wet) crumbs attached. Also, if you press the top of the brownies, it should be soft but set.
Once the brownies are ready, take the pan out of the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool, for about 15 minutes. Then, lift the ends of the baking paper and transfer the brownies to the wire rack to cool completely. Or, if you want to eat them while still warm, transfer them to a cutting board and cut them straight away. They are however very soft and fluffy on the inside so I would suggest you wait until they have cooled completely to cut them. If you refrigerate them, they will be even easier to cut and you’ll get neat squares.
Cut brownies into 25 squares.
Dust with icing sugar if you wish before serving. Serve with fresh strawberries or plain.
Keep the brownies in an airtight container, at room temperature or in the fridge, for up to 5 days. If you keep them in fridge, they will be a lot more firm.
I am the kind of person who can’t just leave it at that. I send emails, I leave messages, in the hope that whoever did it, has no real understanding of what it is they did and that they will remove my work from their site. Some do, others don’t.
The idea of stopping blogging and shutting down my blog altogether has crossed my mind many times due to this. Ιt wears you down, it spoils the experience of blogging after a while. It is hurtful when people just take without asking, using your creativity and imagination for their own benefit. There are even big websites that have done this, even businesses that steal content from blogs and post it on their website without having to pay for a photograph or a recipe. It is so much easier for them to simply steal from a blog rather than pay someone for their work.
Unfortunately, however, it’s not only those people who act like that. It feels like they would steal from anyone anyway. No, there are others, those who know you, those who leave comments on your blog or your social media, those who send you emails, and what they do is either copy-paste your work from your website and publish it on their blogs as it is, or do something equally inappropriate and infuriating; copy your style, your way of writing and expressing yourself, copy your photos, your mood, the way you style your food. You know who I’m talking about. They are the ones who as soon as you post something, it magically appears on their blog or on their social media after a while, by pure chance. They are those who suffer from ideas and simply “borrow” yours.
Apart from infuriating, all these things also make me sad, and all I can think to say to them is that I hope one day they find their own voice and offer the world what only they can offer rather than the imitation of someone else. Because it is so liberating to be able to express what you have inside you and be authentic, and so terribly excruciating to have to steal or copy someone else’s work, thinking that it is worth more than yours. The only way for someone to stand out in this world is when what they offer is unique and part of themselves. To simply copy what another does, is unfair first and foremost to your own self.
It goes without saying that we are all influenced by others, by what we read, what we watch, who we admire and look up to, but being inspired by someone while cultivating your own style and point of view is completely different than shamelessly copying them. There are so many talented people out there that give me food for thought and creativity, but I have never consciously copied someone else’s idea. I have never sat down, for example, to study their photographs and food styling with the intent of copying their work —where to place the fork, the parsley, how to set the table—, or read something that I find interesting and then go on to alter it slightly and post it on my blog or social media. That would be ridiculous, wouldn’t it? Who would I be kidding? Obviously, only myself. Because for me, all aspects of blogging —the writing, the photos, the choice of recipes, the cooking, the styling, the aesthetic— is my process, my way of being creative, is what I have inside me and it is the means to get out into the world what I feel. And when someone steals my work, in any way, shape or form, whether it’s a big site or a small blog, it hurts.
My apologies to those of you who come here just for the recipes. This blog is my own little space in this huge world of the internet, and I really needed to say these things. I wanted people to read them —those people— and hopefully stop doing what they’re doing. I needed to get this off my chest and not let it bother me and preoccupy me anymore. I’d rather have positive feelings and thoughts than negative, and this post is my attempt to let go of all these emotions that make me uncomfortable in my own space and in effect spoil my blogging experience.
The recipe…
Chocolate brownies. With beetroot. A big revelation to me. Because I’m one of those people who like their brownies fluffy, moist and fudgy but not gloopy, and these are exactly what I was seeking. With a deep chocolate flavor resulting from the addition of dark chocolate and cocoa powder, and a slight caramel flavor from brown sugar; with a soft, moist, slightly sticky and fluffy texture, but also a bit crunchy from the ground almonds; with the beetroot flavor being discreet to the point that you don’t even taste it —I know many of you will appreciate this—, and finally, without being too sweet but rather even having a faint bitterness to them from the dark chocolate.
I’m so glad I discovered these brownies, and even more glad that I get to share them with you. So, behold. Brownies, a little different and very addictive.
Dark chocolate brownies with beetroot
Adapted from Harry Eastwood
Perhaps the only thing that gives away the presence of beetroot in these brownies is the slightly reddish hue that they have, especially on the inside.
You can use already boiled, vacuum-packed beets or boil them yourself. If you choose to do the latter, boil them with their skins on and peel them when cool.
It would be best if you grind the almonds yourself rather than buying them already ground. Apart from being cheaper, it also gives you the opportunity to control how fine or coarse you grind them. Don’t turn them into a powder but leave a few small pieces in so that your brownies have that extra little crunchiness.
The secret to fluffy brownies lies in the good beating of the eggs with the sugar so that the resulting mixture is very fluffy and more than doubled in volume. Unfortunately, I could not take pictures because I was sharing real-time videos of the procedure on Snapchat.
My fridge is filled to the brim with strawberries at the moment, and while these brownies contain beetroot rather than strawberries (you can check my strawberry brownies from last spring), their freshness and delicate, sweet and tart flavor is a prefect match for the intensely chocolaty brownies.
Also, they pair beautifully with a scoop of good homemade ice cream, or with some unsweetened whipped cream, or with a simple dusting of icing sugar before serving.
Yield: 25 small squares
Ingredients
150 g good quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), cut into small pieces
400 g boiled and peeled beets
3 medium-sized eggs
¼ tsp salt
200 g soft light brown sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
70 g Dutch processed cocoa powder
50 g blanched almonds, finely ground
35 g all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
Butter, for greasing the pan
Icing sugar (optional), for dusting
Fresh strawberries (optional), for serving
Special equipment: food processor, electric hand-held mixer, square baking pan (20x20 cm), baking paper
Preparation
Butter the bottom and sides of the pan and line the bottom and sides with a piece of baking paper, leaving an overhang on all sides.
Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water (bain-marie) and melt, stirring often with a spatula. The bottom of the bowl must not come in contact with the simmering water otherwise the chocolate will burn.
Remove the bowl from the top of the pan and set aside to cool slighlty.
Preheat your oven to 160°C.
Cut the beetroots in small pieces and purée them in the food processor. Make sure the purée is as smooth as it can be. If your food processor is small, purée the bees in batches.
In a large bowl, add the eggs and salt and beat with the hand-held mixer on high speed until the eggs become fluffy, light and creamy. Add the sugar in 3 increments, beating well after each addition. Then, continue beating until you have a very light, fluffy and creamy mixture that has doubled in size.
Add the beetroot purée, the melted chocolate and vanilla to the egg mixture and beat on medium until incorporated.
Then, add the cocoa powder, ground almonds, flour and baking powder and fold them in using a spatula. You don’t need to be super gentle with the folding because you don’t want any patches of flour or cocoa lumps in your mixture which will inevitably deflate somewhat.
Empty the brownie batter in the prepared baking pan and smooth the top with spatula or the back of a spoon. Place the pan on the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. To make sure they are ready, insert a wooden toothpick in the center and it should come out with several moist (but not wet) crumbs attached. Also, if you press the top of the brownies, it should be soft but set.
Once the brownies are ready, take the pan out of the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool, for about 15 minutes. Then, lift the ends of the baking paper and transfer the brownies to the wire rack to cool completely. Or, if you want to eat them while still warm, transfer them to a cutting board and cut them straight away. They are however very soft and fluffy on the inside so I would suggest you wait until they have cooled completely to cut them. If you refrigerate them, they will be even easier to cut and you’ll get neat squares.
Cut brownies into 25 squares.
Dust with icing sugar if you wish before serving. Serve with fresh strawberries or plain.
Keep the brownies in an airtight container, at room temperature or in the fridge, for up to 5 days. If you keep them in fridge, they will be a lot more firm.
Magda, I'm so sorry you're dealing with this sort of unethical behavior. It does feel so bad!
ReplyDeleteI always hold true that in the end everyone who has clear eyes can see where the work really comes from. Keep putting your gorgeous and delicious work - it's so appreciated. You are amazing!
With love from California,
E
Thank you so much Erin for your supportive words. You are very sweet. I'm sure every single blogger out there knows how it feels. It's just good for the soul to vent once in a while, right? xoxo
DeleteDear Magda, when you post, you add your own little drop of whater to a bigger stream, that of Universal Water. It mixes intimately with what is already there and serves all. You know that when you release your creation you will have no control over what happens afterwards. So, the feelings you express of how hurt and even angry you are, if they are not vented with the purpose of cleaning you inside, they will act like a poison to you. Don't let this happen. Go on blogging and expressing your lovely self, take note of your feelings, let it all "go" into the bigger stream with your thankfullness and blessing, do not monitor or be upset by the result. Remember Coco Chanel, the more I am copied ( and she was and is to this day !) the more I know I am moving in the right direction. Express yourself and let go. You can only change yourself, not the whole wide world. Be contented in your originality - let that be your revenge. And maybe keep track of who copies you, and do a blog post telling us, " this is what I published on this date" next to " and this is what so and so were inspired to do with my work a few hours later" ! Be yourself, do what you obviously enjoy doing, don't let anybody else rule your hapiness. ( please note that I do not blog , I enjoy life in other ways)
ReplyDeleteHi Mariam and thank you very much for your comment. That was exactly the purpose of this post. To let go of the negativity that all this makes me feel. To not think about it anymore. I have been blogging for over six years now and this has been happening for many years. I thought it was time I got it off my chest. Of course I will not give up sharing my food with the world. I love it too much to stop. And I also enjoy life in other ways. Blogging is not my life. It's a small part of it. Thanks again Mariam.
DeleteIt is infuriating to find this happening to you. It is because you are so incredibly good, I imagine. (No one has stolen anything of mine... yet. Or, that I know of.) I echo what Mariam and Erin said, and as that you continue blogging for those of us who need your stories, your recipes, and your luscious photos. xx, David
ReplyDeleteHi David. I never meant to imply that people steal from me because I'm too good. Hope that didn't come out that way. I know that this is happening to a crazy amount of bloggers out there and it is sad for everyone who puts their soul into something only to have it stolen or copied by someone else. The fact that we share publicly through our blogs, doesn't give anyone the right to take it, right? I really wish this never happens to you, because it doesn't feel good. And even though I've gotten used to it through the years (6½ years of blogging!) it still pisses me off.
Delete