Revenge Recipes: The Internet Offers Sweet Ways to Get Even

Revenge is nothing new. Even the seemingly innocent subject of recipes has spawned revenge stories. The Internet has elevated recipe revenge to a whole new level.

Recipe revenge stories are all over the internet. E-mails and posts online tell stories of people getting revenge for being outrageously charged for a recipe. In one such post a woman who asked for the recipe for the cake she had at the Waldorf Astoria is charged $350 on her credit card. In revenge the woman sends the recipe to everyone she knows. This is an urban legend that has been adapted for the internet.

There is a similar recipe revenge story of a person being charged $250 for a Mrs. Field's cookie recipe. This rumor was so persistent that in 1987 Debbi Fields posted a sign in her stores debunking the story.

Recipe revenge stories can be found going back as far as 60 years. In a 1948 cookbook Massachusetts Cooking Rules, Old and New you will find a $25 Fudge Cake recipe with a similar story of a woman asking for the recipe on a train and being sent a $25 bill.

So why are these stories so prevalent? Because we all love the underdog. We like cheering David as he beats Goliath. We can fight injustice by simply forwarding the email, plus we get a yummy recipe. Which is why, despite the fact most are not true, the stories continue.

In the spirit of recipe revenge I am posting my own version. These recipes are from my ex-husband's mother. She was the stereotypical nightmare of a mother in law. One of the last memories I have of her is when she grabbed my face and threatened to shoot me and my dog. I loved that dog. She even had the nerve to scream at me for "taking her son away" when we had to move closer to my mom who was dying with cancer. So please enjoy the recipes and feel free to forward to anyone you know.

Ricky's Peanut Butter Candy

Ingredients:

¼ cup of margarine, 2 cups of sugar, ½ cup of milk, 3 tablespoons of white Karo syrup, 1 tsp of vanilla, 3/4 cup of peanut butter

Instructions:

Mix margarine, milk, sugar & Karo in pan and boil over medium heat until a soft ball forms when dropped into water. Remove from heat and add peanut butter and vanilla. Mix well and pour into pan. Cool then cut.

Date Logs

Ingredients:

1 stick of margarine or butter, 1 cup seedless chopped dates, 1 cup sugar, 1 egg and 2 cups Rice Krispies. Coconut to roll them in after cooked(optional).

Instructions:

Cook margarine, dates, egg and sugar over medium heat for 8 or 9 minutes, stirring frequently. Add Rice Krispies and keep stirring. Cook for a few minutes more. Remove from heat and let cool just enough that you can roll into logs. Roll into logs or balls and roll in coconut if desired.

The woman may have been a little crazy, but her recipes are very good. The date logs are a staple for Christmas every year.

Recipe revenge has found a new life through the internet. I hope you enjoy my contribution. I chose desserts because they are sweet and bring a smile to your face, much like how my recipe revenge is sweet and brings a smile to my face. Enjoy!