I love this, Nicole. I've had a number of problems with Martha's recipes. If there are too many to choose from, I'll pitch in and cook a few, too :) mostly I've had trouble with her cookie recipes.

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The thing that you are missing here is that - most of these are not Martha's recipes. The real secret to Martha's success is that she hires underlings to do her bidding. I seriously doubt that Martha takes time out from managing her multi-million dollar empire to test every recipe that shows up under her banner. When would she have time? Like any large corporation - and that is what Martha Stewart really is now - there are people who "take care of the details" and how good or bad the recipes turn out is entirely dependent on them.

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My point is that "Martha Stewart" is a brand, not a person. Martha has worked hard to make herself a household name, but how much time does she have for every small detail? Does she proof every book? Does she test every recipe that appears in all the books and magazine that fall under her banner? I doubt it. That is not how major corporations work - no matter who is at the helm. She has people she trusts to oversee those details. She says "We need a book on desserts. It should cover these points. Now get to it." And they do. She asks for reports on how things are going, but by and large, being a "persona" takes up the majority of her time. Delegation is the true key to her sucess.

The best analogy I can make is the magician David Copperfield. David is a showman and he has people who do all the dirty work. I know the guy who builds all his stage props and the guy who hunts down all the magic tricks he does and the gal who does all his promotional materials, and I am sure he has people who schedules his tours and his personal assistant who makes sure he gets his personal life straight. He's got chops sure enough - but he can't do it all, nor does he want to. He knew enough hire the best and have them do the work for him. That way he can date the hot babes.

So in summary, I am not saying there is any "conspiracy". What I am saying is that Martha is a multi-billion dollar corporation and her products reflect that. All she can do is hire people and require they perform at a level so that her reputation is upheld. That is the secret to her success.

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My point is that "Martha Stewart" is a brand, not a person. Martha has worked hard to make herself a household name, but how much time does she have for every small detail? Does she proof every book? Does she test every recipe that appears in all the books and magazine that fall under her banner? I doubt it. That is not how major corporations work - no matter who is at the helm. She has people she trusts to oversee those details. She says "We need a book on desserts. It should cover these points. Now get to it." And they do. She asks for reports on how things are going, but by and large, being a "persona" takes up the majority of her time. Delegation is the true key to her sucess.

The best analogy I can make is the magician David Copperfield. David is a showman and he has people who do all the dirty work. I know the guy who builds all his stage props and the guy who hunts down all the magic tricks he does and the gal who does all his promotional materials, and I am sure he has people who schedules his tours and his personal assistant who makes sure he gets his personal life straight. He's got chops sure enough - but he can't do it all, nor does he want to. He knew enough hire the best and have them do the work for him. That way he can date the hot babes.

So in summary, I am not saying there is any "conspiracy". What I am saying is that Martha is a multi-billion dollar corporation and her products reflect that. All she can do is hire people and require they perform at a level so that her reputation is upheld. That is the secret to her success.

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Brand or person, either way the recipes that are published and that we buy should be proofread. I not only had trouble with a recent (November?) Living recipe for caramelized walnuts, I actually got injured making them. And I *know* that beyond the question ofmy ineptness there was something wrong with the recipe, because it started out by having you preheat the oven to 350, then never instructed you to bake anything. :)

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