Note that the ingredient list is not subject to copyright protection, nor are straightforward procedures. It is the 'literary' components--the story behind the recipe, the commentary about the ingredients, the procedures, and similar literary 'expressions' that are copyrightable. One could lift an ingredient list verbatim, name it something else, and call it one's own.
Also note that one possesses copyright immediately when one writes or records something in tangible form. The Copyright Office exists to record--i.e., register--the copyright. One does not legally need to possess a registered copyright in order to prove ownership though this is usually done when something is published for sale. There are other ways to prove copyright short of registering and many people do this with works in progress and wait to register until the work is completed.
