Meet the Contributors: Toni Leahy

I had planned to place you in a sugar coma with my decadent cookie recipe, but alas the plans of life whacked me off course. I shall save that seduction for another post. Time tunes us to the seduction of summer…grilling. Thank you dear hubby for this one.

I think this is a great writing lesson. You may think you have set a great story and know the direction it will take, but as you write you discover that turns and paths pop up in your storyline. Same thing goes after you have someone review your work. You find suggests that create characters that had not been planned or plotlines that interweave themselves within your text. You discover a flavor added that enhances your manuscript.

This unexpected recipe enhances the summer grill experience. Many people dislike duck or complain that they fail at making a successful dish with the quacker. Well, my hubby has this simple recipe that takes the bite out of the wild game creation.

We don’t have a name for this story (recipe.) We’ll call it ‘Grilled Duck’ for today’s purpose. I find it fitting that it is an appetizer. A get-to-know-you-while-I-munch type of food. It seems appropriate for this first blog post. See the unplanned can be fantastic.

The characters (ingredients):

2 Duck Breasts

1 ½ pkgs of Bacon

Lowry’s Season Salt

Toothpicks

See I told you it seems more like a novella, or rather a short story.

1.) The toothpick may seem like a minor character, but he holds together the plot of our creation. Do not neglect the importance of our little guy or gal.

Soak toothpicks in a cup of water for about 30 minutes (this prevents them from burning on the grill.)

2.) Cube breasts into 1” cubes and cut bacon strips into 1/3^rd sections.

3.) Wrap each cube with a piece of bacon and secure with waterlogged toothpick.

4.) Place on the grill at a medium heat and sprinkle with Lowry’s Seasoning Salt.

5.) Grill for eight minutes, then turn each piece and sprinkle new side with Lowry’s.

Grill for an additional eight minutes.

After eight minutes remove from grill and watch them get devoured before you even get a chance to get your camera and snap a picture of a full plate.

This makes about 50 pieces (although you can’t tell from this picture.)

Prep. Time: about 30 minutes

Cook Time: 16 minutes.

To add a little kick to the quack: add a small piece of Jalapeño Pepper.

Simple, Manly, and Grillin’ Good.

And I shall end this entry with a writing prompt.

*Write about your first childhood memory involving the smells from a summer cookout.

Or if you’d like a beginning sentence prompt to start your summer cookout memory:

* The 102 degree heat was burning more than...