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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#270: The Perfect Recipe

Writing can often feel like trying to follow the perfect recipe: with the right inciting incident, you can push your character out of their status quo or comfort zone, and if you sprinkle some challenges in there, you get character development. Then, you turn the heat up until you reach a boiling point — maybe you even toss in a third-act crisis — and just before it spills over, you add the finishing touches and plate it up.

But sometimes, no matter how carefully you stick to a recipe, things don’t turn out as planned. That’s when, like any great chef, you realize it’s better to forgo exact steps and simply season to taste.

This week’s prompts take inspiration from the world of food, so grab your aprons and preheat your ovens — let’s get cooking!

This week's prompts

Write a story in the form of a recipe.

Short Story – 82 stories

Start or end your story with two people discussing an important matter over a meal.

Dramatic – 60 stories

Write a story inspired by the saying “Revenge is a dish best served cold.”

Angst – 60 stories

Set your story in a kitchen, either early in the day or late at night.

Short Story – 82 stories

Write a story about someone searching for a missing ingredient, literally or metaphorically.

Dramatic – 53 stories

Stories

“"The Quest for the Yeti tooth" by Kelsey Donaldson” by Kelsey Donaldson

Submitted to Contest #270

(Content such as "Blood" and Weapons")Dalia dashed through the shadowy woods, a pack of ferocious SmogHags hot on her trail. These Goblin-like beasts, were not to be underestimated. She took a chance, darting down a narrow path, hoping it would be too tight for the SmogHags to navigate. Her gamble paid off when she saw the creatures wedged between the boulders, a triumphant grin spreading across her face. She would've tried to shoot them with her bow, but she knew it was useless; their hide was thick; she swiftly found another path and circl...

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“A Tale of Two Sisters” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #270

Once upon a time, in the kingdom of Valamire, twin sisters came into the world. Fern and Fawn. They weren’t identical; Fern had raven black hair, and Fawn’s hair was golden. Fern was the firstborn and considered herself the oldest, so she had assumed authority over Fawn. Fawn is gentle and kind, as well as unassuming. She willingly gave in to Fern’s demands. Their mother was happy the girls didn’t argue or fight and seldom saw any need for correction. On the other hand, their grandmother didn’t approv...

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“Recipe for (Self) Love” by Anna Rajmon

Submitted to Contest #270

She ran away from there as fast as she could, nervously turning the car key in the ignition, desperate to leave. The bewildered gentleman stood there, jaw dropped, at the crime scene. The engine was already purring, and the car was ready to go, but before she pressed the pedal, she called her best friend. After several long rings, she heard a shuffling noise, and Amy knew her friend was on the other end of the line. “Are you hungry?” Amy blurted out.“What makes you think I’ve got nothing to do on a Saturday evening?” came the voice on the ot...

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“How To Cook Your Mother-In-Law” by Aurélien Hannoyer

Submitted to Contest #270

How To Cook Your Mother-In-Law Who has never dreamt of killing and making disappear one’s mother-in-law ? It is rarely, to say the least, love at first sight. It is more likely and usually an open raging war. But if you kill her, there is a body, and with a body comes a crime. You surely want to avoid that. No body, no crime. And what best way to make a body disappear than to cooking it ? You will find below an recipe to cook an “old-fashioned mother-in-law’s roast”. It may not be the most famous of the dishes and you may not find it easily...

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“Charles Stew” by Thomas Wetzel

Submitted to Contest #270

CW: This story contains depictions of violence, including dismemberment and murder. References to suicide and infidelity are also present. Reader discretion is advised.The following is my home recipe for Charles Stew. I met my husband Charles while we were both training to become professional chefs at the Culinary Institute of America in Poughkeepsie, New York in September of 2009. Served with fresh-baked bread and a nice red wine, this stew is a great Autumn meal and I think you will enjoy this dish, which must be made with true passion to...

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“The Sustaining River” by Cindy Calder

Submitted to Contest #270

Amelia had lived on the river as long as she could remember. The home had been her great-grandfather’s home before it had become her grandfather’s and then eventually passed down to her father. Now it was her home, and the love she felt for it was immeasurable. Not only was there a sentimentality in the home itself, there was a depth of calmness and reassurance from the surging, winding river that ran past it and far beyond, providing a serenity as well as sustenance from its waters for all who resided therein. The cabin’s furnishings were s...

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“Cooking up a Successful Restaurant: A Recipe for Success” by Jeff Meade

Submitted to Contest #270

Recipe OverviewStart out with dreams. Restaurants are based on this magical ingredient. Restaurants are not created just to sell tasty delicacies, but rather to showcase desires, ambitions, and personal fancy. They are selfish in that way, as only the creator truly understands the artistry they put into their work. So start with a dream. Grab a sheet of paper and sketch out what the kitchen would look like. Then spend countless hours pondering whether the crispy Po’Boy should have jerk seasoning or traditional blackening spice. It’s al...

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“Caramelized Onions” by Ajay Sabs

Submitted to Contest #270

You’re laying on the couch, the TV is on but you’re not really watching anything, and you’re feeling blah. Maybe it’s that summer has come to an end. You’re in the interstitial period that immediately precedes the season that elevates hypothermia and credit card debt to holiday status. Fall has begun, the house feels empty. Leaves have fallen, rain has fallen, and is still falling, and a slurry of leaf paste has formed on the ground outside. You’re stuck inside. You’re tired. The listlessness feels like a yoke tied to your neck, pulling you ...

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“Day of Roux: A Mike Dodge Mystery” by Martin Ross

Submitted to Contest #270

The roux is the foundation -- of any great stew, bisque, chowder, the velveteen béchamel your visiting cousin calls the “gravy” he found just a mite too boojie for his tastes. It’s the distinction between a minestrone and a pasta e fagiole and certainly the basis of any jambalaya you don’t want called out as a gumbo.**“You’re shitting me, right?”“I shit you not,” I pledged, sliding the cookie sheet into the oven. I guesstimated, as I had throughout my culinary career, and set the dial for 375. It was an old church oven – that’s to say a rest...

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“Recipe for a Cyanide Dream: A Dish of Defiance” by Liv Valen

Submitted to Contest #270

Recipe for a Cyanide Dream: A Dish of DefianceServes: Anyone grasping for breath in a poisoned world.Ingredients:1 cup of clouded dreams: thickened with broken promises. Preferably freshly harvested from the minds of those who seek control.2 tablespoons of toxic ambition: carefully distilled from forgotten ideals3 teaspoons of false hope: deceptively sweetA half gram of cyanide: pure and potent. Measure carefully, it is lethal but quiet1 gallon of contaminated water: drawn from the wells of corruptionA handful of whispers of solidarity: stra...

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“At the Edge of the Water” by Tycho Dwelis

Submitted to Contest #270

“Modestus,” Rosita grumbled, “tonto, you’re barely touching your food. How are you supposed to track down Smiley on an empty stomach?”I sat across from Rosita at a table outside the Lambert Inn, my legs stretched out as I picked at the remains of my dinner. The cicadas were loud, like they had something urgent to say, but I couldn’t find it in myself to give a damn. My mind was on Kevin Smiley.I glanced up at her and gave a half-hearted shrug. She was lookin’ at me with those dark eyes of hers. Her face was sharp, strong with high cheekbones...

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“Morgan's Story” by Tommy Goround

Submitted to Contest #270

Grandpa had always taken care of Morgan and it didn’t seem fair that he would give his life to California because Morgan was still in need. Out of the 40 million known people in the state, nearly half had offered themselves for human sacrifice on the Dragon Tree in Galt because they were losing their homes. Because the California Aqueduct went through their farms and they were not allowed to siphon water as their crops died. People needed the prices of food to come down. They needed the dragons. Dragon dung is super nutritious and ...

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“A Dish Best Served Cold” by Johanna L

Submitted to Contest #270

The invitation never came. Amelia had known it from the start. She could feel the tension building in her mother’s voice for weeks before the trip was even announced. “Your sister and I are going to Europe,” her mother, Brenda, said with a tone dripping in forced casualness. It wasn’t a question or an invitation. It was a declaration. Amelia tried to pretend it didn’t sting, but it always did. For years, she had been the one on the sidelines, while her mother poured all her affection and attention into Amelia’s sister, Grace. Grace, the gold...

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“Ground Beef” by Cedar Barkwood

Submitted to Contest #270

When I come through the door, Amy is laying on the couch, the news lighting up the living room, weeping into one of Jason's shirts.I do my best to ignore her, ignore the grief welling in my own throat, and head to the kitchen. I reach in my bag as I start to lay out all the ingredients that I brought. I glance up at the television, Jason's missing person picture and information flashes across the screen. Amy lets out a strangled cry.Frustration bubbles up in my chest. If she would just put in an effort to find him, he was her son after all.I...

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“More Child Than Man, More Drone Than Robot” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #270

An orange flame reflects in Ross Remington’s protective goggles as he solders the wires connecting the AI’s head to its torso. Noticing the beads of sweat forming on Ross’s forehead, Ruth says, “I’ll take over,” grabbing the soldering gun from her husband’s hand. Rex, their previous attempt at creating a sentient being, leans over the operating table. “Stand back, Rex. I don’t want a spark to hit you,” Ruth says. “When you caught fire, it nearly destroyed you. So, remember, ‘fire bad.’” “I don’t think he gets the Frankenstein reference,” Ros...

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$250

Prize money

337

Contest entries

133

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Oct 04, 2024 EST

Won by Jay Wayne 🏆

Title: Add Vodka to Taste

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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