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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 – 59 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

“Recipe for Revenge” by Becheru D. Dan

Submitted to Contest #270

Recipe for RevengeIngredients:1 overworked peasant (ambitious, sarcastic, and with a healthy amount of spite)1 pompous knight (Ser Jamie, whose ego is bigger than his brain)A dash of castle life (featuring endless chores and entitled nobles)1 grand dining hall (long table, lords, ladies, knights, and the lord of the castle)A sprinkle of pettiness (to taste)1 cold dish (preferably tasteless and devoid of salt)1 final punchline (best delivered with a grin)Instructions:Step One: Introduce Your PeasantStart with a humble peasant named Harold, a ...

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“How To Kill A God” by Josefine R. Dalsager

Submitted to Contest #270

How To Kill A GodA Step By Step Instruction.Preface: One must recognize what kind of god ones god is, for this guide is only for specific gods, see alternatively “How To Kill A Water God” or “How To Kill A Young God”. If ones God fits into these criteria : ancient - has children - punishes sinners - jealous. Then ones God can be killed with the next steps. Ingredients:One single jar of flames of a dying star.Two scales from the first fish who walked the lands.Tears, just a tablespoon, from the first born child of ones God(alternatively secon...

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“Scroll Down for Recipe” by Kristen Hubers

Submitted to Contest #270

Every time I search for a recipe online, I get someone’s life story without asking for it. It’s like a receptionist just trying to make an appointment for Grandpa Jake and having to endure his entire life summary before he even tells her his name. “I was born in Cocksblood with a gangly father and a mother who only knew how to cook weeds.” Jacob (aka Jake) was always in some kind of military and now he wants to check to see if Viagra is the right choice for him and his new wife at the age of 79 and 50 respectively. Before online food blogs ...

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“Tacos without hot sauce?” by William Ellis

Submitted to Contest #270

Bill wondered aloud, " Why did I agree to eat here? I hate tacos." Jack stood at the entrance, holding the door open and gesturing to his friend to come in. His expression totally conveyed his heartfelt desire that Fuzzy Tacos was the right place to be. "Gracious Jack, I thought we would have a serious discussion about my book?" "Bill, this is the perfect place to discuss your concept and audience. It's actually not as loud as it may appear."Jack was always optimistic and had confidence that none of us understood. He was a great critic, Alwa...

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“Unremarkable Ends” by Amelia Corbeau

Submitted to Contest #270

Unremarkable white men have caused me more trouble in my life than any other demographic by far. I do not believe this to be a particularly unique or novel perspective, just one that deserves a featured mention, and consistent repeating. Moving on. I work as a registered dietitian, a nutritionist, except with more degrees and qualifications. I work in a hospital, with walls of glass and views of the bay. Clean lines, polished floors, and technology that is always being swapped out for something new and shiny. My last stop for the day is...

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“The Wizard Finds Love” by Lily Finch

Submitted to Contest #270

The story is about racial intolerance. In particular, the death of a man. Because of the colour of his skin, his occupation, and the ignorance of the cowardly men who show their true colours with their hatred. They hid their cowardice and dressed in white robes and hoods to carry out their actions of hatred. It is also about the abuse of power by those elected into government office, mayor, and police since they were instrumental in turning a blind eye to the attacks perpetrated by the KKK.**Please read to the very end.Troy Sampson, a negro ...

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“Little by Little” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #270

It’s the small things. Of course, it’s the little, seemingly insignificant things. Big things have a habit of being conspicuous. Big things are like grizzly bears. They don’t gradually insinuate themselves into your lives. They don’t delicately become a part of the very fabric of your life. They are either miles away in their usual habitat, or they are wrecking your home as they smash their way towards you, intent on eating you from the feet upwards, with no regard whatsoever for your pitiful screams. The neighbours may be banging on the wal...

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“One Night in July” by B Hart

Submitted to Contest #270

Content Warning: Language, GoreIt was half past ten and Ronald Gibbs was thinking about closing for the night when the woman with tattered overalls and blood-stained tee-shirt stumbled into Ron's Diner holding an infant and looking like she’d seen something fierce. It was the second of July, the time of year when neighbors set off firecrackers at 2 AM and the smell of burgers and dogs sizzled over charcoal grills filling the air with good, old-fashioned patriotism. Sure, you’ll have your occasional accident or two, fireworks are dangerous, b...

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“Kitchen Confessions” by Jim Parker

Submitted to Contest #270

Kitchen ConfessionsCorrine walked down the hall into the kitchen just as the sun’s morning rays were coming through the front window over the dining room table and striking the kitchen cabinets. Jimmy stood at the counter whipping something in a bowl. He was wearing jeans, hiking boots, and a t-shirt with a picture of Barbara Eden’s Genie on the front and the words “Yes Master” on the back. Corine was surprised to see him armed to the teeth with two hunting knives, a .45 on his belt, and a Samurai sword slung over his shoulder. &n...

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“Cougar in the Kitchen” by Bailey Skater

Submitted to Contest #270

CW: Murder, death, all of that jazz.The clock on the wall struck 11:00 p.m., the hum of the refrigerator the only sound cutting through the silence of the sleek kitchen. Sylvia, blonde and beautiful, the CEO of a mega tech company, stood poised like a queen in her marble palace. She sipped from her glass of Merlot, the wine dark as blood. Her eyes, icy blue, fixated on the vial of cyanide sitting innocently on the counter top, a lethal promise in its tiny glass casing.The world seemed still as she held it in her hand, cold like the winter ni...

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“Black Coffee” by Sydney Matuska

Submitted to Contest #270

Tink, tink, tink.The dark liquid dripped from the machine into the glass pot. A few splotches already coated the bottom in a thin layer speckled with grounds. The murky liquid bled into the darkness that engulfed the kitchen. “Margie, come to bed.”“What time is it?” She didn’t turn from the pot in front of her.“It’s three in the morning, sweetie. Come to bed.” Creak, creak, creak.He stopped just behind her. Margie turned with a sigh, leaning against the counter. He dipped his chin to look at her, dark brows furrowed, the corners of...

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“The Great Nutmeg Chase” by Brandon Hamlin

Submitted to Contest #270

The sun was low in the sky, enveloping Blackberry Grove Ridge in a warm golden light. In his inviting kitchen, Mike Yolk, a 29-year-old pastry chef dedicated to the art of culinary craftsmanship, stood with flour lightly covering his apron resembling gentle snowfall. The inviting fragrance of apple cider permeated the air, blending seamlessly with the robust scent of cinnamon. Today marked a significant occasion—fulfilling his mother's yearly request for his renowned Apple Cider bread. He directed his gaze toward the clock. "Very well,...

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“Where's my Liver” by Lillian Burson

Submitted to Contest #270

It was a cold fall morning, and all was still. Jenny was calm and content; her husband was still sleeping off his hangover. She sat on the old chair they placed beside the back door; no one could see the swollen pulp of a left eye that she received the night before. The breeze kissed it softly, and the air carried the coming of rain that would soon fall. The vibrations of her husband's pounding footsteps shook her through the home and to the outside. Jenny sighed and prepared herself for the co...

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“The Alchemy of Simple Ingredients” by Elton James

Submitted to Contest #270

Simple food In the dining room of a small country cottage, a table is set for four. A chequered tablecloth covers a rustic wooden table. Each place holds a cloth placemat under a white plate, with spoon, fork, and a napkin. Simple setting for simple fare. Alice looks up as she places a fresh baguette on the table beside a bowl of pasta. The boys enter, carrying a bowl of steaming tomato sauce. The smells of cooked tomatoes, garlic, basil and chilli intertwine to fill the air. Alice’s husband, Barry, walks a step behind their son ...

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“A Recipe for Anarchy: A Recluses’ Guide to Sewing Discontent” by Jose Gutierrez

Submitted to Contest #270

In my time as a practitioner of dark magic, roughly two hundred years give or take, I have come to several conclusions. The first is that I decidedly do not like people. I have been chased from village to Village by people who view my practices as profane and perverse to the natural order of things. It’s beyond fine to stand in a town square and chant in a dead language for some puffed up god of spring or some other twaddle, but spirits forbid that a young boy should peer through my window and catch me painting sigils with deer blood to prot...

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$250

Prize money

336

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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