Mealtime Madness Monday

Wow! This week has been amazing - our first coauthored posts, our first blogfest, and we averaged two new followers per day. Thanks so much to all of you!

In honor of the live chat on WriteOnCon tonight, I've (Erica) come up with a sure-fire idea to convince your family you're slaving away in the kitchen (but really you're watching the chat). They'll be so impressed, they'll forget they waited until 10:00 to eat... (or, alternatively, use this as a party recipe!)

My husband and his friends all hunt. Plus I live on a beef farm. So, as you can imagine, my family eats some sort of meat for every meal. As a teacher, I can be home most days by 4:00 (I live 2 miles from the school), but not everyone is that lucky. Time is precious. The family expects you to cook. You want to attend a live chat about agents and that could be your ticket to success and it starts in OHMYGOD an hour and what's a busy mom/dad to do and why are all these people asking me what's for dinner!?!

So, here's an idea. You might not be able to cook this tonight (unless you have someone who hunts), but plan on it for next month's chat or party night. Plus, who doesn't like bacon?

Duck-Breast Rumaki
Thinly sliced 1-2" pieces from breast of 1 wild duck
1/2 cup dry cooking sherry
1 Tb. soy sauce
1 Tb. oil
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
8 slices bacon, cut in half
Canned water chestnuts
Toothpicks
Laptop or desktop located in kitchen (this is, actually, the only necessity)

1. Mix sherry, oil, and ginger in bowl. Add duck pieces. Marinate at least an hour (or up to 24 hours).
2. Fire up laptop/desktop and log into http://writeoncon.com/ by no later than 8:55 PM EST on chat night
3. Type question in appropriate chat box. Let marinate until they open for posts.
4. Place one duck piece and one water chestnut on a piece of bacon. Wrap bacon around duck and water chestnut. Secure with toothpick. Place on broiling pan.
5. Open for questions already? Press submit with elbow, toothpick, or dry washcloth. Stare at screen to see if yours comes up.
6. Still staring at screen, use your peripherals to set oven to broil (or 550 degrees).
7. Keep making appetizers, place on pan.
8. Contemplate typing with nose. Instead, wrap pointer finger in washcloth and type another awesome question.
9. Put pan in oven no earlier than 9:50 EST.
10. Cook five minutes, turn appetizers, cook 5 more minutes.
11. YAY! Dinner's right on time! Say "Sorry it took me so long, but this was a complicated dish." (wipe forehead dramatically)