Some links may be affiliate links. I may earn money if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these links on this site.
Rob Knowlan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
National Shrimp Scampi Day 2023
Bust out your garlic butter because it’s National Shrimp Scampi Day!
Almost Grill Season…
If you’re going to saute something, lightly spray olive oil in the pan or on veggies before you serve them. It adds a nice flavor. We grill a lot, so I’ll use a little on my corn or my shrimp. ~Alison Sweeney
We went from 🌞insta–Summer🔥 back to ❄️ insta–Winter ❄️, but we’ve finally returned to proper 💐Spring🌷.
It is gloriously rainy, dreary, damp and chilly. Who could ask for anything more?
The lawn is getting watered. The water table is getting replenished, and I’ve got a jolly good excuse to go absolutely nowhere at all.
That being said, it’s sometimes kind of warmish lately, so we’re going to need to transition from comfort food made in the stove to a less heat-intensive mode of cooking.
Naturally, we can do more on the stovetop. If we can transition to a bit of cooking out, so much the better.
Kelly made a lovely little fire ring for our back yard, so it won’t be much longer before we can make use of that again.
As much as I love the later months of the year and the chilly weather that goes with it, there is a certain charm in sitting out back with Kelly, watching a fire and enjoying a bit of quiet together time.
We’ll have to get some citronella to help us enjoy the outdoors, though. If it’s warm enough to convalesce out back, it’s warm enough for nasty little bugs to be out to spoil the experience.
🦐 Scampi About 🍤
Gordon Ramsay Cooks Shrimp Scampi In Just 10 Minutes | Ramsay in 10
Oh, I dearly love some shrimp in garlic butter. It’s also good with some diced tomatoes and parsely mixed in.
Fortunately, shrimp is neither sugary nor carbohydrate heavy. Like most proteins, I can eat as much of it as I can stand to.
A switch from oven made comfort foods to lighter fare will do my A1C a world of good.
Variety is the spice of life, as they say. So, as much as I despise summertime, I wouldn’t mind a few weeks of fresh veggies and grilled meat for a change.
Not Sufficient To See
It is not sufficient to see and to know the beauty of a work. We must feel and be affected by it. ~Voltaire
One of the things you hear among author circles these days is “Show Don’t Tell“.
There’s certainly some truth to that, but it’s heck on your word count. Going to extraordinary lengths to describe the sensory experience of something is a preferable experience to a verbal brain dump, but it can be just as verbose.
Certainly, it depends on your genre and whether or not you’re wielding Chekhov’s Gun.
If you’re describing something that isn’t commonplace, you are obliged to spend as many words as are necessary to paint the image.
If you’re describing something that’s going to be of significance later in the story, you are obliged to spend as many words as are necessary to highlight the salient feature.
👉 as many words as are necessary 👈
That’s the key statement. Choosing descriptive words can sharpen the image and keep the word count tight.
Why say dark blue when you can say indigo? Why say large leafy tree when you can say elm, maple or oak?
Poetic license is appropriate in speculative fiction, but poetic conciseness is appropriate in editing.
It’s a skill I’m still working on, but it’s worth keeping in mind.
That’s the weekend for you. I hope you’re having a lovely spring weekend and getting some rest and scampi.