I’ve just realized that 2007 marks the 25^th anniversary of my first adult publication.

No, not that kind of “adult publication,” you pervs. (That came later.) I mean the first piece of my writing that was published after I turned 21.

Note that I didn’t say “professional” publication. Because I wasn’t paid.

Note also that I didn’t say “story” publication. Because it wasn’t a piece of fiction.

It was a recipe.

That’s right, a recipe. It appeared in 1982 in this little 80-page cookbook:

Malice’s Restaurant was the brainchild of the University of Kansas English Department’s then-secretaries, Jane Garrett and Barbara Paris . . . and such was their power over the mere professors and graduate students in their realm that they received contributions from just about everyone. Including yours truly.

My bit was a recipe I had developed during the first year Barb and I were married. See, we were students, and therefore Poor, which meant that most of our suppers featured Rice-a-Roni and not much else. But once in a while we were able to take turns cooking something more substantial . . . and fried chicken nights were mine.

So now, lo these many years later, I’m going to share that chicken recipe with my fellow Brainiacs.

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