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“What’s got you all frazzled?”
Chris asked as he walked into the kitchen, finding his husband pacing like a headless chicken. They were supposed to be in bed a few hours ago, but Leon had been stressing himself for most of the day.
Grace had been venting to Leon about wanting Emily to experience other Italian dishes, but her work hours made it impossible for her to make anything from scratch, and store-bought wasn’t authentic enough.
Of course, Leon had volunteered, and this is why Chris finds his husband pacing the kitchen at eleven at night.
“Do you think Grace and Emily would like Tortelli or Ravioli? Focaccia? Gnocchi? Panzerotto Fritto?” Leon rambled about as he slumped into a chair, “What about Tiramisù? Gelato? An Almond Cake? Oh! Maybe a Jam Tart?”
Chris watched as Leon jumped from the chair moments after sitting and started to rummage through the cupboards to find whatever he was looking for.
“Love,” Chris crossed the kitchen and wrapped his arms around his husband, “I think you need to take a deep breath and relax. You're going to keel over from a heart attack if you don’t.”
Since Chris is larger than his husband, he’s able to hold the other in place until he feels at least three deep breaths from the other. But he knew the moment he let go, Leon would go back to his frenzy.
“Alright, alright,” Chris hums, guiding Leon to sit at the table before pulling out a notepad and pen from a drawer, “Focaccia is bread, and I doubt the girls would reject bread. Grace could down a loaf of French bread in a day if she’s allowed.”
Chris gives a half smirk as Leon’s head thumps against the table with a loud groan, “You know it’s true.”
“Don’t remind me,” Leon's muffled voice sounds, “Can’t believe she ate a whole loaf faster than me!”
“I was surprised by that, too,” Chris admits, scribbling on the pad, “I think at least three Focaccia loaves would be good. Something tells me Grace would eat one on her own.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t doubt it.” Leon lifts his head and hums, “Can I run something by you?”
Chris looked at his husband and hummed with a nod.
“Would it be weird to combine an almond cake with Gelato? Like an ice cream cake but… different?”
Chris hums in thought before answering, “I’m not sure if this cake would have the same consistency as a normal ice cream cake, but you can try if you want to. It would be interesting,”
Leon nods, “It might be different, but maybe the girls will like it. Grace mentioned that Emily has a bit of a sweet tooth.”
Chris hummed as he passed the notepad to his husband, “Look this over for me.”
Leon took the pad and looked over what Chris had written down.
Beef and Cheese Tortelli
Gnocchi with garlic sauce
Focaccia (3 loaves)
Gelato Almond Cake???
“You think a marinara or alfredo sauce will be good with Tortelli?” Leon sets the pad on the table as his mind puts together what he needs to make.
“Marinara,” Chris answers, “What about the Focaccia? I was thinking one could be plain, but not sure about the other two.”
Leon leaned back in the chair with a hum as he pondered the question. A plain Focaccia loaf would be normal to have since this is the first time Grace and Emily would be trying it… at least to his knowledge.
“What about a tomato one? Maybe one that’s more on the sweet side?”
Chris hums in thought, “A tomato and olive Focaccia dipped in Marinara sauce would be nice. Maybe we can make one with fruit? I know you recently got a berry sauce.”
“Oh! A berry Focaccia! I didn’t think of that!” Leon chirps, “Sweet Focaccia is really good too. I’m sure Emily would like it.”
Chris chuckled as Leon yawned and rubbed his eyes. It’s late, and the two needed to get to bed. “Come, let’s get to bed. We’ll be a bit busy in the upcoming days.”
“Yeah,” Leon mumbled, “You're right,”
Leon hummed as he placed the Focaccia dough into three pans and began to decorate one of the doughs. Leon passed one dough to Chris, who had decided to make the olive and tomato Focaccia while he took care of the berry.
It wasn’t uncommon for the two to be cooking together in the kitchen. Contrary to popular belief, Chris was a decent cook and baker. Leon had watched the older man cook a complex dish for dinner, and the house hadn’t been burnt down!
“Did you get the Tortelli pasta and filling ready?” Chris asks while he slides his Focaccia over to his husband.
“The filling? Yes,” Leon looks at his husband’s work and smiles. It looked good, and Leon knew once baked, this was the first Focaccia he’ll be busting into once cooled, “Made it yesterday. In the fridge. I haven’t gotten the pasta made yet.”
Chris hums as he cleans the counter with soap and water. Once dried with a towel, he grabbed the bags of flour needed and scooped the measurements. He didn’t move from his task as Leon walked behind him, opened the fridge, and took out two cartons of eggs.
Passing one carton to Chris, Leon set the second near where he was working. With a hum, Leon set the Focaccia loaves into the oven to bake. He cleaned his workspace and grabbed a large bowl from the cupboard.
With Chris working on the pasta, the filling already made, and the bread baking, it’s time for the cake.
There’s gentle humming along with the scent of fresh food being made as the married couple dances around themselves in the kitchen for most of the day. The mess of flour and ingredients is a testament to their love and their naturally chaotic life.
Taking the Focaccia out of the oven and placing it on the table to cool, Leon places the uncooked cake into the oven next. He turns to his husband and finds the man stuffing the Tortelli pasta with the prepared filling.
“Did you get the Gelato?” Chris asks, noticing the other staring.
“Oh! Ah, yeah,” Leon turned his head as his cheeks turned a light shade of red, “I got it yesterday from the ice cream shop.”
“Ice cream shop?” Chris raised a brow.
“Yeah. A new ice cream shop opened up a few weeks ago and I stopped in,” Leon says, “Grace mentioned this shop to me when she was picking up Emily, and I decided to stop by. There’s a decent selection of gelato, and I think I found one or two that’ll go with the cake.”
“Which are?” Chris hums.
“I got Belgian Chocolate and Madagascan Vanilla Bean. I know these are normal flavors, but I think both go well with the almond flavor. I think the Vanilla Bean one would work a bit more, but Belgian Chocolate is a good one too. I couldn’t choose between the two,” Leon rambles as he takes the two flavors from the freezer.
Chris chuckles as he picks up one of the containers and looks it over before setting it down, “I think you should do a half-and-half cake.”
“Oh?” Leon titles his head, “Why?”
“As you said, both flavors would work well with the cake. So, why not have one half the cake be Belgian Chocolate, and the other be Madagascan Vanilla Bean?” Chris hums, “That way, everyone can choose which one they want to try.”
“I didn’t think of that,” Leon hums, “I hope the cake cools enough, though.”
“If it doesn’t, we can just put the Gelato on top of the cake when served.” Chris returns to the pasta that he’d been filling, “Can you get the Gnocchi started?”
“That can work too,” Leon puts the Gelato back into the freezer and heads to the cupboard to grab a pot. “It’s been a while since I had homemade Gnocchi. I’m sure Grace and Emily will love it.”
Chris hums in response as he watches Leon find the potatoes and begin to prep them for the dish.
After a long day of cooking and baking, Leon sets the table after receiving a text from Grace that she and Emily would be arriving soon. Chris was cutting the bread loaves and putting the sauces into dipping cups when there was a knock at the door.
“I’ll get it,” Chris says as he sets the Focaccia and sauces onto the table.
“Thanks,” Leon says, giving the other a quick kiss before he goes to let their visitors in.
There’s a warm feeling blooming in his chest when he sees Grace and Emily entering the kitchen. The expressions of the two let the older man know that dinner was going to be a good one and that everyone would have full bellies.
He wouldn’t be surprised if the two asked to have dinner with them at least once a week now, and he wouldn’t mind if it became a tradition.