MARRY ME DINNER

“Dinner!” I called as I placed the last dish on the table.

“Coming!” My husband Steven called from downstairs.

“Be right there!” Alex called from his room.

Once everyone was sitting, napkins in our laps, Alex looked at his plate then over at mine. “Is this a new recipe?”

“Yup!” I took my fork and began twirling the pasta, that was coated in the rich cream sauce, making sure to stab a piece of chicken and a bite size piece of sun dried tomato along with it. “It’s called Marry Me Chicken.” I popped the forkful into my mouth and began to chew. “Oh, man! That’s good!” I said after a few seconds.

Alex was still looking at his plate and hadn’t picked up his fork yet. “So what’s in it?”

Steven had already taken a bite. “It’s good!” He took his fork and poked past the chicken. “Okay, I see the sun dried tomatoes and red pepper flakes.”

Alex picked up his fork. “Are there any onions in it?” He speared a piece of chicken and took a small bite.

“Very little.” I reassured him. “Also very little garlic.”

It’s hard to believe I could have a son that wasn’t a big fan of onions or garlic because I could put both in everything!

Alex began nodding his head. “The sauce is good.”

I had to laugh. “Well, thank you.” I looked over at Steven. “So is this one a keeper?”

“Sure!” He picked up the container of grated cheese and took a spoonful, sprinkling it over his pasta.

“Okay, good.” I twirled another forkful. “I’m always looking for another way to cook chicken!”

Alex reached over and took the container of grated cheese. “So why is it called Marry Me chicken?” He sprinkled some cheese over his pasta too.

“The recipe said that if you make it for your partner, a marriage proposal will be his next question.”

Alex looked over at Steven. “So, would it have worked on you?”

Steven shrugged his shoulders and laughed. “You’re Mom got me with a grilled cheese sandwich.”

Alex started to laugh. “Really?”

“Hey, that was one of my signature meals back then!” I cried.

“That and tuna salad.” Steven looked over at me. “In fact, I still remember you ordered a tuna melt on our first lunch date.”

A burst of laughter came out of me. “Well, I guess I wasn’t thinking about getting a kiss on that first date with tuna breath!”

Alex shook his head and held up his hand. “I don’t want to hear any more.”

I looked over at Steven smiled. “I can’t believe you remember what I ordered after all this time.”

He shrugged his shoulders again and smiled. “Hey, it looked like a good tuna melt.”