From: spiceitup	Date: January 7th, 2011 02:34 pm (UTC)		(Link)

"Nope!" He answered with no hesitation. "If the food's good on it's own, it'll be good in a recipe. Not always fantastic, but always food." And he loved food. He shrugged. "I don't always follow the recipe. Sometimes you just know that something else will go better."

Like the Jalapeño Pumpkin Pies he suggested earlier. They were originally a plain pumpkin pie, but he knew a little chili would knock those boring little pies right out of the park.

His breakfast cupcakes though? He never deviated from that recipe. There is no need to mess with complete perfection.

	From: aguas_santas	Date: January 7th, 2011 02:40 pm (UTC)		(Link)

"It's a little bit like gymnastics. Sometimes you're in the middle of the move and you know it's not going right. You can feel your way out of it. Just twist a bit and move the other way." She rolled her eyes. "Of course, my coaches would tell me not to do that. Stick with the moves, Marina." She imitated her old coach's voice.

She slurped some more shake and kicked her legs back and forth underneath the counter. "I don't see the point of sticking with a planned jump if you're going to end up flat on your ass. Ever do souffles?" she asked, thinking of how they always deflated in the movies.

From: spiceitup	Date: January 7th, 2011 02:46 pm (UTC)		(Link)

"Sometimes. I don't like that it looks like a whole lot of cake and then you eat it and it's actually a tiny cloud of cream. Where's the substance? Dark ganache is much better. A single bite of that and you're in a food coma for days." He liked food comas. Thanksgiving and Christmas were especially good for that.

He shrugged, poking the dregs of his shake with his straw. "I saw a recipe for ganache covered bacon on the internet the other day; I was thinking of trying it but with milk chocolate and salt. Recipes aren't always right, and neither are your coaches." He grinned out the side of his mouth.

	From: aguas_santas	Date: January 7th, 2011 02:51 pm (UTC)		(Link)

"That sounds like an eating experience. A tiny cloud of cream." She said in such a dreamy voice. "You're getting me hungry and there's an oven full of cupcakes. This is not going to end well."

"Well, to be fair, most of the time they were. I almost broke my neck once changing jumps at the last minute." That was one of the few things she didn't miss about intensive training. She was constantly being yelled at for striking out in her own direction.

From: spiceitup	Date: January 7th, 2011 02:58 pm (UTC)		(Link)

The bacon was ready, so he went to fetch it from the oven, setting it out to drain any excess fat while they frosted the cupcakes. "Well, I'll make you a souffle sometime. Any flavour you like."

	From: aguas_santas	Date: January 7th, 2011 03:09 pm (UTC)		(Link)

"I'd love one," she said popping down from the counter and slopping some frosting on one of the cupcakes. It wasn't very pretty, but she didn't care much. It was going to taste good no matter what kind of mess she made of it. "Promise you'll make me a chocolate chip souffle?" she asked extending her pinky for a proper pinky swear. "Are they even possible?"

From: spiceitup	Date: January 7th, 2011 03:15 pm (UTC)		(Link)

"Have you seen Ratatouille? I am the rat, okay. In my kitchen, anything is possible. I'll even put a melty bit of fudge right in the middle, just for you."

He frosted a proper twirl of maple icing on the cupcakes he was doing. Sure, good food didn't need to look good-- but it was nice when it did. "We can cut the bacon into chunks to go on top of the frosting, but if it's cooked to perfection we can just snap it." His eyes darted over to the tray of candied meat. "And eat leftover bits, maybe." Definitely lick fingers after. That stuff was so awesome not a single atom of flavour should be wasted.

	From: aguas_santas	Date: January 7th, 2011 03:50 pm (UTC)		(Link)

"Should I start calling you Remy?" she asked in a horribly faked French accent. "I will straight up marry you if you put a melty fudgy bit in the middle of my souffle."

Then she looked away from him because she was certain another serious bout of blushing was about to come on. She started chunking up pieces of bacon by snapping it between her fingers. "Perfection!" she said in a joyful singsong. "There is no such thing as leftover bits. We can't leave any evidence."

From: spiceitup	Date: January 7th, 2011 04:09 pm (UTC)		(Link)

She was doing it on purpose now. "If you married me I'd let you call me whatever you wanted," he retorted tartly, sticking his tongue out at her as he took bacon chunks from her to plop on top of the frosting. And he'd bring her breakfast cupcakes in bed. But he definitely wasn't brave enough to say that part out loud.

"Voila," he said with an equally terrible French accent, presenting her with the first. "A breakfast cupcake."

	From: aguas_santas	Date: January 7th, 2011 04:13 pm (UTC)		(Link)

She decided to drop the part of the conversation that related to marriage. Sometimes she teased him on purpose. Sometimes she didn't. This time she couldn't tell.

"It's gorgeous!" She took the cupcake and bit into it enthusiastically. "I'm skipping dinner in favor of cupcakes," she giggled and mowed down the rest of the cupcake before grabbing another. "And delicious," she added in between bites. "You're a culinary genius."

From: spiceitup	Date: January 7th, 2011 04:51 pm (UTC)		(Link)

"This one has nothing to do with me," he admitted. "It's just a great recipe. Anyone can do it. And now you know how, so you can too." He ninjaed a piece of bacon. It was the best part anyway.

	From: aguas_santas	Date: January 7th, 2011 05:01 pm (UTC)		(Link)

"Well, I don't know about that so much." She said suddenly shy. She hid behind the cupcake she was nibbling. "Might need you for the assist."

From: spiceitup	Date: January 7th, 2011 05:14 pm (UTC)		(Link)

He shrugged back just as shyly. "Any time." And he really meant it. For Marina Ruiz, anything, any time.