Turkey Talk (3/3)

After everyone took their seats around the table, Angie raised her glass. "Say a toast, Mommy!"

Catherine lifted her own glass and said, "To my amazing family and our adventures with food," smiling when they all clinked glasses.

First to be tasted was the pumpkin chili. After Steve dished some into four bowls and passed them around everyone took a spoonful.

"On three?" DJ asked.

"On three," Steve said. "One, two, three," and they all took a bite. "It's...interesting. Sweet and savory, I suppose." He shrugged.

Catherine's nose wrinkled. "It's definitely different, baby girl. Not bad, just … unexpected."

Angie beamed. "I think it's good."

DJ, ever the diplomat, summed it up, "It's a pumpkin-chili adventure. Nonna and Grandma both say everything's worth trying once, right?"

His mother leaned over to kiss his head. "That's exactly right."

"I vote we put this one on the maybe list," Steve said diplomatically. "We can definitely make it some rainy day for us to eat but I'm not sure about serving it on Thanksgiving."

"Can we make something else for Kaitlyn?" Angie asked.

"Of course we can." Catherine smiled at her daughter's thoughtfulness. "There will be plenty of things for Kaitlyn to enjoy."

"Can I have some more of this for lunch tomorrow?" Angie asked.

"You bet." Catherine chuckled. "I'm sure there's gonna be plenty left over."

"Ok then." Angie nodded her agreement.

Next was the sweet potato hash. Angie took a bite and her eyes lit up. "Mmm! It's like dessert."

Steve chuckled and leaned over to Catherine. "She may eventually outdo me in the eats anything category," he whispered.

Catherine ruffled Angie's curls. "You're too adorable, sweetheart."

DJ made a face as he took a bite. "It's not my favorite, but it's not bad either."

Steve took another bite, contemplating the flavor. "Hmm, I can see why Angie likes it."

Catherine raised an eyebrow, her skepticism fading a bit. "It's definitely not as bad as I thought it was gonna be."

Angie clapped her hands happily. "YAY! I'll take some for lunch on Monday. I think it's yummy. Can I take a little extra for Ashae to taste? Please?"

"That'd be very nice of you. But just remember that Ashae doesn't like as many foods as you do," Catherine cautioned.

Angie wiped her mouth with a napkin. "I know. But I think she's gonna like this."

Steve chuckled when, after tasting the Brussels sprouts, their daughter grinned and immediately went in for another bite.

Catherine chewed thoughtfully. "These are really tasty."

DJ agreed and took another bite as well. "I like them a lot. A lot of people make fun of brussels sprouts but these are really good. This was a good pick, Angie."

She beamed at her brother. "Thanks!"

"Should we try the corn next or the beet salad?" the ten year old asked.

"Probably the corn," Catherine said. "We'll be able to judge it better if we don't have pickled beets and horseradish on our taste buds."

"Ok." DJ dished some onto his plate, and some on Angie's, then took a bite. As he chewed, his face immediately contorted in distaste. "Okay, that's … not real good."

Angie, undaunted, gave it a try anyway. Her face scrunched up in confusion. "It's ... I don't know … not yucky but not my favorite." She took another bite. "It tastes like chunky pudding."

Steve took his turn, his expression echoing his daughter's. "Yeah, I'm gonna have to agree with Angie on this one."

DJ chuckled and reached for a glass of water. "Scalloped corn, one out of ten. The rest of our dishes are way better."

Catherine kissed his cheek. "Not every experiment can be a success, it was a great team effort, though."

"Time for beet salad," Angie said excitedly. "I already know this is yummy 'cuz I've had it before."

Once everyone had some in front of them she happily said, "One, two, three, eat!"

Steve was the first to speak. "You're right, baby girl. This is delicious." He scooped another bite into his mouth.

DJ exchanged a look with his mother. "I like the beets but I don't think I like the horseradish."

"I like them both," Catherine said. "But definitely not together."

After Steve and Angie finished their salads, and drank some water to help cleanse their palates, it was time to try the last dish.

"Let's try the pumpkin moose now," DJ said happily as both parents smiled at the fact that he was unruffled by the poor reception of the scalloped corn recipe and eager to move on to his next selection.

"And don't forget we already know we love the biscuits," Angie reminded everyone.

Catherine dished out the fluffy concoction and when they took their first spoonfuls, a chorus of 'mmmm' filled the room.

Angie clapped her hands excitedly. "This is so good, DJ! It's like … like a party in my mouth!"

Steve laughed at her expression. "I agree, count me in for seconds."

Catherine savored the flavors. "I have to admit, it's delicious."

DJ nodded in agreement. "This might be my favorite… this and the biscuits … and the brussels sprouts were really good, too."

Steve agreed, "I declare this mission is a success. We have some new foods to serve on Thanksgiving."

Catherine placed her napkin on the table. "I think we've ended Operation: Thanksgiving Test on a high note."

Angie nodded eagerly. "I can't wait to tell Nonna what we cooked!"

DJ chuckled. "Yeah, and we can make some of these at her house at Christmas!"

"Now that's a great idea," Catherine said as she stood, gathering the empty plates. "Alright, team, let's clean up this delicious mess before we call it a day."

Both kids stood as did Steve. "Teamwork makes the dream work, right?" Angie said. "This was so much fun! Can we do it again?"

Catherine smiled softly at both children. "Of course. We'll definitely have more kitchen adventures in the future."

Steve wrapped an arm around Catherine's waist, pulling her closer while telling the kids, "And even if the experiments aren't perfect, we still learn new recipes and have fun, right?"

Angie beamed at her parents. "We have the most fun!"

DJ nodded happily. "Yeah, 'cause we're a pretty awesome family."

Catherine kissed the top of his head. "We are, sweet boy."

"And we're funny, too," Angie added.

Steve raised his brow, an amused look in his eyes. "Speaking of funny, I think I'm gonna tell Uncle Danny we're having pumpkin spice turkey…"

"Ewww, Daddy, that's gross," DJ chuckled, "But I have an idea, can we do this again with Uncle Danny and Aunt Gabby and Grace? Maybe trying out new recipes before the next cookout? It's so fun!"

Catherine exchanged a glance with Steve and nodded. "Absolutely, sweetheart."

His face lit up. "Maybe we can even invent our own recipes…"

Just then Catherine's phone rang and she smiled at the image on the ID. Before connecting the call, she stood close to Steve and the kids and pressed answer.

Smiling broadly, she looked on as her son addressed the woman whose call couldn't have come at a better time.

Leaning close to his sister, DJ beamed and said, "Hi, Nonna! Have we got a lot to tell you…"

# THE END thanks for reading

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