Even though I've only seen the clips from YouTube, that show is just amazing. Selena is just the cutest and her Papa and Nana are amazing! Enjoy!
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Hearing the air horn go off just as she stepped into her home, Marjorie knew it's that kind of day. A day where Nana and Papa simply want to play pranks the whole day. And Marjorie doesn't mind. She even joins in sometimes, if she's in the joking mood. But, Marjorie just wished it wasn't today. She was just tired and wanted to nap. But, now knew that wasn't gonna be possible.
But, like she said, she didn't mind.
Walking closer to the kitchen, she heard the air horn go off again, then heard Selena start yelling at her Papa to stop it. "Give it to me." The singer demanded, but he doesn't hand it over.
"Darling, leave your grandfather alone." Marjorie tells, walking into the beautiful kitchen. She gives hugs and kisses to the grandparents first, then walks over to Selena and kisses her softly. "Hi baby." The woman says softly, kissing the crown of her girlfriend's forehead.
"Hi, I missed you." Selena wraps her up into a hug, relaxing against her girlfriend's body.
"Missed you too baby." She replies softly, placing a kiss on top of Selena's forehead. "Papa picking on you?" Marjorie asks, earning a nod and pout from the amateur chef. "How dare he." She replies. Selena simply nods, raising her head from Marjorie's shoulder, and pecking her lips.
"I know. How's the restaurant?" The singer asks, reaching over to grab a piece of pear.
Marjorie goes to grab a water, then sits next to Papa. "It's good. Cleaning day so everything was deep cleaned and now smells fresh. Then I left the rest of them to prep for tomorrow's service. Besides, I want to be here to watch you cook for once, instead of watching over tv." Selena gives a smile, quickly pecking her girlfriend's lips.
"Well, it won't be anything like yours." The singer replies, but Marjorie shakes her head.
"Hey, stop. It doesn't matter if you can't even boil water, I am so incredibly proud of you and what you're doing. You're giving it your all, and that's all that matters. And your food turns out great most of the time, so please don't be too hard on yourself, alright?" Selena gives her girlfriend a wistful smile, then kisses her as thanks.
"You're sweet, my love." Selena whispers in reply.
"You deserve it." Marjorie whispers back.
"Okay, enough sappiness." Papa replies, earning giggles from the two ladies.
"Sorry Papa. Imma take a shower, then I'll be back if you need help, okay?" Selena gives a nod, pecking her cheek, then finishes preparing for what she's suppose to make later.
***
It doesn't take Marjorie long to shower, the young chef just needed all the chemical smell to wash off. She doesn't bother with make-up, but does put a light shade of lipstick on. Then ties her light lavender colored hair up, before slipping on an old superhero t-shirt, and a pair of Selena's sweats.
When the young woman steps downstairs, Selena already started her cooking. The smell of onions being sautéed fills her nose, wondering what she plans on making with them. "So far, it smells good." Marjorie comments, stepping into the kitchen with a smile.
"I've only just begun." Selena replies with a laugh, continuously stirring the browning onions.
"Well, it still smells good." Marjorie tells, walking over to kiss her girlfriend's cheek.
"Okay, now Selena, take the pan off the heat so you can chop up the garlic." A voice comes through the speakers, the chef on the tv sending a smile to the couple. As Marjorie waves, Selena does as she's told, taking the pan off the heat, then turns the flame off.
"Does it matter what knife I use?" Selena asks the chef, and before Marjorie can respond, the chef gives a nod, telling the bigger one would be better.
"Actually," Marjorie interrupts, earning the chef's attention, "whichever knife you're comfortable with, you use. It's all about how comfortable you are with the knife, because if the knife feels good in your hand, you're gonna chop well with it." Marjorie explains, earning a smile from Selena, as she grabs the pairing knife.
The chef on the tv merely stares, then goes back to cooking, his head shaking just a tiny bit, but Marjorie just ignores him. Looking at the baking dish, Marjorie wondered if they were making meatloaf since everything that was needed for the the meatloaf was sitting on the counter. There was also a lemon sitting out, which, Marjorie didn't know why, but figured it was accidentally taken out.
"Now, after the garlic is chopped, slice the lemon, you'll only need one slice, then add just a tablespoon of oil in the pan, and add everything inside, and slowly heat everything up." Selena gives a nod, doing as the chef is told.
After putting the ingredients inside the pan, and putting the pan back onto the medium heat, Selena slowly waits for it too cook, as she cleans off her board. "Want me to clean the board off?" Marjorie asks, simply wanting to do something.
"If you please." Marjorie grabs the cutting board, and takes it to the sink, quickly washing it off then drying it.
"Oh! My garlic's turning blue." The chef she's cooking with head pops up, asking Selena to show the pan. Marjorie giggles, thinking it's pretty cool, but the chef gets upset.
"What did you do? I've done this recipe hundreds of times and never has my garlic turn blue. You must've done something wrong." The chef says, shaking his head. Selena pouts, but Marjorie shakes her head.
"Actually, she didn't do anything wrong. The garlic turns blue because of the acid in the lemon. And it's still safe to eat. So, if anything chef, you're the one who did something wrong. Your garlic isn't cooked enough."
"Excuse me? Are you cooking with me? Are you a expertly trained chef? No. You aren't. You have no idea what you're talking about. What I say, goes. If I tell her to throw the stuff away, she throws it away because she messed up somehow."
"She-" Selena goes to reply, but Marjorie stops her.
"No, it's fine Selly." She gives her girlfriend a reassuring smile.
"Chef, what culinary school did you go to?" Marjorie asks, crossing her arms across her chest.
"Kendall College of Culinary Arts." He proudly replies, Marjorie nodding because that is a good school.
"Great school. I went to Le Cordon Blue in Paris for three years, then too The Culinary Institute of America in New York for two years. Also, I have a three star restaurant. Do you have a restaurant by any chance? Because, I've never heard of you before? Wait, let me search you up. You're name again?" She asks, pulling out her phone. The chef is quiet, no doubt trying to think of something to say.
"You fucken bitch! How dare you insult me!" He starts yelling and cussing, the audio department no doubt having to beep the whole thing out, but the tv gets shut off as the family stands there in shock.
"I guess he couldn't face the truth." Papa tells, making the small family smile.
Marjorie gives Selena a sad smile, "I'm sorry if I ruined anything."
"Oh baby, no." The singer tells, shaking her head. "You didn't do anything. He was being mean. Besides, a lemon garlic onion meatloaf doesn't sound too good."
Marjorie makes a face, "that's what he was making?" Selena gives a nod. "Ew. Look, how about I go get something from the store, and I'll show you what a true chef can make, yea?" Selena gives a nod, earning a happy clap from Marjorie. "Yay! Okay, just clean up, then sit back and relax. I'll do all the cooking." The two ladies share a quick kiss, then Marjorie's out the door, already planning on what to make.
***
When she gets back, she has four full bags in her arms, filled with ingredients to make an amazing dinner for the family. "Reporting to duty chef!" Selena playfully salutes. Marjorie cooing at her girlfriend, before giving her a quick kiss.
"So adorable." Selena blushes, shaking her head.
"What would you like me to do?" Marjorie hands over the box of butter.
"First, hands washed?" Selena proudly shows her clean hands. "Good! Take one cube and cut it into smaller pieces, then place it into a microwave safe bowl or cup. And microwave that ten seconds at a time. Once it's melted, we'll go from there."
"And what are you making?" The producer asks.
The chef smiles as she pulls out two whole chickens, "roasted rosemary chicken, with butter braised carrots and dill potatoes. I serve something close to that at the restaurant. Really good."
"Babe, why the two chickens?" Selena pokes the bag as her girlfriend gives her a confused look.
"Aren't I cooking for everyone?" She asks, looking at the producer and three camera people. "One chicken for us, the other for them. I'm not gonna let them suffer. And your producer is putting up with me ruining the day." The producer immediately shakes her head while Selena chuckles, gently patting her girlfriend's cheek.
"So kind baby girl." Marjorie blushes at the nickname, clearing her throat as she finishes unloading the bags.
"Papa, she has a peeler, right?" The older gentlemen nods, heading over to grab it. "Thank you." She tells him after he hands it over. He kisses her cheek, then sits down next to his wife, watching the two women work.
As Selena works on the butter, Marjorie takes a large pan out, the brings the chicken over. The cameras watch her focus on what she wants to do, knowing the young chef knew what she was doing. "Why do you wash the chicken?" Looking over at her girlfriend, Marjorie gives a smile.
"It's what my grandma always told me. Especially if she put too much seasoning. But, sometimes the chicken gets slimy in the bag or wherever, and it's just good to wash it off." She explains.
"Butter is done." The amateur chef says, waiting for the next instructions.
"Give me a second." Marjorie mumbles. She thoroughly washes her hands, then moves the pan to the stove. "Can you pre-heat the stove to 325°, please?"
"Okey-dokey." Papa immediately stands, grabbing the jar, then holds it in front of the singer. Selena gives a sigh, but slides a dollar in.
"Thank you love. Now, with the butter, I need you to get the packet of rosemary out, then the garlic cloves, the garlic salt and pepper out." Selena immediately starts to dig into the bag, pulling out the items as Marjorie washes her hands again.
"Now, I need you to cut up the garlic in small pieces for me, and I'll do the rest." Selena gives a nod, reaching for the small pairing knife as she starts to chop the garlic, while Marjorie starts to butter the chicken. Inside and out. Then sprinkles the garlic salt, pepper and rosemary inside and out. When Selena's done cutting the garlic, Marjorie sprinkles the small pieces on top, before washing her hands again.
"Open the oven please." Selena does as told, then steps away as Marjorie slides the pan into the oven. "Okay, now that that's over with, how are you with washing potatoes?"
"Washing potatoes?" Marjorie looks over, holding up a bag of red potatoes.
"Mhm, they need to be rinsed and scrubbed before cutting. Unless your making mashed. Then you just rinse after taking the peel off. Usually red potatoes and white potatoes aren't usually that dirty, so you can sometimes get away with running them under water, but the big potatoes that smell like dirt, need a good scrubbing." Marjorie holds up the red skinned potato. "Like this, doesn't look dirty, has a few places, so you'd just rub her hand across it roughly, and run it under water. Got it?"
Selena looks up at her girlfriend, then giggles. "I love that you're so passionate about cooking." Selena tells as she takes the potato from her girlfriend's hand. Marjorie gives a giggle, pressing a kiss to her lover's forehead.
"It's what I love to do. I wake up wanting to cook, go to sleep thinking about cooking. I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't cook."
"Become a singer." The woman says, causing Marjorie to blush as she shakes her head.
"No, that's you love. Not me." Selena rolls her eyes, looking at the camera.
"She's an excellent singer. I have many videos of her cooking or even showering while singing. Marjorie gasps, looking over at her traitorous girlfriend with betrayal shining in her eyes.
"You filmed me when I was in the shower?!" The chef screeches, earning a laugh from Selena.
"Yes, but nobody can see anything, so don't worry." Marjorie pouts, shaking her head.
"Just wipe the potatoes off then let the dry." She tells the singer, sadness evident in her voice.
"Big baby." Marjorie shakes her head, her lavender colored hair bouncing as she moves her head.
After Selena washes the potatoes off and lets them dry, Marjorie takes over the sink, washing the cutting board and knife, before filling up a pot with water, then adds only a few shakes of salt. "Oh," she looks towards the camera crew and producer, "are any of you allergic to anything. I'm sorry for not asking earlier." Thankfully, they shake their heads and Marjorie gives a small smile, relieved.
"Now, since you washed the potatoes, wash the carrots, then I tell you what's next after." Selena take the bag of carrots over to the sink, cutting the bag open, and dumping some out.
Marjorie takes out a larger knife, then sets the potato onto the cutting board, slicing it open, then slicing it again. She wants the chunks not too large, but not too small either.
"How big are the pieces suppose to be?" Papa asks.
"Well, that depends. Usually red potatoes are small but well rounded, so you usually get long pieces that, if you want, can cut again. But, usually, you want them a decent size. See?" She holds up a nice size, giving him a smile.
Once she finishes cutting all the potatoes, she dumps the water, replacing it was fresh water, then slides it onto the stove and turns it on. Next, she gets out a pan, looking over at Selena. "How ya doin' baby?"
"Almost done." Marjorie nods, placing the pan down on the counter, then opens up another cube of butter, and places a few tablespoons inside the pan, before putting that on the stove as well.
"Okay, done."
"Okay, now use the peeler to take the skin off the carrot. And you know you got the skin off when the white is gone. Don't worry about the top or the tip of the carrot." Marjorie instructs.
The whole process doesn't take long, and soon, Marjorie is showing Selena how to cut the carrots. "So, not too far of an angel, but a good angel?" The chef giggles, showing her girlfriend how she wants them. "Ah, got it."
Marjorie puts the chopped garlic into the pan, turning it on and letting the butter melt, then adds a bit of garlic salt, pepper and thyme. The amazing smells that come from the pan, gets everyone hungry.
"Now what?" Marjorie takes the pan over to her girlfriend, telling her to dump the carrots inside. After returning the pan to the heat, Marjorie shows off, tossing the carrots using the pan, and luckily, not one gets left out. And once they're done, Marjorie puts them into the oven, and sets her timer for 15 minutes. She stirs the potatoes before cleaning up the mess.
As they wait, Selena and Marjorie goof off, and act all cute and romantic-y together.
When the timer goes off, Marjorie takes the pan out of the oven, loving the golden brown look. "Wanna try them?" She asks her girlfriend, who eagerly gives a nod. Selena grabs a fork, stabbing at a piece of carrot, blows on it, then takes a bite, moaning at the taste, a smirk coming to Marjorie's face.
Marjorie keeps quiet, but watches her girlfriend enjoy the roasted veggie. "Good?" The chef comments, but Selena points her fork at her.
"Shut up." Marjorie gives a laugh, shaking her head. The chef goes to check the potatoes, but they aren't quite done yet.
"Mm, what else needs to be done?" Marjorie shakes her head.
"Nothing else. Not till the potatoes get done. And I should've started both sides later, but I'm really glad to see you enjoy those carrots." Marjorie snickers, earning an elbow nudge from Selena.
"You're an ass."
"You love me though." She retorts. The singer gives a shrug.
"Meh, I just love your food." Marjorie simply rolls het eyes, giving Selena a kiss.
"Yea, love you too." Papa shakes his head at the two ladies. They were definitely made for each other.
After checking the potatoes once more, Marjorie turns the burner off, and dumps the potatoes into the colander. "Babe, I should have a small dill can in there. It'll be smaller than the pepper one, then cut like, five tablespoons of butter."
After putting the drained potatoes back into the pan, Marjorie first adds the butter, then loads it with dill, before mixing the entire thing. "Taste." The chef tells Selena as she hands over a fork. Well, don't mind if she does.
Like the carrots, they're incredible. Selena shaking her head as she takes another bite. "I love you so much." Selena tells.
"You talking to me, or the potatoes?" The chef questions, a smirk coming to her lips.
"Po- you! Definitely you." Marjorie rolls her eyes, then takes the fork from her rude girlfriend.
After checking the chicken - which still has over an hour to go, Marjorie was really hungry - the chef cleans all that she needs too, then sits at the table, next to her girlfriend.
And, they were enjoying each other's company until-
"Where would you like to go for a honeymoon?" The singer asks her girlfriend, who gets speechless. She wasn't expecting that type of question to come from Selena.
"First, I didn't know you had proposed. But, you know me. I love places with food. India or Taiwan. Maybe even London, for a different reason though." Selena raises her eyebrow, looking at her girlfriend.
"And what reason would that be?"
Marjorie can't contain her enthusiastic smile. "I may be opening a new restaurant down there." Selena gasps, cheering for her girlfriend.
"Babe! That's incredible!" Marjorie blushes as Selena peppers her face in kisses, then hugs her tightly. "Have you found any spots yet?"
"A few, but nothing is really set in stone."
"But, that's still incredible baby!" Marjorie gives a nod, then kisses Selena's cheek.
The cameras catch the couple being cute and cuddly for the next hour. Laughing and talking about what Marjorie would like to do next with her restaurant. Of course, the chef wants to change here menu because it's getting into summer, and what they still serve are spring time dishes. Which, aren't bad or anything, but it's time for fresh new items.
When dinner's finally done, the chef is sung appraises by the family and crew, causing an embarrassed smile to come across her lips, and hid her face against Selena's neck.
After everything gets cleaned and the rest of the food is put away, and the singer and chef had said their good nights to Papa and Nana, they retire to their bedroom with full bellies and tired eyes. Marjorie almost immediately falls asleep, but just barely stays awake to cuddle up to Selena and gives her cheek a kiss as she tells her girlfriend goodnight.
~~~
The restaurant was busy. Usually, it wasn't this busy. Sure, most nights, they were booked until ten that night, but this time, they were packed and it was barely 8. So, it was unusual, but it was nothing the chefs couldn't handle.
The chefs worked well together, talking with each other to keep everyone updated on how long each process was gonna be. And yea, sometimes cracked jokes when they needed a good laugh.
By nine, twenty minutes after Marjorie had sent out a beautiful seared sea bass with a butter and herb sauce, she was called out by the waitress, saying a customer wanted to see her. Of course, hearing those words, made Marjorie slightly nervous, but after washing her hands and taking off her ridiculous hat, Marjorie walked out with a bright smile, following the waitress to the table.
However, seeing who was at the table, made her slightly confused. Selena sat with her Papa and Nana, smiling brightly and looking gorgeous as ever. But, she wasn't the only one there. Marjorie's own family was there, which was surprising because her mom was suppose to be away on tour. As well as her friends and Selena's friends. Looking at all the smiling and happy faces, and with Selena looking so beautiful let her know what Selena was planning to do.
Looking back at her lovely girlfriend, Marjorie watched as her soon-to-be fiancé get down on one knee, and revealed a beautiful ring. "When we first met, I had accidentally stumbled into you, and then stuttered over my apology. I embarrassed myself not only in front of you, but my friends and I was horrified, but, I still got your number. After that, for me, you were just there for me, as a friend and then later on as a girlfriend. When I became sick, you were by my side throughout it all, with that beautiful smile on your lips. You made me laugh through everything, and when I made that stupid and idiotic decision to go back to Justin, you held my hand as my best friend, then held me close as I cried on your shoulder. You let me move my grandparents and me into your house because my mental health took a dump after and then took many days off to help me get back to my normal self. You were there are amazing days and horrible days, days when I smiled at you and days when I cursed at you for just trying to cheer me up. You could've left at anytime, but you didn't. I love you so much Marjorie, and you are the one for me, I knew that when I first met you, but I was still scared and still figuring myself out, and when I finally did, it was the best decision ever. So, will you please make me the happiest woman and marry me?"
Marjorie immediately nods. "Yes," she whispers, ignoring her falling tears. The two women share a sweet kiss as the families cheer, then hug tightly before they pull away. Selena slides the ring onto Marjorie's finger before giving her another kiss.
"Does this mean I'll be the only Chef to be on your show?" Marjorie asks, sitting down next to the singer.
"I mean, it is Selena + Chef, so technically, yea. Because I'm Selena and you're chef." The chef gives a giggle, kissing her lover's cheek, then heads back to the kitchen, to finish the rest of the dinner service, ready for the night to be over and enjoy the next day as Selena's fiancé.