There was a very good chance that the beaming smile that took over Steve's face at Peggy's praise reduced him to looking like a little kid, but he couldn't help it, not when he'd spent the last few minutes so convinced that his chosen dinner wouldn't measure up to her expectations. "Yeah?" he said, his pleasure evident in the way his voice went warm and happy. "Good - great. I don't think I told you, but my Ma used to make this for me all the time. It was my favorite."
He scooped up a bite of his own and was relieved to find that it did taste pretty good - he clearly hadn't left out any necessary steps or ingredients, which absolutely would have been just his luck, considering how well he wanted this evening to go. At least this way, dinner would be good, which would maybe offset whatever unpleasantness they'd have to discuss later.
"I got some dessert, too," Steve added, once he'd chewed and swallowed that first mouthful of shepherd's pie. "Though full disclosure - I paid someone else to make that." He grinned a little sheepishly, but that had been the smart choice. Baking was altogether too finicky, with all of its measuring and precisely ordered steps. Besides, there was a woman three floors down who worked magic with flour, sugar, and chocolate. She also had three children and a baby on the way, and if Steve maybe tended to pay her a little more than he would have had to fork over at the bakery, well - she had enough money to keep everyone's belly full without having to sacrifice her pride, and Steve got a plate full of delicious gooey cookies in exchange.
Steve wasn't a fan of the baker in their part of town either; the only loaves she ever made that were actually affordable for your average District Eight citizen were dense and slightly burnt and usually hard as a rock. The rest of her wares, always outrageously pricey by Eight's standards, were clearly intended for the Peacekeepers and factory owners. She wouldn't even hand out her stale, unsold wares to beggar, preferring to throw them away rather than giving them to someone who couldn't pay.
She'd sought Steve's patronage after he won his Games, and he'd taken a rather unseemly joy in turning her down. It wasn't exactly the sort of thing that would make his Ma proud, but there was something incredibly satisfactory about it nonetheless.
"It involves lots of chocolate though," Steve added, and then, when he realized he didn't have much of anything else to say, he took a big bite of shepherd's pie. Chewing could excuse him from talking for the next few minutes, because he really didn't want to be the one to bring up Clint's party. With any luck, Peggy wouldn't want to talk about it either, and they could have a nice, pleasant meal utterly lacking in uncomfortable discussions.