I Loved It: Not So Much for The Boy

I tried a new recipe from Pinterest last week.

Sidebar: I'm always trying new recipes, so this isn't a surprise. It may, however, be a surprise to learn that The Boy gets tired of my never-ending quest for the next new recipe and demands his favorites on a regular basis. This is why we have The List.

Back to my story: I tried a new recipe from Pinterest last week. I loved it. The Boy didn't. So I ate the leftovers myself and threw the recipe away. But because I thought it was good, I'm sharing the recipe here for someone else to give it a try.

I think he might have liked it if I'd added bacon or a very flavorful ham. His primary complaint was that the flavor was flat. I loved the zing of the lemon in the sauce - it was imperceptible to him.

You win some, you lose some.

Spring Vegetable Penne with Lemon-Cream Sauce

Original recipe here

• 1 T olive oil
• 3/4 c onion
• 4 oz sliced mushrooms
• 1 t chopped thyme
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 T flour
• 1/2 c chicken broth
• 1/2 c half-and-half
• 3/4 c frozen green peas
• 3 T shaved Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/2 t grated citrus rind
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t black pepper
• 8 oz uncooked penne
• 1 lb diagonally cut asparagus

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil. Add onion and mushrooms and saute 5 minutes or until tender. Add thyme and garlic, saute 1 minute. Sprinkle mushroom mixture evenly with flour and cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in broth and half-and-half. Cook 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add peas, 2 T cheese, rind, and next 3 ingredients (through pepper). Cook 1 minute or until peas are thoroughly heated. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. During the last 3 minutes of cooking, add asparagus to pan. Drain. Add pasta mixture to mushroom mixture, toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with remaining 1 T cheese.