By Kathryn Reed

I’m still trying to understand what, “It’s a little too mushroomy” means.

“Too mushroomy” is like a foreign language to me with no English translation.

While at first the phrase uttered by Sue bothered me, it didn’t take me long to realize that meant I didn’t have to share my mushrooms. That, to me, was the best part of the conversation.

I came up with the recipe below as a way to use up some ingredients I had in the fridge from other dishes.

I used whole wheat pasta for the first time. It’s probably a good choice for this recipe if only to help with the nutritional value.

The amount of pasta really depends on the number of servings and how much sauce you like compared to pasta. I used half a 13.25-ounce box.

For the mushrooms, I used half a “container” of the presliced ones from Safeway.

 Creamy Mushroom-Asparagus Pasta (serves 4)

Whole wheat pasta

2 T unsalted butter

4 ounces portabella mushrooms, chopped in bite-size pieces

½ bunch asparagus, chopped in bite-size pieces

1 C (heaping) Fontina cheese, shredded

½ C heavy whipping cream

1 T fresh tarragon, minced

Salt and pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Melt butter over medium-high heat. Add asparagus. Cook a few minutes until tender. Add mushrooms. Cook until tender. Add cream. Turn heat down to avoid scorching. Add cheese. Stir until melted. Add tarragon. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Make sure the mixture is hot and then serve over pasta – to people who like mushroomy dishes.