Creamy Mushroom Pasta

My children never miss a thing. Apart from the pile of stuff on the stairs, that is. I don't know about your house, but in ours the rule is simple - if there's something on the stairs that's ready to go up and you're going that way too ... you take it with you. Sounds simple but my three miss it every time. Every. Single. Time.

But what they don't ever miss is knowing when their Mum has a busy day ahead of her. A day when I need to get a lot of stuff done. A day when keeping a safe distance is advisable.

The list on the kitchen worktop will be the first clue but the real giveaway will be the clothes that I'm wearing ... my 'I've got a shed load of things to get through and I just need to get on with it' work uniform. No power suits for me. No shoulder pads. No teetering heels. Instead it will be some variation on a white T shirt and a pair of denim shorts. We're not talking Daisy Duke's here (phew - that would be ugly) instead a pair of denim shorts that halt a very 'decent' inch or three above my knee is my cut of choice - with enough pockets to stash my phone + always my trusty list. And then I'm off.

And when I've crossed everything off my list (don't you just love it when that happens), it's dinner time and I want to throw something together that's quick but tasty; easy but fulfilling, I just might go for a comforting bowl of this Creamy Mushroom Pasta.

It's the perfect reward for a day of storming through my 'to-do' list.

A pile of mushrooms cooked off in a little garlic and a lot of butter; some cream to create a perfect sauce - with the addition of some vegetable stock to cut through the richness; swirl it through your favourite pasta and top with some Parmesan shavings and a little chopped parsley. Double yum.

And here's why you might find yourself adding this Creamy Mushroom Pasta to your 'to-do' list too -

• This is a simple dish. Simple ingredients, simple method, simple tastes. But sometimes simple is spot on.
• And there's even enough time to get changed out of your 'work uniform' while the mushrooms are doing their thing.
• How can something that tastes so good also be such great value?
• Halve the quantities and it's perfect for dinner à deux.
• Throw in some cooked, shredded chicken if you need to make it go a bit further.
• Throw in a simple salad and you've got an easy lunch too.

So ... choose some great music, put on your PJs and reward yourself with this Creamy Mushroom Pasta. Throw in a glass of something chilled and you'll be on target for a full recovery from a day of achieving. Job done.

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