Penne with Mushroom Gravy

Now playing:  Matchbox 20

Tonight was supposed to be 'Refrigerator Soup' night.  That's my creative way to use up what is in the refrigerator.  It's also my creative way to get my family to eat leftovers.  Alas, today is sunny and warm and not a good day for soup.  Given what I had on hand, I didn't want leftovers either.  There was leftover shrimp creole, which is probably questionable at this point.  There was something labeled "Burrito Stuff" that I pulled from the freezer yesterday, but I realized that it was not very good when I made it and wondered why I put it in the freezer in the first place.  Other than that, the choices were limited.  So here's what I came up with:

First, occupy your 3-year old with a snack.

Next, occupy your 43-year old with mowing the lawn.

Rummage through the fridge to come up with something appetizing to serve three people:

Penne pasta
1 pound of baby bella mushrooms (I did not add much in the way of spices to this dish, so I would not use a bland mushroom like white button mushrooms.)
2 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup of flour
3 cups of chicken broth
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and white pepper to taste
Fresh parsley
Fresh jalapeno peppers, sliced (optional)

I was considering adding a little Merlot, but, well, I was running low, so it went into a glass instead.

 Slice the mushrooms and mince the garlic.

Add mushrooms, garlic, salt and pepper to a heated pot with some olive oil and cook for a few minutes.

 Mix in flour and cook for a minute or two.  It will look like a hot mess, but that's okay.

Add chicken broth and simmer until thickened.  You won't know the thickness potential (I think I just made up a new term.) until it simmers.

If it's too thick for your liking, just add water.  If it's too thin, either simmer it down or just mix more flour with a little water and add it.
Which reminds me of a time when The Breadman did all the cooking.  My mother-in-law explained to me that the easiest way to make the flour/water mixture is to put it in a jar with a lid and shake it up.  So because the extent of my cooking involved screwing up a frozen pizza, I just nodded and smiled.  When next we met, she brought me an empty jar with a lid.  I was perplexed but I thanked her politely for the empty jar and tossed it in the garbage after she left.  Of course, she followed up with me to see how the process worked for me and I had to admit to her that I had no idea why she gave me an empty jar.

Anyway, serve over pasta with Parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, and fresh jalapeno peppers (if desired).

I happen to know one mushroom hater who will not like this dish, but he is missing out.  Hater.

Next post:  I have chicken broth simmering on the stove, so that's probably it.