Quick, delicious pasta-- and good for ya

Once again, this recipe was a fortunate top hit form epicurious. I had goat cheese left over form the beet salad, and Arugula left over from a red-sauce adventure. I searched "cremini", which were getting old, and in the fridge because, well, I like them. Lo and behold, the first hit:

Cremini Mushroom pasta with arugula and Goat cheese
1 lb spaghetti
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/4 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 tsp salt
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
4 cups arugula, coarsely chopped
6 oz goat cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

(Amounts included are a direct copy-paste from epicurious. I didn't measure anything--I boiled what I thought looked like pasta for two, used half a Tj's container of pre-sliced creminis, chopped a good handful of arugula, and crumbled about half a squat log of goat cheese. Also didn't have parsley. Again, with my disdain for measuring.) (OH! and I used whole wheat rotelli not spaghetti)

Start the pasta boiling right a way. While its doin' its thing, sautee the mushrooms in olive oil, add the garlic when they're about half done.
Before you drain the pasta, reserve about 1/2 of cooking water. After draining, return to pot.
Add arugula, and the contents of the sautee pan, and your crumbly cheese. (i apparently really want 'cheese' to have two 's' and not two 'e' today. geez.) Pour in about half of your reserved water and toss. The goal here is to make a cream sauce out of the goat cheese: add more water if you have to.
I see this quickly becoming an after-work favorite. So good, so simple.

If you want heartier, and some cubed chicken, or even chicken strips on top. Do not add Trader Joe's pre-cooked "just white meat chicken" because its dry as hell and you'll just end up picking around it anyway, or at least, I did ( had this for lunch at work its second go round, and thus had limited protein-addition options)

Alex is Sick Food

1 Tbs or so butter, the best you got
1.5 cups or so mushrooms-- porchini, Shitakke, and Cremini
1 lb chicken, cut in to strips
2 c. Broth ( 1 not enough) ( cornstarch to thicken)
.5-1 cup white wine, dry

serving method, cooked-- egg noodles or mashed potatoes

steep porchini in hot broth until rehydrated. Drain mushrooms, reserve broth.

Melt butter in large frying pan. Add mushrooms, cook atleast 10 minutes so the butter is absorbed, and the mushrooms are starting to brown. Meanwhile, in a different pan, heat 1/2 inch broth till boiling. Add chicken,s&p and thyme. simmer until mostly cooked. Add entire contents of chicken frying pan to Mushroom frying pan when chicken is mostly done and mushrooms are soft and brown. Add any extra broth and wine. Continue to simmer, add cornstarch to thicken in to gravy.

serve over starch.