creamy mushroom pasta

This recipe is a staple of mine that I've turned to for years when I am struggling to think up a meal. My version is adapted from a Canadian cookbook, the name of which escapes me. This pasta is so delicious, sophisticated and EASY. And my picky son even eats it, which speaks volumes. 


Couple cups of pasta
2 tablespoons butter...more or less to suit your taste. sometimes i add twice this amount
couple glugs olive oil
1/2 cup finely diced onions
4 finely diced garlic cloves
4-5 portobello mushrooms
3/4 cup tomato sauce
heaping tablespoon dijon mustard (i hate this stuff EXCEPT in this recipe)
1 teaspoon sugar
a few splashes red wine
half cup cream (or equal amount of coconut milk)


Heat butter and oil on medium heat and add onions and garlic; cook for a few minutes until veggies start to get tender. Add mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes more. Stir in tomato sauce, dijon mustard, sugar and wine. Allow sauce to boil gently a few minutes; add cream and allow entire mixture to simmer slowly for at least 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the pasta. Toss pasta in the sauce and you have dinner. 


Just a note: these measurements are approximate as I always just throw the ingredients together and hope for the best. You may want to add some salt and pepper; you may want to add some herbs when you add the onions (i've added thyme in the past with excellent results; basil is great too but usually I keep it simple). You may want to add more garlic, add chunky tomato sauce, etc. The wine really makes this recipe special though, don't skip out on that unless you have to for whatever reason.


Goes great with garlic toast, green salad and chicken breast. 


OH and I posted on facebook today but thought I'd share it here as well...I finally finished the "Song of Ice and Fire" series (the first 5 books). It took me several months and I read several thousand pages...the majority of which was read in the middle of the night when my daughter needed time in the rocking chair to re-settle. I actually feel low-grade anxiety at the moment, enough that it's bugging me because I don't know what to do without it! What will I read tonight as i groggily stumble out of bed at 3 AM with the little one? My heart is beating irregularly just thinking about it. And with no release date for book 6, I feel even more ill. Is Jon going to make it? What will happen with Dany and her dragons?  And the Stark kids...what of them? Ack!