Lemon Orzo with Mushrooms and Pine Nuts and Roasted Asparagus

In the midst of frenzied holiday baking (see next post) for my coworkers I managed to throw something together for dinner tonight...served at about 9:15. But hey, better late then never. The orzo recipe comes from Rachel Ray's website. My mom clipped this from her magazine when she came to visit once and we made it together. Good memories and good dinner. I subbed cremini mushrooms for white and use a lot less olive oil (less than a tablespoon will do you to cook the mushrooms) and pine nuts (to taste) than suggested. I also omit the parsley. We ended up with a bit too much orzo because I just used the rest of the box rather than have a tiny amount left uncooked, so this could have used more mushrooms...but whatever (it was just nice to see something that wasn't covered in sugar and would be filling).

To roast the asparagus I just trimmed the ends, coated in olive oil and lemon juice, and sprinkled with salt and pepper. Then just broil on high for about 5-10 minutes, tossing once, until crispy. Yum.