Wow, a new "best meal ever"?

So, last night I cooked something slightly different than normal. I didn't think it was especially impressive, just breaded thin-sliced chicken breast, steamed asparagus, and farfalle pasta in store-bought pesto. Except... the sauce was new.

The way I normally cook asparagus is to cut off the tips and toss the rest away. Last night, I took the leftover bits. boiled the hell out of them, and then pureed them along with some heavy cream, grated Parmesan, thyme, and a spoonful of pesto, and then simmered it for a few minutes. Apparently the sauce put the meal over the top, because my wife told me that this has shot up to a top slot in the "best meals" list. Funny, since I thought the chicken should have cooked at a higher temperature for a little more crispiness.

Tonight I'm thinking about trying some fried shrimp in the same breading (a mix of flour and masa with a creole spice blend) and topped with a roasted red pepper sauce, with some twice-cooked potatoes topped with bacon and cheese, and possibly sautéed  butternut squash and mushrooms. Sounds like a complicated meal when I type it out but the reality is that it is all sort of simple and everything not holding food will be clean before I sit down to eat. My wife is totally going to love me extra tonight!