Heirloom Tomato Sauce on Conchiglie Pasta with Purple Asparagus and Limed Mushrooms

The sauce that I started yesterday cooked all day in the slow cooker on low from around 8:10a-7:10p. My wife was still at work then and the sauce was smelling done since maybe 5:30 or 6 and in fact had a bit of a burnt smell, so I went to exercise and turned the temperature down to warm - we didn't eat till a little after 10p!

In fact, though the sauce was good, it was probably the least interesting sauce that I have made. I would next time go for about 10 hours. I also grilled some big stalks of purple asparagus; it is pretty but loses its purple color as it cooks. I served the asparagus with fresh squeezed lemon and salt. I grilled some large chunks of white mushrooms and, when they were lightly browned, poured a little Baja Lime marinade on top, as well as salt and pepper.

This is likely my last dinner I'll be cooking till Monday or even Wednesday, as we'll be at the Full Frame Festival tomorrow through Sunday. We have an invitation to eat out on Monday but I mentioned that we will probably be tired of eating out. Tuesday is my cooking class.
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