Kushi the truffle hunter?

Is Kushi a gourmet foodie? Granted, this is only the less expensive Oregon black truffle:

Kushi sniffing at the truffle.

After sniffing at the truffle, Kushi decided this was not some very expensive doggy treat. So much for our hopes for her to become a truffle hunting doggy. Maybe she prefers Italian white truffles. So we put the truffle in our dinner instead. Her loss...

The truffle on our pasta dinner, mmm...

Dinner recipe (Pumpkin Pasta with Mushrooms and Truffles):
8 oz. wide ribbon pasta like fettucine or papardelle
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/2 (15 oz can) plain canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mixture)
1/4 cup evaporated milk

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cup your favorite mushroom (we used Maitake for this dinner), torn or chopped
salt
cracked black pepper
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
1/2 truffle, sliced razor thin (with mandolin or truffle shaver)

Cook pasta in salted water for 1 minute less than package directions. Meanwhile, in a large measuring cup or bowl, mix together the broth, pumpkin and evaporated milk and set aside. Heat pan over medium heat, add the oil and garlic and saute until the garlic is soft. Add the mushrooms and saute for a several minutes or until mushrooms have rendered their water. Stir in the pumpkin broth mixture and bring to boil. Lower heat a bit and let simmer for a couple minutes or until the pumpkin mixture becomes smooth and thickens a bit. Generously season with salt to taste. Drain pasta and add to the pumpkin mixture. Stir for 30 seconds to coat pasta. Turn off heat, stir in cheese, add generous amount of black pepper to taste and plate pasta. Sprinkle more cheese on top, if desired. Top with truffle slices and serve immediately.

Serves 2-3 as a main course, or 4 as an appetizer course.