Asparagus Cashew Rice Pilaf

I've been wanting to try this All Recipes dish for awhile.  The ingredients make for a beautiful presentation, but I'm not sure how they're all going to taste together.  It has great reviews so I have to give it a try!

The case:
Asparagus Cashew Rice Pilaf (Adapted from All Recipes)
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
2 ounces uncooked spaghetti, broken into small pieces
2 Tablespoons minced onion
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/4 cups uncooked jasmine rice
2 1/4 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup cashew halves

Directions:
1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Increase heat to medium, and stir in spaghetti, cooking until coated with the melted butter and lightly browned.
2. Stir onion and garlic into the saucepan, and cook about 2 minutes, until tender. Stir in jasmine rice, and cook about 5 minutes. Pour in chicken broth. Season mixture with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, set to simmer, and cook 20 minutes, until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed.  (I checked mixture half way through and added a little extra water.)
3. Place asparagus on foil lined baking sheet.  Drizzle lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Broil for 4-5 minutes, until starting to brown.  Broil cashews one minute if desired.
4. Mix asparagus and cashew halves into the rice mixture, and serve warm.

The ruling:
Of our 3 new dishes tonight, Michael said he had trouble picking his favorite.  Not me! This was my favorite, and all 3 were exceptional.  All the favors, especially the cashews, come together perfectly.  Jasmine rice is a little expensive but it's well worth it.  The pieces of spaghetti have an interesting flavor from being browned, and I love the crunch of the cashews.  I don't think the asparagus is completely necessary but it's very good.  This is a perfect company side dish!