GOURMET

You have to try my salmon recipe. And then even better, you have to try it with a layer of thin-sliced raw almonds under the pesto mayo. WOW! WOW! It was perfect, it was amazing. How can I convince you?
I do not like weird crunchy things with dishes when the crunch seems to interrupt. I don't like M&Ms in my ice cream...I don't really even like sprinkles in it. I don't like fruit blobs in my yogurt. I've only recently come to not mind celery in my soup. Maybe you don't care, but that's why it's important to use thin-sliced almonds. They're not quite slivers, don't get almond splinters or anything. When they roasted under the sauce on the salmon, they softened enough that they simply added a deluxe chew to the dish, and the flavor was incredible.

*NOTE: since this is such a forgiving dish, you could technically mix the almonds into the sauce before spreading it on the salmon. The reason I wouldn't is I think the almonds wouldn't soften QUITE as much, and their flavor wouldn't seep into the salmon QUITE as well. But I'm absolutely certain it would still be really delicious. (Just don't put the almonds on TOP of the sauce because they will turn black within seconds. In which case, you scrape it all off and try again...like I said, it's a forgiving dish! I know. I've learned).*

That's what we made for my birthday dinner, a repeat of Michael's birthday dinner (differences: didn't blend side dishes, had pre-made rice so didn't add cinnamon, used a little more sauce, bla bla, I just went with it). It's just so good...a favorite for both of us! Here's the full menu:

• Salmon Pesto Mayo with Almonds (just pack them on the salmon in a somewhat generous layer, then spoon the sauce over; it will probably spill on the sides a bit, doesn't matter)
• Rice (make sure you use butter and salt when you cook it-- you can even add a sprinkle of cinnamon for a subtle, mysterious hint of luxury)
• Freshly sliced avacado (when it's cold it's an even awesomer blend with the salmon flavor. You can eat it separate, or you can dish the slices onto your rice, or you can take a bite of it with the salmon-- it's all good)
• Sauteed mushrooms
• Some kind of romantically sparkling drink (we used pear this time-- yum!)

Maybe a professional chef would tell me that these foods don't go together. But that chef would probably change their mind after tasting it all, because all these foods have a sultry, buttery taste that's contrasting enough between them all to add variety but close enough to keep the meal as one delicious experience from taste to taste. It's amazing, I'm serious. The avacado smooths into the salmon flavors and just...ahhh...and the rice butters it up with a warm new texture, and the sauteed mushrooms are the perfect touch for romance. Of course, the salmon tops it all. It is so, so, sooooo fantastic.

Also? This is all really fast and easy. Especially if you made the rice ahead of time (if not, rice cooks in about 20 minutes) (for all you rice-cooker-addicts, I will do a post of how to make rice...yeah, I'm not kidding).
The salmon, depending on its thickness, broils in about ten minutes, usually less.
The avacado? You slice it.
The sauteed mushrooms take something like...I don't know, less than ten minutes.
Ding! That's it!

The only thing not on the menu this time around was the glazed pineapple. That's okay. But it's a really wonderful dessert to top it all off.
But...and please don't get tired of me for saying this, I can hardly help myself...I didn't even feel like I needed dessert because the flavors were so delicious and perfect that I wanted them to sit in my mouth all evening. Mmmm.