Oh what a feast...

It's been quite a while since I have had Molly and Joe over for dinner. It seems that with our busy schedules we've only been able to hang out on the weekends, which means we usually grill out in Molly or Joe's backyard. Don't get me wrong, there is NOTHING wrong with a nice night of grillin'. Molly has also made her fair share of deliciousness. But it had been a while since I cooked for them.

Tonight I made a feast. Almond-Chive Salmon (see recipe below), Cheezy Orzo, and Lemon-Scented Green Beans. For dessert, Oreo Cheesecake Bites. We toasted on a nice crisp bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. It was awesome. I might even say this salmon is almost as good as my mom's salmon on the grill. ALMOST.

In any case, it was nice to have them over and to get to cook a nice big meal. Though we were missing our fourth diner (yes, you), we had some nice conversation about prostitutes and bathroom stalls with hard-to-reach toilet paper.

Great success!


Almond-Chive Salmon

1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 (1-ounce) slices white bread, torn
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets (about 1 inch thick)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
4 lemon wedges

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a blender; add 1/4 teaspoon salt. Process until finely chopped.
3. Sprinkle salmon with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Top fillets evenly with breadcrumb mixture; press gently to adhere. Place fillets on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
4. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve with lemon wedges.