I knew I was making pesto. I asked Steve for a good side dish. He suggested this. For the dressing, I just stirred a little raspberry jam into some balsamic vinaigrette. For the almonds, I toasted a cup of slivered almonds on a dry skillet and boiled 1/2 cup white sugar with two tablespoons of water. When the sugar mixture began to brown, I stirred the almonds into it and spread it out on foil to cool. Easy.