Mandarin Salad

© "From Ellie's Kitchen to Yours"
 
Salad:
½ C sliced almonds
3 T sugar
½ head iceberg lettuce
½ head Romaine lettuce
1 C celery, chopped
2 scallions, chopped
11 oz can mandarin oranges, drained


Dressing:
½ tsp salt
¼ C olive or canola oil
2 T sugar chips
2 T cider vinegar
Dash Tabasco sauce

In a small pan over medium heat cook almonds and sugar; stir constantly until almonds are coated and sugar is dissolved. Cool and store in an airtight container. Combine all dressing ingredients and chill. Tear lettuce into bite-size pieces and place in a large bowl. Add celery, scallions and oranges. Just before serving, add almonds and dressing and then toss

Hint: When heating almonds and sugar, watch constantly so that they don't burn. The almonds may be caramelized several days in advance and stored in a tin. The only problem is that they are so delicious that there may not be any left when you go to serve the salad! This salad has gotten rave reviews at many of my cooking classes and dinner parties!