Fruit 'n' Nut Tossed Salad

Dressing:

1/4 c. olive oil

2 T. plus 2 t. sugar

2 T. white vinegar

1 T. parsley

1/4 t. salt

dash hot pepper sauce

whisk and refrigerate.

Salad:

toast 1 c. pecan halves in 2 T. butter in a skillet for a couple min. then sprinkle with 4 T. sugar and cook a couple more min. pour onto a greased, foil-lined baking sheet to cool.

4 c. torn,fresh spinach

4 c. torn romaine

1 can manderine oranges, drained

2 celery ribs, chopped

1 c sliced fresh strawberries

4 green onions, shopped

just before serving, drizzle with dressing, toss to coat and top with pecans.

makes 8-10 servings

i got this recipe from taste of home -- but i just used bagged salad (although i'm sure it would've been way better with the kind it calls for), and i didn't have any hot sauce so i used a (very small) dash of my garlic chile sauce. it still was yummy. you'll come to know that i am the queen of improvising in recipes. i don't like to have to wait to make something until i go buy all the special ingredients. also: funny how the pictures in the recipe book looked way better than the one i took.