Mandarin Orange Salad

I went to a baby shower a few weeks ago, and they served this wonderful Mandarin Orange Salad. I told them I had to have the recipe, so I got it from them and made it with my Balsamic Rosemary Chicken the other night. It is so delicious! I like salad, but I am not a big salad lover, but I love this salad! The rest of my family liked it too. My hubby said he thinks he would prefer it without the mandarin oranges, so I would like to try it with some strawberries or another fruit next time and maybe put the fruit on the side so we could pick and choose what we want on it, but if you like mandarin oranges, go ahead and do it like this. So, so yummy!

Ingredients
salad
4 tsp sugar
1/4 cup sliced almonds
6 cups romaine lettuce, chopped (I used 1 bag of romaine hearts)
2 medium green onions, chopped
11oz can mandarin oranges, drained

dressing
1/4 cup canola or olive oil
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
dash pepper
dash red pepper (optional, I did not use this)Directions
-Mix all of your dressing ingredients in a small jar, shake up, & put into fridge.
-Heat sugar and almonds in small pan until sugar is melted and almonds are covered. This is called caramelizing your almonds. Stir constantly as once the sugar starts to melt, it will burn if you aren't stirring. Let cool (they will harden) and put together the rest of your salad.
-Mix chopped lettuce, green onions, & mandarin oranges together in medium sized bowl. Once almonds cool, break into pieces, and mix into salad.
-Top with dressing before serving and toss.