Romaine mandarin orange Salad

WOW! This salad blew me away! SO GOOD!!! I skipped the whole dressing part and used a poppy seed dressing I already had in the fridge, mixed a little red wine vinegar and sugar to taste and it turned out PERFECT!! I just loved the combination of sauted nuts, bacon, oranges and lettuce!
Ingredients

• 6 slices bacon
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 red onion, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
• 10 cups torn romaine lettuce leaves
• 1 (10 ounce) can mandarin orange segments, drained
• 1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds

Directions

1. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
2. Place vinegar, sugar, red onion, mustard powder, and salt into the bowl of a blender. Cover, and puree on high until smooth. Reduce blender speed to medium-low; slowly pour in the vegetable oil and blend until incorporated and the dressing is creamy. Stir in the poppy seeds and set aside.
3. To serve, toss the romaine in a large bowl with the crumbled bacon, Mandarin oranges, and enough dressing to moisten. Place onto salad plates and sprinkle with toasted almonds.