Peggy's Salad Dressing

Stop buying salad dressing from a bottle. Stop it. You know you never use it all, and you have several bottles just waiting to go bad in your refrigerator door. Most of them are full of additives and preservatives - gasp! And its tacky on the dinner table. Make your guests or family something from scratch. It takes 2 minutes, its delicious, its better for you, and everyone will ask you what brand it is and admire you longingly when you tell them you made it yourself.

My dear friend Madeline taught me this recipe when we were in college. She learned it from her mother, Peggy. This is the original recipe, but I have made it with garlic instead of shallot, with walnut oil instead of olive oil, I sometimes add fresh lemon juice, and I have tried all different types in vinegar.

• 1 small shallot, finely chopped



• 2-3 TBS good olive oil



• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar



• 1 TBS Dijon mustard



• 2 tsp honey



• salt and pepper to taste

I usually start by chopping the shallot and mixing it with the salt, pepper, and mustard until it makes a thick paste. Then I incorporate the honey and vinegar. Last, I slowly pour in the olive oil while mixing all the ingredients together.

Drizzle it over mixed greens right before serving.