Winter Salad w/ Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing

I made this for the Chapman family dinner last night, and it was a huge hit!

Winter Salad w/ Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tsp diced green onion
1 tsp Dijon-style mustard
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup veg oil
1 Tbs poppy seeds
1 head Romain lettuce or a mixture of different kinds of lettuce
4 oz shredded Swiss cheese (I used Mozzarella, you could also use Parmesan)
1 cup slivered almonds. (or you can use cashews if you want)
1/4 cup dried cranberries (I actually used Craisins)
1 apple-peeled, cored and diced
1 pear-peeled, cored and diced


Directions:
1. In a blender or food processor, combine sugar, lemon juice, onion, mustard and salt. Process until well blended. Add oil in slow steady stream until mixture is thick and smooth. Add poppy seeds and process just a few seconds more to mix.
2. In a large serving bowl combine the lettuce, shredded Swiss cheese, almonds, dried cranberries, cubed apple and cubed pear. Toss to mix then pour dressing over salad just before serving and toss to coat.