salad dressing

has anyone else read the labels on salad dressing lately? i'm not crazy into purity in my food or anything, but does dressing really need to contain ten things that i can't pronounce? really? i have this year embarked on an adventure into home made salad dressing. why this simple condiment intimidated me for so long, i have no idea. i'm proud to say that i now can turn out a variety of dressings easily enough, most without the help of my itty bitty food processor. two of my favorites are 1: dijon mustard, lemon juice (fresh please), olive oil, raw minced garlic (again, fresh please), and what ever sort of fresh chopped herbs you like; 2: a small can of mandarin oranges with half of their juices, seasoned rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, grated ginger, pepper. the general method i employ is to mix the dressing in the salad bowl and let it sit for a bit, then right before dinner toss the lettuce in the dressing and top with nuts, veggies, croutons, etc. try it out, it's worth it! not only is it tastier, cheaper, and fresher, you'll know exactly what you're eating.