Balsamic Vinaigrette -- The Dressing That Holds the Week Together

Camp Pendleton's spring training schedule means Ryan is gone two weekends a month. Ryan was on duty at Miramar. Standard week.

Caleb, 8, wants to be a firefighter still. Has not deviated. Hazel, 5, opinions about everything. Has Donna's directness without the diplomacy.

Pasta salad for the cookout. Italian dressing. Olives. The standard.

The week held. The casserole held. The kids ate.

I sat at the kitchen table Tuesday night writing in the journal. Volume 11 now. The handwriting has not gotten neater. The journals are a record of the life I am living, in the moment, in tiny script that I will look back on someday and not be able to read. That is okay. The writing was the thing.

Caleb's school had a fundraiser this week. I baked cookies because I always bake cookies. The cookies were the standard chocolate chip. They sold out in twenty minutes. I am the cookie mom of this PTO and I have stopped fighting it.

I went for a walk Sunday morning before the kids got up. Half an hour. The fog was burning off. I needed it. Some weeks I get the walk in. Some weeks I don't. The week tells me which.

The kids' soccer game was Saturday morning. The other parents brought oranges and Capri Suns. I brought a thermos of coffee for myself and a folding chair I bought at Target three years ago that has been to four duty stations now. The chair is a more loyal companion than some of my friends.

Ryan's friends came over Friday for a beer. I made wings and chips. They demolished both. Standard Marine appetite — they eat like they are still on rations. The kitchen looked like a battlefield by the end. They cleaned up. Marines clean up. Donna would have been impressed.

I read the blog comments at the kitchen table with my coffee. A young spouse in Lejeune emailed me about deployment cooking. I wrote her back at length. I told her about the freezer. I told her about Donna. I told her she would survive. I sent her three of Donna's recipes.

I unpacked another box from storage Tuesday afternoon. Three years on this base and I am still finding things I packed in Twentynine Palms. Military-wife archeology — every box is a layer of geological history. I found a ceramic dish from Lejeune still wrapped in newspaper from 2020.

My therapy session was Tuesday. We talked about the deployment cycle and the way the body holds dread and the ways the body holds it. The hour passed. The work continues. I have been doing this work for years. The work pays.

The PCS rumors are starting again. The official orders will come in a few months. We could move. We could stay. The waiting is the worst part. Three years here and I have learned to not put down deep roots in any military town. Nineteen-year-old me would not have believed how good I have gotten at packing.

The kitchen counter has a chip in it from someone before us. Some military housing thing. I have stopped asking what. The chip is fine. The whole kitchen is provisional. We are renting from Uncle Sam.

The Friday before-school morning was chaos. Three kids, two backpacks, one missing shoe. We all made it to the bus. I drank cold coffee at nine AM because that's when I sat down. Standard.

Caleb watched the firefighters at a school visit Wednesday and came home buzzing. He is going to be one. I have known this since he was four. Some kids tell you who they are early.

The pasta salad I mentioned — the one for the cookout, with the olives and the Italian dressing — is the kind of thing I can make without thinking, which is exactly what I need on a week like that one. Lately I’ve been swapping the bottled Italian for a quick homemade balsamic vinaigrette, because Donna always said if you can make the dressing yourself, make it yourself. It takes five minutes, it keeps in the fridge all week, and it’s one more thing I actually control when the PCS rumors are swirling and the orders haven’t come yet. This is the one.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 5 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning (optional)

Instructions

1. Combine the base. In a small bowl or a mason jar, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, honey, salt, and pepper until well combined.
2. Emulsify the dressing. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking continuously, or seal the jar and shake vigorously for 30 seconds, until the dressing is emulsified and slightly thickened.
3. Taste and adjust. Taste the vinaigrette and adjust seasoning as needed — more honey for sweetness, more vinegar for sharpness, more salt if it’s flat. Add Italian seasoning if using.
4. Store or serve. Use immediately over pasta salad, greens, or roasted vegetables. To store, transfer to a sealed jar and refrigerate for up to one week. Shake or whisk again before each use, as the dressing will separate.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 185 | Protein: 0g | Fat: 20g | Carbs: 3g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 115mg