Mr. Drive By: the dud parent strikes again

When Cassie was going back to FSU on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, Mom volunteered me to drive her to the airport at 4:30 in the a of effing m. When I do the airport drop-off, I usually just leave you all at the curb outside the "departure" door, because (1) it's closer, so you don't have to lug your stuff from the parking lot to the airport, and (2) the security line is about 100 feet from the check-in desk, and I can't go through security with you anyway. So I went with the usual plan and dropped Cassie off at the curb and told her to call me on my cell if there were any issues, which she said she was fine with.

What I didn't count on was that it was the busiest travel day of the year. Little did I know that the security line wrapped around most of the C'ville airport. I was all the way back into town and just going by the County Office Building when Cassie called to fill me in on the sitch, as in, she was still pretty far back in the security line and boarding had already started for her flight. So I turned around and headed back to the airport. By the time I parked and ran into the airport, Cassie was still snaking her way through the line (with former C'ville police chief Tim Longo just a few folks behind her), with her 6:00 a.m. departure time rapidly approaching. Fortunately, they delayed her flight by 15 minutes, and Cassie got through security and made it onto her flight just in time. And who knows, maybe if I'd parked and walked in with Cass, those extra few minutes would have caused her to miss the flight. All's well that ends well, right?

At least that's what I thought until I got home and saw the three texts Mom had sent to my iPad instead of my phone, the last of which read "Don't be leaving the airport til she is on the plane Mr Drive By." Yikes! I sure hope my latest screw up doesn't make you all think twice about letting the dud parent have the privilege of driving you to the airport in the wee hours again. 😉 

And I may be the dud parent, but here's something I don't do—let you wait in the cold for a few extra minutes before I pick you up from school because I am running my finger around my iPad finishing yet another "Word Streak" tournament. If we run out of money to fund your college educations, now you know what we spent it on: 

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I read a trick somewhere (in something by Michael Pollan, maybe?) of using a nearly empty jar of jam or preserves to make salad dressing. It's not far removed from my favorite Fig-Sherry Vinaigrette made with Daniel's Fig Jam, but I've been feeling like that one is a little too acidic, so I wanted to play around with the recipe a bit. I had a few dregs left in a jar of Trader Joe's Organic Reduced Sugar Wild Blueberry Preserves and decided the time was right for some experimentation. I tweaked the recipe ever so slightly, and came up with something I think is better balanced and holds its emulsion longer every time you shake it up. Now excuse me, it's time to do another drive-by.

Leftover Jam Vinaigrette

Time: <6 minutes 

You can use whatever jam or preserves that you like and have a little bit left of in your fridge. Trader Joe's Organic Reduced Sugar Apricot Preserves (discontinued?) seem to work best for me. If you don't have any leftover dregs, about 30 grams (1½ tablespoons) of jam or preserves should do it.

¾ teaspoon fine sea salt 

60 grams (¼ cup) sherry vinegar or other good vinegar

10 grams (2 teaspoons) Dijon mustard

the leftover dregs (~30 grams) in a jar of jam or preserves you like (see note)

120 grams (~½ cup + 1 tablespoon) extra-virgin olive oil
a few twists of freshly ground black pepper

Combine all of the ingredients in the jam jar or a squeeze bottle, and shake like mad until emulsified. Store in the fridge for up to 6 months. Take the jar out of the fridge at least 10 minutes before you're going to dress the salad so it can warm up some, then give it another vigorous shake to recombine everything. Makes about 1 cup.