Since moving to the new/old neighborhood, I’ve rediscovered my love for all things quaint.
Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely loved living on H Street — the restaurants were phenom, the people were super hip and fun, and the bars were gritty in all the right ways. But Dupont makes it so easy to fall in love with DC. There’s a coffee shop on my new block that has a great patio. I’m “freelancing” from it right now. I just had to take a break to write up a quick post because everything around me was just so darn cute.
I’m sitting under an awning, and it’s raining lightly outside.
The patio diners across the street at Hank’s Oyster Bar are moving to tables inside, and I’m wedged at a two-top between a handsome teacher grading papers and an elderly couple. He is reading on his Kindle, and she has a stack of drawing pads and a Ziploc filled with pencils and pastels arranged in the chair next to her. Slender with a casual blonde bob and tortoise shell glasses, she’s sketching a face from a photo in a large album.
A stouter, older Lebanese man with a strikingly large bouquet of roses stopped by their table to say hello. I only know he’s Lebanese because the accent reminds me so much of college that it’s soothing. Before he continued on his walk down Q Street, he plucked two long-stemmed pink roses from a bouquet, and carefully placed them on the woman’s sketchbook. She thanked him, smelled the roses, and returned to her drawing.
Then, a little bird landed on the table next to my iced coffee. I even hate birds, and this was just too adorable.
Like I said, it’s too easy to become smitten with this city in this part of town.
Earlier today, I made a grilled cheese sandwich — very bad for my diet, but after reviewing my Mint.com account, I’ve found the need to stick to the ever-important yet difficult-to-abide-by budget. So I’ll be eating the food I already have in my fridge.
Just the act of picking up my spatula reminds me of Mindy, former roommate, lifelong queen of quesadillas. So this recipe is an ode to her. And an invitation for her to cross town for dinner at my apartment.
Strawberry, Leek and Goat Cheese Quesadilla, from the Sprouted Kitchen Cookbook
Corn tortillas
Goat cheese
Leeks
Strawberries
Shredded Mozzarella cheese
Olive oil
Slice your leeks lengthwise, then into quarter- or half-inch strips. Fill a bowl with water, and wash all the leek slices by hand. Remove from water, and pat dry with towels. Then, slice your strawberries and set aside.
Heat a medium-sized skillet on the stove. Drizzle with olive oil, and saute the sliced leeks until softened. I like letting the edges brown a bit. Once you get to that point, remove the leeks from your skillet and set aside.
Warm your tortillas on the skillet, just letting them to brown a tiny bit. Then, over medium heat, smear or crumble some goat cheese onto one side of a tortilla, top generously with leeks and strawberries, and then top with shredded mozzarella. Cover with the second tortilla, and cook until crispy.
Slice, and share with your friends. Or nurse your hangover.
