Category: Recipes

Potato, Mushroom, and Spinach Casserole

Ingredients 2-3 lbs fingerling potatoes ½ to ¾ lbs sliced mushrooms (white, cremini, or a variety) 1 lb fresh spinach 1 medium onion, chopped (substitute one leek) 3 Tablespoon olive oil 1½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper 4 cloves garlic (or 1½ inches of grated garlic in the tube, available in the produce section of most grocery stores) 8 oz ricottta…

Turkey Sage Pasta Sauce

Ingredients 1/2 cup vegetable stock 1 large pinch saffron 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, 1/3 thinly sliced, remaining finely chopped 1 lb. italian sausage made with turkey, bulk or casings removed 2 sprigs fresh rosemary 1 handful fresh sage leaves 1/2 cup dry white wine Kosher salt 1 pound tubular pasta (elbows, penne, cavatappi)…

Jambalaya

Ingredients Protein—one or both of the following: 2½–3 lbs boneless chicken, cut up 3 teaspoons salt ¼ teaspoon pepper about 1 lb of raw, deveined shrimp with tail off 1 lb. smoked sausage, andouille or otherwise 1 cup rice 32 oz. stewed or diced tomatoes 1 to 1½ cups of sliced okra (optional) Spices ¼…

Tomatoes with Bread Crumbs, Herbs, Garlic, & Cheese

Ingredients 6 ripe red tomatoes Salt and pepper 2 cloves mashed garlic 3 Tablespoons shallots or green onions ½ cups grated parmesan cheese 4 Tablespoons fresh basil and parsley ⅛ teaspoon thyme ¼ teaspoon salt Pepper to taste ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil ½ cup bread crumbs Preparation Heat oven to 400°F Cut the…

Avocado and Tomato Salad

Ingredients 2 stalks romaine lettuce, “broken” into bite-sized pieces ½ carton of grape tomatoes, halved 1 to 2 large avocados or 2 to 4 small ones… ask your grocer to select ripe ones… or buy unripe ones about 3 days ahead (see instructions below for preparing) Vinaigrette (see instructions below for preparing) Avocados To prepare…

House of Roy

House of Roy was a Cantonese Chinese restaurant in Boston, Massachusetts in the 1970s, a favorite of MIT students and others.  Rick and his MIT cohorts, particularly from MIT’s MacGregor House B-entry (Marc Blank, Joel Berez, Mike Dornbrook, Mike Riley, and others) visited the House of Roy weekly starting in 1972. There were two primary…

Les Halles

Ah, we miss Les Halles (also known as Brasserie Les Halles, pronounced as LAY ALL). This modern and fun French restaurant at 1201 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington DC was a favorite of many, not just us.  This location closed around November 2008 after 15 years.  Two Les Halles locations remain, both in New York…

Bertucci’s in Old Town Alexandria

We enjoy eating at Bertucci’s wherever they are located.  The food is always fresh and tasty. But we find ourselves often heading to the Bertucci’s in Old Town Alexandria at 725 King Street because they’re close and we can eat outside with our dogs, and they’re very friendly and accommodating (like eating outside after the…

Hard Times Café

A perennial favorite of the ginHill crowd is the original Hard Times Café at 1404 King Street in Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia.  We enjoy the Santa Fe egg rolls as an appetizer. Rick always goes for the five-way Texas chili (and adds lots of Tabasco sauce).  Howard likes the 2-way veggie Mac along with cole slaw…

Thai Pilin

The Thai Pilin restaurant is a lunch-time favorite of Rick’s  It’s located on Route 7 in the Tysons Corner area, or, more precisely, at 8385 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, Virginia 22182. My favorite is Pad Thai Pak (vegetable Pad Thai, with rice noodles, but I also enjoy their many curry dishes and other specials.  I’m still exploring their…

Dirty Martini

Ingredients (per glass) 2 jiggers (around 3 oz. or 100 ml) vodka, unflavored (if possible, use vodka that’s been stored in a freezer, otherwise, wing it) 1 oz. dry vermouth ½ oz. olive brine juice (what’s in a store-bought olives jar other than the olives!) 1-3 green olives from store-bought jar Preparation To shaker, add vodka,…

Blue Drinks

Ingredients 1 12 oz. can of frozen margarita mix (Bacardi brand or similar), slightly thawed so the can can be squeezed Blue Curaçao liqueur Tequila (Herradura or other brand) Ice Preparation To blender pitcher, add partially frozen margarita mix from can To now empty mix can, fill ⅓ with Blue Curacao and add to blender…

Kir Royal

Ingredients 2 oz. chilled crème de cassis (blackcurrant-flavored liqueur) chilled Champagne of your choice, preferably dry (optional) fresh raspberries Preparation Select fluted Champagne glasses (preferably chilled) Add crème de cassis to flute Add 1-2 raspberries to each flute Fill to the rim with Champagne, mixing by very slowly turning flute

Green Rice Casserole

Ingredients 1 medium onion, chopped 2 tablespoons butter or margarine 1 package (small box) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed 1 cup milk 1 can Campbell’s Golden Mushroom Soup 1 cup cooked rice 1½-2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese Preparation Sauté onion in butter/margarine Mix all ingredients into casserole dish Base at 350ºF for around 30 minutes…

Spanish Rice

Ingredients 1 lb. ground beef ½ cup chopped onion ⅓ cup chopped green pepper 1 clove garlic, minced 1 can tomato soup 1 cup water ½ cup rice ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce Preparation In skillet, cook beef, onions, green peppers, and garlic until meat is browned and vegetables are…

Rum Cake

Glaze Ingredients 1 stick butter or margarine ¼ cup water 1 cup sugar ½ cup rum Preparation Combine all ingredients in heavy sauce pan Boil for 5 minutes With spoon, put glaze on cake slowly, allowing some of the glaze to soak in Cake Ingredients 1 box yellow cake mix 1 small box instant vanilla…

Ranch Hand Round Up

Ingredients 2 15 oz. cans black beans, drained 1 15 oz. can white and yellow corn 1 4 0z. can sliced black olives 1 4 oz. can diced green chilies ¼ cup chopped green olives ¼ cup chopped red onions ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro ½ cup vinaigrette salad dressing Preparation Combine all ingredients Chill overnight

Grilled Swordfish with Couscous

I’ve always said that if swordfish is on the menu at a restaurant, I’ll order it!  Swordfish has been a top-notch favorite of mine for as long as I can remember.  There were some years in the 1970s or thereabouts when swordfish wasn’t readily available due to mercury poisoning.  Thankfully, it’s readily available now, and…

Mom’s Spaghetti Sauce

This is the spaghetti sauce my mother made in my youth.  We didn’t buy bottles of already made pasta sauce… was there a market for them then? Ingredients 1¼ lb. ground beef ½ large onion, chopped oregano chili powder 6 cloves garlic large can (29 oz.) Hunt’s tomato sauce regular can of tomato soup Preparation…