Welcome to Cooking with Virginia!
Here you will find delicious and doable, seasonal, chef-driven recipes for home cooks along with tips, techniques, and stories. Each post features mouth-watering food photography, easy-to-follow instructions, and helpful hints for well-tested recipes from Southern chef, Food Network Kitchen Instructor, and James Beard award-winning cookbook author Virginia Willis.
You’ll also find Virginia’s signature stories chronicling formational childhood experiences gained baking in her grandmother’s and mother’s kitchen, her extensive professional experience from working in patisserie in a Michelin-starred restaurant, to the hot lights of food television, and her culinary centric far-flung travels. The recipes build on this practical knowledge and are written so that the reader feels that Virginia is by their side in the kitchen, as she walks the reader through surefire recipes that work every time. The recipes are rigorously tested and are essential, foolproof dishes you actually want to make and eat!
Bon Appétit, Y’all!
Virginia Willis


Turkey 101: All You Need to Know
The first time I ever brined a turkey was over 10 years ago. I had read about it in Cook’s Illustrated and was pretty curious, so






Classic Egg Recipes and a Crack at Big Bad Breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day — and the one we have the least time to prepare for and the shortest time






Fall Vegetable Recipes and a Dip into Poole’s Diner
Yep, well someone forgot to tell Mother Nature because it hit 90° yesterday in Atlanta. Fall officially starts today and yes, it is a bit






Salmon Recipes for Weeknight Cooking
Shrimp, salmon, and tuna are the big three when it comes to seafood consumed in the US. The term “Salmon Recipes” consistently ranks in the






Peachy Keen Chicken Salad
I love chicken salad. What’s not to love? It’s a great summer lunch or supper, perfect for making ahead and it will a few days






Gluten Free Chocolate Nut Cake
Chocolate Nut Cake Yield: 1 (9- or 10-inch) springform pan, serves 8 to 10 As this cake is kosher for Passover, it happens to






How to Make “Cream of Anything Soup”
“Cream of Anything Soup” is one of the easiest of soups to make. It can be practical and money-saving, too. Do you have some vegetables






Make This: Romesco Sauce
Spring is here in much of the country and warmer weather means more time outdoors and generally, more socializing. Patio parties and do-dahs on the






Weeknight Supper: Pork Tenderloin with Apples and Onions
Pork Tenderloin with Apples and Onions is an easy dish for a weeknight supper. First, you have to know what to buy. All four-legged animals






Baked Broccoli Risotto: Modern Comfort
Somewhere along the way when women were “liberated” from the kitchen, processed and convenience foods became Standard Operating Procedure. One-pot casseroles became the go-to for