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
My Day in NYC on 9-11
NYC on 9-11 This picture of my sister was taken in August, just a few weeks before the horrible tragedy in 2001. In 2010, when I
Save the Flavors: Easy Summer Ratatouille
A recent evening’s garden harvest rewarded me with the ingredients for a vibrant, tasty, and easy summer ratatouille — as well as the realization that
Salmon Fishing in Alaska + Salmon Recipes
For the past two weeks I have been on a working vacation in Alaska. I was offered the opportunity to be the guest celebrity chef
How to Fry Chicken – Southern Fried Chicken
When my dear grandmother was alive and I would come home to visit, it did not matter if it was 2:00 in the morning or
Eat Wild: Elderflower Cordial
Recently, I’ve been studying a couple of foraging books and trying to use more wild food in my kitchen. Serving locally foraged ingredients has become
Frozen Treats: Avocado Popsicles and Coconut Ice Cream
Homemade ice cream and sorbets are some of my favorite summertime sweet desserts. (Peach is undoubtedly my favorite!) I like ice cream, I mean who
Celebrate Summer with Sustainable Seafood
The Fourth of July means fireworks, fun, flags, and of course food. It’s time to celebrate summer! Nearly 80% of Americans will be grilling this weekend, making
Blueberries: Berry, Berry Good
Blueberries are the Doris Day of summer fruit – happy-go-lucky, bright bouncing balls of flavor. Blackberries are moody, musky, and more complex. Watermelon is refreshing,
Old-Fashioned Caramel Cake
Layer cakes are joyful, towering celebrations. Even in these super busy times, it’s nice to dust off the cake pans and bake a layer
Food Photography: Friendship, Inspiration, and Opportunity
I’ve got two big announcements to share: Lighten Up, Y’all is now available for pre-order and will be in stores in March. My dear friend Angie