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. And, given Virginia’s health journey and 65# weight loss, the recipes are not only good — they are good for you, too!
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


Chicken Wings for the Dirty Birds
Other than the recent reports concerning Georgia’s Fifth District, the big deal right now in The ATL is that the Falcons are playing the






Ground Corn 101: Cornmeal and Grits
The importance of corn in the Southern diet cannot be overstated. Corn was eaten fresh in the summer, and dried and ground into meal for






Rotisserie Chicken Means Quick Satisfying Soups
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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