About Virginia Willis

Virginia Willis

Virginia Willis is a chef, author, and Southern food maven. She studied at L’Academie de Cuisine and Ecole de Cuisine LaVarenne and had her first professional culinary job working on Nathalie Dupree’s PBS show. She’s been featured by Country Living, House Beautiful, USA Today, Food52, and CNN.com. Her cookbooks include Bon Appétit, Y’All and Basic to Brilliant, Y’All and her blog can be found at virginiawillis.com.

Plate of oven-baked barbecue ribs slathered in sauce with more sauce on the side

Oven-Baked Barbecue Ribs

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We’re all familiar with the glory of ribs slowly smoked in the backyard. But sometimes Mother Nature doesn’t agree with our barbecue plans. Thankfully there’s this recipe.

  • Quick Glance
  • 30 M
  • 2 H, 30 M
  • 0
Blue casserole of spicy macaroni and cheese with breadcrumbs on top and sliced of jalapeno peppers

Spicy Macaroni and Cheese

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All the comfort of classic mac and cheese plus a little kick. Actually, a lot of kick. Although we’ve heard not complaints.

  • Quick Glance
  • 30 M
  • 1 H
  • 0
Cutting board with char siu pork--a pork tenderloin slathered with char siu sauce--and more sauce and the side

Char Siu Pork

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A modern riff on a Cantonese classic. This leaner version relies on pork tenderloin rather than more indulgent cuts but tastes every bit as authentic as the real deal and is redolent of five spice powder, garlic, and ginger.

  • 20 M
  • 1 H, 30 M
  • 2
A white baking dish filled with slices of cooked sweet potato

Bourbon Sweet Potatoes

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One way to down your sweet potatoes? Drown them in butter, sugar, bourbon, and maple syrup. It’s The Southern Way. And we can’t say we have a problem with this.

  • 10 M
  • 1 H
  • 17
Okra Cornmeal Cakes

Okra Cornmeal Cakes

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These quick, easy, gritty-in-a-good-way little corn cakes come from a doyenne of Southern cooking. Put simply, they don’t disappoint.

  • Quick Glance
  • 30 M
  • 30 M
  • 26
Cornmeal Griddle Cakes

Cornmeal Griddle Cakes

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Shirttail cousins to corn bread, these savory cakes wooed and wowed us with their crisped edges, ethereally airy interior, and pantry-friendly frugality.

  • 20 M
  • 20 M
  • 43
Pound Cake

Meme’s Pound Cake

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This pound cake is rich with creamery butter, freckled with vanilla seeds, and knee-wobbingly crisp and sugary at the edges from—you guessed it—sugar.

  • Quick Glance
  • 20 M
  • 1 H, 20 M
  • 3
White dish of a sugar-dusted Georgia peach souffle; in the bottom are peach slices

Georgia Peach Soufflés

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Light, airy, messy, delicious, these peach souffles are an elegant (but easy-to-make) ending to a meal. Make them when peaches are dead-ripe delicious.

  • Quick Glance
  • 20 M
  • 30 M
  • 0