Recipes

See what’s been cookin’ here at Virginia Living and try your hand at reproducing some of these creations at home.

3 Dessert Cocktails For Any Sweet Tooth

Why wait for dessert to get your sugar fix when cocktail glasses are brimming with sweet, spirited concoctions? Classic treats like s’mores, truffles, and candies meet their boozy match in vodka, brandy, whiskey, and liqueurs. Add a frosting rim with sprinkles or a chocolate shaving garnish, and—poof!—you’ve got a confectionery delicacy in liquid form. Sip […]

by Hope Cartwright

Meet Virginia’s Most Enthusiastic Fig Fan

Nancy Thompson can’t pinpoint the moment figs entered her life. Unlike the ubiquitous bananas and apples of childhood, figs arrived quietly, almost mysteriously. “I don’t remember having them as a kid,” she admits, but somewhere along the way, this unassuming fruit captured her completely. Today, she’s transformed into Virginia’s most devoted fig evangelist. Her passion […]

by Madeline Mayhood

Why Apple Cider Donuts Rule Autumn

Nothing captures the essence of fall quite like the warm, spiced aroma of apple cider donuts wafting through crisp autumn air. These beloved treats have become synonymous with apple harvest season, drawing crowds to farms and orchards during apple-picking time. A staple throughout New England since the ’50s, these flavor bombs signal fall’s arrival. So […]

by Madeline Mayhood

Apple Cider Donuts Recipe: Your New Favorite Fall Treat

Makes 12 donuts and holes Ingredients 2½ cups apple cider 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided 2 or 4 teaspoons baking powder (see Recipe Instructions) 1 teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, preferably freshly grated ½ cup packed […]

by Madeline Mayhood

Sweet and Savory Fig Recipes to Please Every Palette

Backyard Fig Cake with American Buttercream Frosting When they’re in season, figs can turn just about any dish into a showstopper. This Backyard Fig Cake is a late summer star. Cake ½ cup (114 grams) butter at room temperature ¾ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 large eggs at room temperature […]

by Madeline Mayhood

The Ideal Brunch Menu, Curated by a Virginia Chef

For Chef Kyle Perkins, executive chef at the Tides Inn, Sundays growing up meant down-to-earth family meals. “On Sunday, we would relax and cook brunch for hours before finally sitting to eat,” he reminisces. Perkins looked forward to his dad’s top-secret “home fry,” along with pancakes dripping with Vermont maple syrup, scrambled eggs, and buttered […]

by Gabriela de Camargo Gonçalves

Meet Virginia’s Finest Summer Fruits

Some states flaunt signature fruits that define their agricultural identity. Georgia’s luscious peaches command a cult following. Florida’s sunlit groves burst with world-class oranges. Washington’s pristine valleys deliver some of the most exquisite cherries you’ll ever find. Massachusetts harvests ruby-red cranberries from its distinctive bogs. And Hawaii’s volcanic soil nurtures the majestic pineapple, a tropical […]

by Stephanie Ganz

Virginia-Made Recipes for Summer Fruit

Brown Turkey Fig Jam Recipe by Stephanie Ganz Makes 3 cups This pectin-free fig jam, scented with vanilla and orange zest, is my favorite way to make use of a glut of figs. Packed in 4-ounce Ball jars with a little ribbon, the chunky jam makes a sweet gift. 12 pounds brown turkey figs, washed, […]

by Stephanie Ganz

Bay Haven Inn’s Breakfast Bliss Recipes

The following recipes are courtesy of Tammy Holloway at the Bay Haven Inn in Cape Charles. The inn is famous for its epic breakfasts, which Tammy rustles up and serves in her spacious dining room. Accompaniments also include fresh fruit, juices, and pastries. Fluffy Egg & Ham Soufflé Serves 4 1 cup Eggbeaters 1 cup […]

by Madeline Mayhood

Brunch Recipes from the Tides Inn’s Executive Chef

Enjoy these recipes courtesy of Chef Kyle Perkins, executive chef at the Tides Inn in Irvington. Custard French Toast 125 grams whole milk 125 grams heavy cream 1 teaspoon vanilla 6 egg yolks 6 tablespoons sugar 4 tablespoons orange liqueur ½ teaspoon nutmeg 4 2-inch-thick slices of brioche bread Berries, nuts, syrups, optional Whisk all […]

by Gabriela de Camargo Gonçalves

How to Make a Michelada, Summer’s Spiciest Cocktail

Brunchers know the Bloody Mary like the back of their hand—but have they met its beer-based, chili-spiced sister, the michelada? This classic summer refresher takes an ice-cold beer and kicks it up a notch with spice, bold seasonings, and even seafood. Similar to a Bloody Mary, with beer instead of vodka, the michelada delivers citrusy, […]

by Hope Cartwright

No Place Like Home: Virginia’s Cocktail of the Year

Try this recipe that won the Virginia Cocktail Games in 2024.

by Erica Jackson Curran

Omega-3s and Where to Find Them

If the classification of Omega-3 as a “fatty acid” sends you into a panic, relax. These are unsaturated, good fats that provide necessary energy to cell structures all over our bodies. They can also play vital roles in heart and brain health by reducing the risk of both blood clotting and stroke, and in some […]

by Dylan Hostetter

White Salsa: Virginia’s Strangest Tasty Tradition

Virginia is a land of many culinary wonders: fresh oysters, mouthwatering barbecue, blue crab, apples galore, and—wait, Miracle Whip salsa? Yes, that’s right. This unconventional concoction, a flavor party that combines Kraft’s “one-of-a-kind taste of creamy mayo and tangy dressing,” along with spices and milk, is a time-honored tradition in the Tidewater region of the […]

by Hope Cartwright

Mise en Place Rules

Chefs reveal the keys to a successful kitchen. -By Janelle Alberts Georges-Auguste Escoffier, considered the father of modern cuisine, scored a chef’s job at the London Savoy in 1890 and promptly introduced a rigid organizational habit that nobody in his kitchen liked. Called mise en place, it’s since become a wildly popular phenomenon, ranking somewhere […]

by Staff

Starch & Strain: The Secret to Smoother Cocktails

Mixologists are introducing rice to your favorite classic drinks, but not as a tasting ingredient. Rather, rice-washed cocktails are mixed with dry, raw rice, which is later strained out, to smoothen and purify blended flavors. The starch mellows the methanol and propanol in the booze, exposing liquors’ more complex flavors. Rice-washing works best with brash-tasting […]

by Hope Cartwright

Elevate Your Cocktails with Next-Level Garnishes

Garnishes can be so much more than aesthetic afterthought. “Garnish with” this or that is the standard end step in a cocktail recipe. Though last, garnishes certainly shouldn’t be considered the least, providing both added adornment and taste. Olives bob at the bottom of a dry martini, and a leafy celery stalk juts out of […]

by Hope Cartwright

Fat-Washed Cocktails: The Secret to Richer, Smoother Sips

By Janelle Alberts It’s been almost 20 years since a bacon-infused Benton’s Old-Fashioned launched a new technique among bartenders called fat-washing. Despite the unappetizing name, fat-washing has so gained in popularity over the years because it continues to deliver a legitimately elevated cocktail. Fat-washing is a fairly simple process of freezing your spirit with fats […]

by Staff

A Vegan, Gluten-Free, Creamy Asparagus and Pea Soup Recipe

By Stacy Watkins San-J, the international soy sauce brand located right in the Commonwealth in Henrico, offers a range of dietary restriction-friendly sauces and recipes. This soup is vegan and features San-J’s original Tamari Soy Sauce, which is naturally gluten-free thanks to the brand’s traditional Tamari brewing methods. 1 pound asparagus 3 tablespoons olive oil […]

by Staff

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Top 10 Fall Festivals in Virginia 2025

Alexandria – 23rd Annual Alexandria Art Festival Sept. 13–14: Stroll Old Town’s John Carlyle Square Park as it’s transformed into an outdoor art gallery for this fall festival. Admire the work from more than 200 juried artisans from around the globe. VisitAlexandria.com Virginia Beach – VIRGINIA BEACH NEPTUNE FESTIVAL Sept. 26–28: The 51st anniversary of […]

by Madeline Mayhood

Where to Eat, Drink, & Stay in Staunton During Queen City Mischief & Magic

Staunton might be a small town, but during the annual Queen City Mischief & Magic Festival, the last week of September, it’s larger than life. The festival draws tens of thousands of witches, wizards, warlocks, ghouls, and more to the Shenandoah Valley—and they fill up the local hotels, restaurants, and bars quickly. To plan ahead […]

by Hope Cartwright

A Couple’s Small-Town Makeover

After a successful career in investigative services in Washington, D.C., Terri Wesselman and her husband, Julien Patterson, decided to settle down in Irvington. Initially drawn to the area by the Tides Inn, the couple had been weekending in the Northern Neck since the late ’90s. “There was something about the area that was quiet but […]

by Stephanie Ganz

Recipes

3 Dessert Cocktails For Any Sweet Tooth

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Top 10 Fall Festivals in Virginia 2025

Where to Eat, Drink, & Stay in Staunton During Queen City Mischief & Magic

A Couple’s Small-Town Makeover

Recipes

3 Dessert Cocktails For Any Sweet Tooth

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Top 10 Fall Festivals in Virginia 2025

Where to Eat, Drink, & Stay in Staunton During Queen City Mischief & Magic

A Couple’s Small-Town Makeover

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