Author Archives: Virginia Wright

About Virginia Wright

VIRGINIA WRIGHT (born Virginia Brown) is an American multi-genre best-selling author, award-winning illustrator, and nature photographer born and raised in Maine. As an artist, the cover Wright designed for Steampunk Alice by Dennis Higgins won the AUTHORSdb Gold Award (2014). She won the AUTHORSdb Silver Award (2016) from Timothy the Christmas Mouse Coloring Book. Crying Bear ranked #1 Amazon Best Seller in Children's Bear Books (2016). Buzzzzzzzz What Honeybees Do, ranked #1 Amazon Best Seller in three categories (2016). Buzzzzzzzz What Honeybees Do is the AUTHORSdb Cover Contest Bronze Award winner (2018), in the Education category. Ayuh, Another Downeast Cookbook ranked #2 Hot New Release Best-Selling in New England Cooking, Food & Wine (2018). As a multi-genre writer, Virginia's WIP is currently a romance novella. Besides writing, in her pastime, when she isn't spending time with her husband, Virginia is a foodie and restaurant reviewer. She enjoys sifting through old recipes and photographing everything she cooks and eats. She is also a nature photographer and a mixed media artist; she gets her ideas for her illustrations through inspiration that she gathers from the nature that surrounds her, which is ever-present in her designs.

RECIPE CARD: Flourless Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

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Ingredients                                                                                           
  • 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1-cup creamy peanut butter
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/8 tsp sea salt
  • 1-cup chocolate chips (or chocolate chunks)
  • 3/4-cup walnuts or pecans, chopped (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
  2.  Cream peanut butter and sugar, until creamy and fluffy. Add vanilla, egg, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl until thoroughly blended. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts. 
  3. Roll dough into 1-1/2 inch balls (approximately the size of a golf ball). *For easier handling, the dough can be refrigerated for about thirty minutes prior to making into balls. 
  4. Place dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper; 2 inches apart.  
  5. Flatten each ball with the tines of a fork.
  6. Bake at 350° F,  for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookie is puffed up and lightly browned on the bottom. Do not overcook, or your cookie will be rock hard. 
  7. Take cookies out of the oven, place the whole baking sheet on a wire cooling rack, and let cookies cool on pan for ten minutes–this prevents crumbling. Then take a spatula to remove cookie to wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes more; store in an airtight container.
 
© 2012 Virginia Wright. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. 
COOKBOOK: Ayuh, Another Downeast Cookbook 

Recipe | Main Dish | Vegetables |Potato Pie

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Recipe: Potato Pie

Potato Pie Recipe Photo (C) 2014 Joyce VanKirk

Potato Pie Recipe Photo (C) 2014 Joyce VanKirk

Summary                                                Joyce Vankirk says: This is a recipe my mother has made for all of us for so long. I can actually say I have no idea where it came from but I do know it’s been in my family for a very long time. The only thing I can say about it is you have to taste it to understand why I love this recipe. 

I have never eaten “Potato Pie.” It sounds interesting Joyce! Thanks for the recipe and also for taking the extra time to shoot the photos.

  -Virginia                                                                                                                                              

 
   This Author Cooks!                                                                                                                                                                    
 Photo (C) Joyce VanKirk
Ingredients: {Crust}   
 
2 cups flour
2/3 cups of Shortening
1 pinch of salt [optional] 
8 TBSP water
 
  
Ingredients: {Potato Mix}
 
6 to 8 Potatoes cleaned, peeled and dice

Photo (C) 2014 Joyce VanKirk

Photo (C) 2014 Joyce VanKirk

Salt and Pepper
5 to 6 slice Margarine
 
Directions:
 
In medium bowl combine flour, salt and shortening together. With fork mix thoroughly [or however you feelmore comfortable doing it] until well blended. Add water and with hands [optional] mix it until it forms into a ball. When finished split in half. Roll out one half first using flour. Then put into pie pan. Then follow with the final half set aside.

 
Take the rinse dice potatoes put them in pie pan on top of dough. Salt and Pepper then put slices of margarine on potatoes. With the other rolled out dough put it on top of potatoes and seal around edges.  With a fork poke holes all over the top.
 
Bake at 350 degrees on middle rack for 1 hour.When finished cut a slice out and put into bowl. Pour milk over it and Enjoy!
 
*You can check the potatoes by putting a fork into the pie to see if they are soft. Just peel a small piece of crust off……
                                                                                                                                                               Authors Cook
 

Author Joyce VanKirk

Author Joyce VanKirk

Recipe Contributor: Joyce Vankirk 

Pennsylvania, USA
 
     I write children / young adult books. My first book “The Six Forest Friends” which  was published in 2009 it is a series of ten books. The characters in the book were created from my six grandchildren. I am now working on the second one. I also published another children’s book called “Sammy, the Fox Learns About Easter”. I have two young adult books called “Against Bullying Club” and “The little Brave One” I love reading books mainly romance and mysteries and I also enjoy giving reviews too.
 
Here is my Web Page: 
 
 
 
Amazon Author Page:

Desserts | Cookies | Flourless Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

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Recipe: Flourless Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

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Summary: For those of us out there who want a chocolate chip peanut butter cookie but, want or need to watch our wheat intake. This flourless cookie is a delicious alternative for traditional chocolate chip peanut butter cookie recipes, except, (without) the flour. I’m a cookie person; love a cookie hot out of the oven with a cup of coffee. This has become the cookie of choice in our home! It’s delicious and easy to make, plus flourless. Fewer calories, too!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1-cup creamy peanut butter
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/8 tsp sea salt
  • 1-cup chocolate chips (or chocolate chunks)
  • 3/4-cup walnuts or pecans, chopped (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
  2.  Cream peanut butter and sugar, until creamy and fluffy. Add vanilla, egg, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl until thoroughly blended. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.
  3. Roll dough into 1-1/2 inch balls (approximately the size of a golf ball). *For easier handling, the dough can be refrigerated for about thirty minutes prior to making into balls.
  4. Place dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper; 2 inches apart.
  5. Flatten each ball with the tines of a fork.
  6. Bake at 350° F, for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookie is puffed up and lightly browned on the bottom. Do not overcook, or your cookie will be rock hard.
  7. Take cookies out of the oven, place the whole baking sheet on a wire cooling rack, and let cookies cool on pan for ten minutes–this prevents crumbling. Then take a spatula to remove cookie to wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes more; store in an airtight container.

Cooking note: When I first started making these cookies I rolled the cookie ball in crystallized sugar–just like my grandmother used to do with her peanut butter cookies–however, since then, while the grandchildren prefer the extra sugar…I do not. My tastes have changed, and I have learned to cut back on my sugar intake, and I do not roll them in the extra sugar. In addition to this, for all those who do not know me, it is my preference to buy all ingredients “Organic” where I can.  If I can’t find organic chocolate chips, I buy organic chocolate chunks. Baking powder is not an item I have found in our local organic stores, however, I do buy it aluminum-free. I use sea salt as well.

Cooking Tip Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i94YWFTCiM&feature=youtu.be

Photos 2014 ©  Virginia Wright
 
Virginia Wright, Author, Food Writer, Recipe Developer, Foodie & Queen of Recipe Adaptation
http://www.amazon.com/author/virginiawright 
BUY COOKBOOK  $5.95

Author FB Page: http://www.facebook.com/virginiabrownwright

© 2012-2020 Virginia Wright. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Recipe | Dessert | Strawberry Sorbet

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 Strawberry Sorbet Recipe

Strawberry Sorbet

Strawberry Sorbet

Summary

This quick and easy dessert recipe is a delicious fruit sorbet – a creamy cold summer time treat, made with only one ingredient.  Strawberry sorbet is not made with cream, sugar, egg, and vanilla like traditional parfaits or ice cream recipes. This sorbet recipe is a low calorie guilt-free treat and is made with only “fresh frozen strawberries.”

Ingredients

Ripe fresh strawberries, hulled, halved, and frozen.

Instructions

  1. Hull fresh strawberries and cut in half. Place into a freezer safe container. Leave fruit until strawberries are completely frozen.
  2. Remove from freezer, break apart any stuck together berries.
  3. Blend in food processor until the texture is smooth like sorbet.
  4. Serve immediately; or place in freezer proof container and save for later.

 Note:

I always use organic strawberries. In addition, I make banana ice cream, using the same method of freezing the bananas as strawberries. Then I mix the strawberry and banana together layering first banana ice cream, then the strawberry sorbet, like you would with a parfait. This is definitely a guilt-free, low calorie dessert that will surely put a smile on your guests face!

Strawberry Banana Ice Cream

Recipe Contributor: Virginia Wright

© 2014 Virginia Wright  Dessert | Recipe | Strawberry Sorbet

BUY COOKBOOK $5.95

Recipe | Dessert | Quick and Easy Banana Ice Cream

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 Quick and Easy Banana Ice Cream

Banana Ice Cream

Banana Ice Cream

Summary

It is hard to believe that this delicious ice-cream style dessert made with only one ingredient is not made with cream, sugar, and vanilla like traditional ice cream recipes. That’s right–this guilt-free treat is made with just frozen ripe bananas.

Ingredients

Ripe bananas, frozen

Instructions

  1. Place whole ripe banana(s) with peel, into freezer. Leave fruit until bananas are completely frozen.
  2. Remove from freezer, and peel.
  3. Slice banana into several small chunks.
  4. Blend in food processor until the texture is smooth like ice cream.
  5. Serve immediately; or place in freezer proof container and save for later.

 Note:

I always use Organic bananas. In addition, I make Strawberry Sorbet, using the same method of freezing the strawberries as the bananas. Then I mix the banana and strawberry together layering first banana, then strawberry, like you would with a parfait.

Strawberry Banana Ice Cream

Strawberry Sorbet & Banana Ice Cream

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Recipe contributor: By Virginia Wright

© 2014 Virginia Wright  Dessert | Recipe | Banana Ice Cream