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 |Shiitake Mushrooms | How to Cook Shiitake Mushrooms

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Growing MushroomsPhoto Copyright by Cindy

Growing Mushrooms
Photo Copyright by Cindy

 Shiitake mushrooms are a true delight! When I first had Shiitakes, it was after listening to a program on TV talking about adding mushrooms to foods as a filler. The point being–you won’t have to eat as much meat and you will get lots of fiber and other nutrients. I went out and bought very large shiitake caps. I came home and fixed them in butter and put them on top of a thinner hamburger than usual,  lettuce and mayo, no bread. I served it up on the plate. The family was quite pleased with this bread-less treat. However, I wasn’t quite sure that I even liked this type of mushroom…at first.

But then…our friend Cindy, gave us some of her shiitake mushrooms that she grows. Oh, my goodness!

What a difference to get hand cut, clean, fresh mushrooms right from her local farm.

Fried Shiitake Mushrooms 

Shiitake Mushrooms Sm Copyright Virginia Wright 2013

Shiitake Mushrooms Sm Copyright Virginia Wright 2013

I don’t mind eating the stems when the mushrooms are smaller. I get out a large frying pan and put about 1 tbsp of Organic butter in the bottom, then add the mushrooms, and let the butter melt into the mushrooms. Turn the burner up on about medium heat, lightly salt the mushrooms and frequently stir so as not to burn the mushrooms. Cook until they are golden brown, and done to taste, about 10 minutes. Shiitake mushrooms have a taste all of their own.

If you don’t like eating the stems, simply pull them off and only cook the caps. But save the stems and grind them up and put them in your meatloaf, or hamburgers as a filler. You won’t have to use as much meat as you normally would, and that means you get a little less saturated fat as you aren’t eating as much meat. You feel full quicker from the fiber replacement too. A win-win situation!

Shiitake Mushrooms by Cindy2

Growing Mushrooms
Photo Copyright by Cindy

Thanks Cindy for letting me use your photos! And for the true introduction into shiitake mushrooms!

More on shiitake mushrooms: 

Shiitake Mushrooms Disease Prevention:

http://www.naturalnews.com/040673_shiitake_mushrooms_edible_disease_prevention.html

Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiitake

Recipes:

http://www.organicauthority.com/organic-food-recipes/

Grilled Shiitake Mushrooms on Rosemary Skewers by Martha Stewart

Nutrition Facts:

http://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/usda/shiitake-mushrooms-(with-salt-cooked)

Good Luck with your recipe! Visit often, to see what we are cooking up next!
-Virginia Wright

Author, Food Writer, Recipe Developer, Foodie & Queen of Recipe Adaptation

© 2012 Virginia Wright. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Recipe | Wild Greens | How to Cook Dandelion Greens & Recipes

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How to Cook Dandelion Greens & Recipes

By Virginia Wright

Recipe: How to Cook Dandelion Greens

Summary: There are various ways to cook dandelion greens, an edible weed, this post includes two of them- plain with butter or olive oil and tossed with bacon. When I make these recipes I use dandelions out of my yard that has not been treated with any chemicals. Also, I use organic butter, organic extra-virgin olive oil, organic hot red pepper flakes, and uncured nitrite and nitrate-free bacon with no artificial preservatives.

Ingredients

  • Dandelion Greens
  • Bacon
  • Hot Red Pepper Flakes
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Butter
  • Olive oil

Instructions 

  1. Gather, wash, and cook greens.
  2. Drain cooked dandelion greens well.
  3. Serve with butter or a drizzle of olive oil.
  4. Dash of salt and pepper, to taste.
  5. For serving dandelion greens w/ bacon & hot red pepper flake follow directions for cooking dandelion greens.
  6. Cut-up bacon in 1-inch pieces, cook well.
  7. Add drained dandelion greens to bacon, toss.
  8. Add a sprinkle of hot red pepper flakes.
  9. Dash of salt and pepper, to taste.

Preparation time: 30 minute(s) 

The number of servings (yield): Depends on the number of greens you gather.

How to Cook 

A handful of Greens © Virginia Wright

 

Shopping Bag of Greens © Virginia Wright

Dandelion Greens – Wrap your hand around the dandelion greens and make your cut at the base of the plant.

About Dandelion Greens – Pick a Bag Full In the spring of the year dandelion greens are found everywhere you look. It’s one of the first edible weeds that you can eat from the blossom (head) to the root.  

It’s a simple wild green to fix and can be used in many ways. Everything from tea to sauteing the roots. To get started, go find your dandelion patch– First, wrap your hand around the dandelion greens and make your first cut at the base of the plant. I use sharp kitchen scissors and cut leaves enough to fill a plastic shopping bag full.

Every spring, we harvest this “free” delectable wild green when there isn’t anything else growing. Once I get our bag of greens, I clean one side of the kitchen sink, then fill it with cold water. The leaves are placed in the water and cleaned by swishing them well. I use a very large kettle with a lid to put greens in.

DSCF2800
Wash greens thoroughly. © Virginia Wright

You can just taste the healthiness in these wild greens, and is a great edible weed that you can forage for in early spring!

Dandelion Greens w/ Bacon & Hot Red Pepper Flakes 

Follow all the same directions for cutting, cleaning, and cooking your greens. Drain. You should have about 4-cups of greens once boiled down.

Cut-up bacon in 1-inch pieces to cook
dandelion greens in. © Virginia Wright

Cut-up bacon in small 1-inch square pieces, fry until done.

Take your 4-cups of well-drained dandelion greens and place them in the frypan with cooked bacon and grease; toss.

Serving Suggestion: Serve dandelion greens hot; with a sprinkle of hot red pepper flakes, and a dash of salt and pepper.

COOKBOOK:Ayuh, Another Downeast Cookbook: Recipes From Maine    Advertisement 

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

Recipe| Vegetables |Organic Sautéed Kale

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Recipe: Organic Sautéed Kale

Summary: Organic kale sautéed in olive oil is a great veggie and easy to make. Top sautéed kale with a drizzle of fresh squeezed lemon juice.

Fresh Kale

Fresh Kale, OrganicIngredients

  • 1 bunch of kale
  • 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp garlic, chopped fine
  • 1/2 cup of water
  • 1 Tsp red pepper flakes
  • Salt and Pepper, to taste
  • 2 wedges of lemon

Instructions

  1. In a large skillet, add olive and garlic. Cook on medium-high heat until garlic is tender.
  2. Add loosely cut kale in sections all over bottom of pan. Pour 1/2 boiling water over the top of the kale, toss, and cover. Cook kale for about five minutes.
  3. Uncover, continue cooking until water has evaporated, then salt and pepper kale to taste.
  4. Serve with a drizzle of fresh lemon over the top.

Preparation time: 15 – 20  minute(s)

Cooking time: 10 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 3-4

My rating 5 stars:  ★★★★★ 10 review(s)

Cooking tip:

Rinse kale in cold water, and pat dry. Use kitchen scissors to cut, or tear kale with your hands. Use both leaves and stems for the recipe.

Not all Olive Oil is Manufactured Equal
Cooking with a “good” olive oil is important because– olive oil stands up well to high heat (frying temperatures). However, do not cook (above its smoke point) as it can make food taste bad.

This is a good link to refer to about olive oil from the Olive Oil Source, the site is everything olive oil:

http://www.oliveoilsource.com/page/heating-olive-oil

Buying Organically
Wherever you can, buy “Organic.” In most all the recipes I develop and post, I substitute non-organic ingredients for ORGANIC ingredients. When you shop at your local farmers market, if the produce is not marked Organic, ask them if it is organically-grown. It is okay to ask! It is your right to know what you put in your mouth or not.

What “Organically Grown” Means

Produce that is organically grown and processed uses no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides during the growing process.

http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/food/organics.htm

National Organic Program

http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/nop

Enjoy this Sauteed Kale Recipe! 

Visit often to see what we are cooking up next…

Disclaimer: The websites (pages), that I mention in my articles, does not mean an endorsement by me. Nor does it constitute an endorsement by the other website, or me (Virginia Wright). I have independently written this article with recipe as a freelance writer.

© 2012 Virginia Wright. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Cooking Tip | Preserving Jam

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Sue Curry and granddaughter Rosalind, Maine USA

Sue Curry and granddaughter Rosalind, Maine USA

This article “Preserving Jam  Cooking Tip” came about because of a photo post I saw on my friend’s Facebook page.

A lot of people use different methods with canning and freezing, but it is important to follow food safety suggestions e.g., using sterilized jars, inspecting canning jars mouth for chips before canning, and to adhere to the cooking times recommended by the experts. As these precautions will help us from getting botulism too.

Years ago, my mother canned. But she didn’t have all the information on canning safety like we have at our fingertips these days with the internet. My grandmother, and great grandmother preserved food too, without any known major issues that I’m aware of. But to ere on the side of caution, it is always good to make sure you follow the canning and freezing safety tips by the experts.

National Center for Home Food Preservation  http://nchfp.uga.edu/index.html This is a great website with all sorts of cooking tips.

Disclaimer noted, now back to my story…

…On facebook I saw a precious photo of my friend, Sue Curry, with her granddaughter, Rosalind, making jam and putting it up in canning jars. Sue and I go way back, as we were school friends in Belfast, Maine―where I was born and grew up.

Rosalind

Rosalind

This past week I put up Strawberry Jam, I didn’t use paraffin wax over the top of it, but I remember my mom using it as a kid. Which prompted my question to Sue, “Do you use paraffin wax?

Sue said,”Cook your jam according to the Certo instructions. Then you ladle the jam in the jars; turn them upside down for five minutes, then right side up.”  Voila! Jam processed. Now that is what I call a time-saving cooking tip! No Paraffin Wax used.

If you try this time-saving method, do a small batch in case your lids don’t seal then you don’t ruin lots and lots of ingredients. I say it is worth trying– I give this tip–a thumbs up.

Thanks Sue and Rosalind…

-Virginia WrightAuthor, Food Writer, Recipe Developer, Foodie & Queen of Recipe Adaptation

Cookbook  $5.95  @Amazon

© 2012  Virginia Wright. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Nutrition Articles | Cooking With Maltitol Sweetener | What is Maltitol?

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Pure Honey

Pure Honey – Natural Sweetener

When The Recipe Weekly first came live on the net in 2012, I received a message from someone asking for recipes using “Maltitol sweetener” It took me several months while getting situated on the WWW, but I gathered links from various writers, bloggers, recipe sites and forums on the Internet so that folks can read about Maltitol and make their own choices on to use or not to use, and recipes to try or not. I do not endorse the sweetener, a particular brand, or any of the websites or blogs I am including. However, I do feel that an ‘informed consumer is the best consumer.’

Browse the link references I’ve included below:

1.) Information on Maltitol Sweetener:
http://www.ehow.com/facts_7208518_maltitol-sweetener_.html

2.) Baking with Maltitol:
http://www.cheftalk.com/t/9436/baking-with-maltitol

3.) Maltitol: Just Say No
Why Maltitol is Often More Trouble Than It’s Worth http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/nutrition/a/maltitol.htm

4.) What is Maltitol? http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-maltitol.htm

5.) Maltitol Recipes

Food.com | Sugar-Free Chocolate Cake With Chocolate Buttercream Icing 

http://www.food.com/recipe/sugar-free-chocolate-cake-with-chocolate-buttercream-icing-195758

Food.com | Sugar Free Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

http://www.food.com/recipe/sugar-free-easy-chocolate-peanut-butter-fudge-442831

Food.com | Low Sug Italian Almond Cookies

http://www.food.com/recipe/low-sug-italian-almond-cookies-400506

Recipe Source: http://www.food.com

6.) Where to buy

Amazon.com: Joseph’s Maltitol Sweetener Syrup 12.oz

What is Maltitol and  Cooking With Maltitol Sweetener

Maltitol is a sugar substitute – used by diabetics and for those people who want less sugar. Maltitol is often touted as a low-calorie sugar substitute; and considered a “sugar” by low-carbers.

Cooking with Maltitol is not an easy task from all the blogs and forums I have been reading.  The syrup can be used to sweeten coffee, tea, and other drinks you would normally sweeten with sugar. You can also supposedly use the syrup in place of corn syrup in recipes, baking with the crystals.

I personally have not used the maltitol syrup, crystals or powder in cooking or baking. I use Organic cane sugar, pure honey, and maple syrup in sweetening any recipes I make.However, I am not a diabetic…just the same, wherever I can, I lighten up on the sugar amount in recipes that I make for a lower-carb recipe.

Enjoy! Now go cook!

-Virginia Wright

If you have a “Maltitol” Tried and True Recipe that you have made with great success…and would like to share–send a copy of your recipe by eMail to: recipesubmission [at] therecipeweekly.com. Give us permission to use your recipe on The Recipe Weekly, and include your first name and city and state you are from, along with a photo of the recipe. If we publish it on The Recipe Weekly.com, it enters you into The Recipe Weekly yearly giveaway!

(C) Virginia Wright The Recipe Weekly All Worldwide Rights Reserved.

Disclaimer

Editorial reviews, opinions and posts are written by the author of this site (Virginia Wright) unless otherwise noted.  Link references are checked by me and provided for an external source of reference  and entertainment purpose only. Please investigate and check all sources on your own for your own benefit. Information on this blog is not meant to treat or diagnose. I am an author, not a physician. -Virginia Wright