Virginia Willis is my HomeGirl

Sure, we’ve never met, Virginia Willis and I. But if you’re the type to count cookbook authors in your list of friends, then we are as thick as thieves. Bon Appétit, Y'all has never let me down because Virginia Willis keeps it real. Heirloom recipes, beautifully written anecdotes, and dishes grounded in solid technique and quality ingredients. Each page is organized with care and so many useful tips are peppered throughout. You know you’ve become friends with your cookbook when the pages are stuck together by saucy love notes from recipes past…butter…olive oil…syrup…rib glaze…

Virginia’s recipe for Coca-Cola-Glazed Baby Back Ribs will make you look and feel like a certified pitmaster, with only a little heavy lifting (the most delicious 3 pounds I’ve ever wrangled in the oven). It’s fizzy lifting drink meets South of the Border equals spicy rib candy. The Coke and brown sugar balance out the heat of the peppers (full disclosure, we went pepper-light, subbing jalapeños for scotch bonnets), resulting in a sticky sweet hot mess of goodness. These ribs require little else than whipping up the glaze and giving some TLC to the ribs in the oven. Thanks, Virginia Willis, for helping my friends crown me the queen of BBQ, if for one hot summer night.