The Chopping Block Cooking Blog

What Happens when you Instant Pot a Whole Chicken?

I must admit, I was pretty averse to getting an Instant Pot. For me, it’s a pretty pricey investment for a fancy pressure cooker. I finally caved on a Black Friday deal on the larger 8-quart ...

A New Way to Cook Bacon

If you read my blogs, you know how much I love researching recipes online. Therefore, my inbox is flooded daily with recipes, food hacks and stories of anything food-related. One of my favorite ...

Crossroads Diner at Inspiration Kitchens

The first Crossroads Diner: At the Intersection of Hospitality & Community of 2020 takes a turn down memory lane, back to my high school days. A relatively unsupervised 3-month summer stay in Paris ...

Banana Coconut Upside-Down Cake

My obsession with upside down cakes hasn’t ceased, nor has my conviction that my mom makes the best banana bread on the planet. After travelling last month to the Southern Caribbean islands of Aruba, ...

Kitchen Gadget Recipe Remix

Last year for Christmas I asked for a few small kitchen appliances, and my family listened. I was gifted glass canisters, a hand blender with attachments, a dual ice cream maker and new drinking ...

How to Properly Heat your Pan so Food Won't Stick

Let me tell you a story that may sound familiar. There was once a man who cooked a boneless skinless chicken breast. He put his skillet on the stove and turned the heat on. He added some oil and ...

There’s No Bone Broth In This Chicken Soup

I am currently watching football, snow has recently fallen, and I am cuddled up on the couch with my fiancé. This is it. This is what I’ve been waiting for - soup weather! When it’s 60 degrees ...

Meatless Monday Night Football

Like many of you, I grew up in a football-obsessed family. My dad played back in the stone age, my brothers all played in high school and some on college teams, and now my nephews are either alums ...

Secrets for Perfect Pancakes

A lot of people make a big show of saying they “don’t like pancakes” or that they “prefer waffles” as though they were somehow mutually exclusive. Well call me very lame (as many do), but I think ...

The Perfect Meal to Celebrate the Leap Year

Once a month, I meet with several of my colleagues to discuss new and exciting ideas for class curriculum. It's a great way to allow everyone's creativity to come to the table, and it's exciting ...