The Chopping Block Cooking & Wine Blog

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Red Roux

When the cool air of Autumn arrives in Chicago, my wife often longs for her hometown of New Orleans. She misses the lively parades, the soulful jazz music, and most of all, the comforting food that ...

Many Uses of the Vacuum Sealer

Two common practices that are ingrained into you as a chef are save time and save dollars, without sacrificing quality, of course. Many commercial techniques and technologies have been made more ...

Welcome Fall with Red Wine Braised Beef Short Ribs

Fall is right around the corner, and nothing is better than eating cozy meals on a chilly night. There is something so special about short ribs. They seem fancy, yet they are so simple and easy to ...

Grilling up the Sea

The allure of grilling seafood is a symphony of flavors that dances between the sea and the fire, captivating both the heart and the palate. I invite you to join me in my profound love affair with ...

Searching for Scallops

Just one of the perks of living in the Panhandle of Florida is the close proximity to bays where oysters and scallops are harvested. One of my favorite late summer activities is to go to Cape San ...

Diving into a Valid Tea Leaf Salad

Last month, I started to dive into the world of Burmese cooking. Have you tried my egg curry recipe yet? I got very excited to plummet gracefully from an elevated platform of knowledge with a ...

Wake Up Shake up

Okay, everybody I’ve got some really good news. Despite what all of the displays at grocery stores, hardware stores, big box retailers, and drug store chains have been peddling for the last two to ...

New Wines for Fall Classes at The Chopping Block

Way last century, the hip sommelier closed their out-going voicemail with “Leave your message at the tone. And in case of emergency, serve dry Rosè.” Back then, Rosè meant White Zinfandel, sugary ...

Deep into Quiche

In the realm of quiche discussions, there are those who begin with a clever quip about what Real Men eat, and then there’s me, who is more bothered by the perpetual resurfacing of that maxim than the ...

3-Ingredient Homemade Hot Sauce

This summer has been a great growing season for our habanero and jalafuego plants, and they have produced quite a bit of fruit. Fortunately, hot chilies are extremely versatile, but if you’re a chili ...