When I was a kid, I used to think the world of ramen was strictly chicken or beef-flavored noodles. Ramen was one of my favorite meals growing up, and it still is today. The difference is that I've ...
Cuisine doesn't get any more classical French than Potatoes Anna. This was one of the recipes included in Auguste Escoffier's cookbook published in 1902 and named "Pommes de Terre Anna." If you ...
When last we spoke, my friend Derek and I had just finished running the lines for our sugar bush, and had just started collecting sap. Since then there have been a number of developments. A few ...
It’s an age-old important question: what’s for dinner? Maybe you’re only feeding yourself, or maybe you’ve got a roommate, partner, or kids to consider when making your decision. Most nights I cook ...
Neapolitan pizza is more than just a delicious dish. It's a culinary tradition that dates back to ancient times and reflects the culture and identity of Naples, Italy. In this blog post, I will ...
Whenever students ask me what my favorite regional cuisine is I always say that its impossible to choose a favorite because blah blah blah… but the real answer is Mexican food. Mexican food is ...
Whether we are Irish or not, it's that special time in March where a lot of us celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Plans are made with friends, green is part of our wardrobe, and we look forward to some ...
From our home screens to entire rooms to our entire lives, decluttering is a trend that’s taken hold. But judging by all the people who tell me “I have so much wine sitting around,” it’s time for ...
Being from the South, I'm no stranger to cornbread. Whether it's the Jiffy box mix I grew up on or even homemade from scratch, I've had some pretty dry, flavorless cornbread over the course of my ...
There are a lot of different sweeteners out there. Some are simply sweet with very little of their own flavor like granulated sugar, while others have a strong character and flavor of their own ...
Did you know there is a day of the year devoted to meatballs? Why yes there is, so happy National Meatball Day! According the most reliable resource in the world (aka the Internet), March 9th is ...
Apparently fried dough is the element that binds all of humanity together. I will, without fact-checking, state that every civilization has such an item as a cornerstone of their culinary ...
I was recently watching Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy where Stanley travels to the island of Sicily and enjoys many mouth-watering regional specialties. One of the dishes that’s talked about ...
A pear perfectly poached in red wine is one of the most elegant desserts I can think of. Top it off with a little Crème Anglaise and you have elevated the lowly pear into something almost regal. ...
It’s time for another round of my favorite series: Love it or hate it! What foods do you love that no one else does? What foods do you have a deep distain for? This is a hot topic in all of my ...
Hummus is such a versatile item to meal prep and this garlic-packed version is absolutely delicious! Hummus is the perfect vegetarian snack to dip with veggies, pita chips, or a creamy spread to ...
It seems like all my blog posts in winter are about how you should take the opportunity to treat yourself during these dark gloomy months. If the weather can’t help raise your morale, then maybe a ...
If you are anything like me, after I get home from a long day at work or school, I don’t want to do anything but lay down and sleep. I also want to have a good, rewarding meal after all the work ...
The Instant Pot makes foods that traditionally take a long time to cook achievable in a shorter window of time - Black Bean Soup, ribs, cooking a whole chicken, even proofing dough all take less time ...
The world of cooking fats and oils (which are one and the same) can be as simplistic or as complex as you make it. Utilizing fat for cooking has many advantages, but overuse of fats can make a dish ...
There is nothing like a homemade chocolate chip cookie. Over the years, I have made many chocolate chip cookie recipes, which are all generally very similar. As a chef, I'm always looking for ...
As a professional chef, I have always been fascinated by the history and evolution of different culinary traditions. One such tradition that has captured my interest is the history of pasta. This ...
Fat Tuesday is coming up in just a few days! If you aren’t familiar, Fat Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday, and is a big part of Mardi Gras (French for Fat Tuesday) and Carnival celebrations.
Besides blogging, I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to moderate some of our popular virtual cooking classes. If you haven’t taken one yet, they are a fun opportunity to cook together with one of ...
Does this title leave you a little skeptical? Chocolate pasta? Pasta for dessert? Really? Well, when I first learned there was such a thing, it definitely left me wondering! It was Winter 2021, ...
The idea of making something at home that is normally bought ready-made from the store can be very romantic. Its nice to think that the extra freshness, and added “made with love” energy that comes ...
One of the top joys of living in a city is the option to walk down the street and find amazing sandwiches. My current obsession is the Vietnamese sandwich, the Banh Mi. I enjoy them so much I need ...
It’s hard to pass up the good protein source of classic beans ‘n rice, and a great variation on the combo is the Southern dish Hoppin’ John. Featuring black-eyed peas, a favorite New Year good luck ...
Passion Fruit Tart: Ignite Your Passion this Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, which means it’s time to start Googling which chocolate dessert to prepare for your loved ones, right? Chocolate is a pretty sexy and delicious ...
Ten or Maybe Even More Things You Don’t Know about Meatballs
There are a million meatball recipes available online. I’m sure most of them are pretty yummy, but I’m not here to tout the best meatball recipe. I’m here to tell you what you probably don’t know ...
If there is one dish that brings me right back to childhood, it’s canned SpaghettiOs. My mom would never buy it though, and I get that it was probably not the healthiest thing we could eat, but she ...
We all have that one food whether from our childhood or a bad dining experience that we just can’t stand. It could be a texture issue, a smell, how it was presented, or just a preconceived notion ...
I first learned about Goldbelly a few years ago when I was given a gift certificate for the holidays. If you aren't yet familiar with Goldbelly, it's an e-commerce platform that connects people with ...
I definitely understand why people buy the cheapest, or maybe even more frequently, the second cheapest chocolate at the grocery store for baking. The price difference between that and the really ...
As a chef instructor at The Chopping Block, I work with hundreds of home cooks all with varying levels of comfort in the kitchen. My goal and hope is to identify where they can find an edge to help ...
The Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year is upon us, which got me in the mood to make some of my favorite Chinese dishes. Egg rolls are the quintessential Chinese takeout food, but did you know they ...
Despite its relatively simple appearance, there are centuries of tradition and unique flavor combinations packed into a simple Mexican dish. From endless varieties of fresh and dried chilies like ...
I’ve been getting some good traction on these book roundups, and maybe if I can make the case that the book collection can be routed into a productive outlet, I’ll be allowed to continue to ...
My husband and I love to travel, but as we all know, the destination is often a lot more enjoyable than the journey itself, especially if the travel involves a flight which can mean delays, lost ...
As a food blogger, I start each year perusing articles online about food trend predictions. A talented chef may create one dish that steamrolls into the meal everyone wants to recreate. We find ...
As every teacher knows, if one student has a question, then undoubtedly other students have the same question but are too embarrassed to ask. Here are questions from my recent How to Bluff Your Way ...
I’m writing this blog from Sarasota, Florida, where I’m fortunate enough to be spending a week with my family away from the Chicago winter. I’ve spent an occasional short week down here throughout ...
Lunar New Year is coming up fast, and though many cultures have and still do celebrate a lunar new year of some kind, in the U.S. it has largely become associated with Chinese culture and typically ...
Are you comfortable making tortillas, pizza or even loaves of bread? I have a new bread adventure for you that's actually quite simple. Behold an amazing pillowy, soft naan recipe that is likely to ...
What's the first dish that comes to mind when you think of Vietnamese food? It's likely Pho, the national dish of Vietnam, and which is sold everywhere there from nice restaurants to street corners. ...
Talk about guilty pleasures! Alfredo sauce, especially tossed with fettuccine, is what my dreams are made of. This smooth and silky cream sauce that effortlessly coats al dente pasta is so comforting ...
I did something different to celebrate New Year Eve's this year and to be honest, it blows my mind that I've never thought to do this before. Instead of going out and fighting the crowds and paying ...
How to clean mushrooms is a common question we get in our cooking classes, and it's one which over the course of my career has become a more complicated one to answer. When I opened The Chopping ...
One of the things that always intrigues me when I am teaching our cooking classes are foods that people either love or hate to eat. There aren’t many foods that I dislike, and I will always try ...
Happy 2023! Last year at this time, I declared “This is the year I am going to lose weight!” - which is exactly what I did every January 1st for the past several years.
I first heard about piecaken a few years ago, but it always seemed like way too much dessert to me. (Spoiler alert: it still is!) If you are unfamiliar with this dish, the original is three types ...
Carbonara is one of my wife’s favorite pasta dishes, and I’m happy to make it for her whenever she requests it because unlike some of her other common requests it doesn’t take multiple days to ...
Gluten-free baking is terrifying. Most people who have to or choose to eat gluten-free have all had something GF and awful - overpriced, tiny compared to its glutenous counterparts, and so, so ...
To be perfectly candid, historically, I have not been a fan of spaghetti squash. Setting aside for a moment that it was not enough like real spaghetti to live up to its name, it always turned out ...
Over the years, chili oil has become a condiment that I can't live without, and it's even better when it's homemade. This chili crisp is easy to make, perfect for spooning over just about anything ...
Top Ten Fancy Chef Books for the Fancy Cook in Your Life
If you’re one of those among us who celebrates one of the winter gift giving holidays that terminate near the end of December then by the time this post comes out you will technically still have ...
Over the last year, I’ve begun to explore the world of alcoholic beverages and how those flavors/techniques can be used in other mediums. I’ve discovered many amazing things while also tasting some ...
It can hardly be denied at this point that winter is upon us. Where I live in upstate New York, we have just gotten our first winter storm warning (make sure you have plenty of flashlights, ...
It’s baking season, and one of my favorite seasonal flavors is cranberry. It’s perfect all fall and winter long and pairs great with pumpkin and orange which I also love. After Thanksgiving, I came ...
Everyone celebrates this time of year differently. Large families are gearing up for the annual gathering at a family home. People plan meals with their special friends. Some folks just enjoy ...
I knew it was a mistake. But the artisanal beer my dining companion had ordered smelled so good! One teensy sip couldn’t do any harm, right? Wrong! Not because I was driving, not because I’m not ...
Looking to expand your child’s palate? Well, kudos to you, we understand this is not always an easy task. Masoor Dal is a dish that has a wonderful balance of both new and familiar flavors. This ...
I’m a pasta fanatic. I can eat it any time of day in any way, shape or form. I have to restrain myself from always blogging about pasta (and always eating it!), but it’s time once again for another ...
This is another installment of a favorite topic of mine: reducing meat consumption without fully discarding its unchallengeable, unique contributions to cuisine. This post also follows in the ...
Like so many people, I have family, friends and colleagues spread all around the country. During the holidays, I make it my personal mission to connect in some way with as many of them as I can. ...
We have been bringing food and wine lovers to Tuscany, Italy with Onward Travel since 2018, and we are pleased to be able to do it again next year. Our Cook Like a Tuscan 2023 tours have just ...
Does anything hit the spot better than a frozen drink on a hot day? I don’t think so! I have had my fair share of tropical pina coladas, daquiris, frozé, and frozen margaritas during the summer. ...
Cherry Cheese Danishes for an Easy Holiday Breakfast
One of my favorite childhood memories was going to church on Sunday and attending the coffee hour hosted by one of the parishioners after the service. I was probably 8 or 9 years old, and she had ...
Welcome back to another exciting installment the story of how to make your own duck confit. In my previous post, we walked through the simple steps required to get your duck leg confit to the point ...
I'm excited to share this fun, festive and delicious appetizer that will start your holiday parties off right: creamy whipped goat cheese topped with a caramelized mixture of rosemary, honey, ...
When both of your siblings are vegetarians/pescatarians, it makes menu planning for holidays like Thanksgiving a challenge. The traditional turkey and ham don't work as entrée options when the ...
With Thanksgiving around the corner, the sales of canned cream of mushroom soup are off the charts. In fact, 40% of the entire year's sales of Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup are attributed to ...
In my experience, many people tend to think of French food as "fancy" food. It's true that a lot of classic French preparations are complex or labor intensive, and it's easy to think that because ...
Friendsgiving is one of my absolute favorite holiday traditions around the Thanksgiving holiday. I’ve been organizing Friendsgiving with my group of friends for over ten years, and we look forward ...
Try a Mashed Potato Board for Thanksgiving Leftovers
As we hit this midpoint of November, most people either know where they are going for Thanksgiving and what menu will be prepared for the big day. We’ve all probably clicked on every recipe online ...
I never knew I liked rice. Then I discovered authentic Indian cuisine with its basmati and jasmine rice, quite a contrast to the glop served up in 1950’s America when I was raised. Next, I discovered ...
My family loves Thai food, and whenever we order takeout or dine-in, we pretty much such stick to our favorites. We always order the fresh spring rolls, green papaya salad, a curry of some sort, ...
Throughout my whole life in kitchens, there has always been one thing I’ve wanted to own. It wasn’t a sharp knife, fancy equipment, or even custom-engraved diamond plated knife steal that also ...
The Best Dish for Clearing Out Your Fridge: Fried Rice
Fried rice has a lot going for it. It's fast, it can be made with just about any set of ingredients, it's cheap to make, and—above all—it's totally delicious when made well. Unfortunately, I find ...
When I think of deviled eggs I usually think of picnics, barbeques and Easter. They are one of the most versatile snacks or appetizers that I can think of and have always screamed Americana to me. ...
I’ve had my food blog for just over 14 years, and one of the questions I get asked a lot is to lighten up a recipe or favorite family dish. Recently a woman reached out to me and asked if I could ...
Machelle Lind's Culinary Boot Camp class in May 2022 was a unique one. She traveled from Duluth, Minnesota to take the class and met a slew of different types of home cooks: an emergency room doctor ...
Vanilla has become very expensive in the past few years due to vanilla beans being difficult to grow. This flowering plant is incredibly labor intensive. Climate change plays a huge role in these ...
Have you ever wondered what the difference is between all of the onions you see at the grocery store? How does a white onion differ from a yellow onion? When should you use a red onion over a Vidalia ...
The time has finally come for most of us in the northern U.S. to harvest the last of what we can from our summer garden. Personally I pushed it as far as I could (to the extreme detriment of our ...
Apple Whiskey-Glazed Turkey Apple Cheddar Meatballs
I recently spent a girl’s weekend in Galena with one of my best friends, Julianne. I had never been before and enjoyed soaking in the small-town vibes, quaint shops along main street, the country ...
The interesting phenomena about food bloggers is we have contrasting takes on different trends. Last month, I was all excited to post a blog on butter boards. This trend recently took off and put ...
Depending on the time you are reading this article, you may have noticed fall brings in a restructuring of the grocery store. Large sections have been refitted from summer enjoyments like soft drinks ...
Chicken Marsala is one of those special dishes that seems only possible to enjoy in a restaurant prepared by a chef, but that’s definitely not the case. Not only is it an approachable recipe to ...
If your garden is looking anything like ours is at this point in the season, the herbs are beginning to wane and you’re quickly realizing the time has come to clip your herbs for the last time, ...
When the final days of warm weather begin to alternate with autumn chill, it makes you appreciate that warmer weather, and celebrate it. I’ll do a casual survey, thinking of all of the summer ...
When you hear the word “cooking” what comes to mind first? Is it the clicking of the stovetop as you turn on the flame? The smoky smell of the grill as you hear the sizzle of the food touch the ...
That’s right, more wok content. If you’re a devotee of The Chopping Blog, you may be familiar with my previous work regarding the most versatile pan (that should be) in your kitchen: the wok. In my ...
I was mindlessly scrolling through social media one day, and I happened to come across a new recipe that I am so excited to try. The latest trend in communal eating is butter boards! The pictures and ...
When I travel, I love to experience a local cooking class to get the full immersive experience into the culture and food of the places I visit. Last month, I had a blast with my family at a cooking ...
Summer has come to an end, and fall days are upon us. Chilly fall nights always put me in the mood to make hearty foods. There are so many different versions of chili, and everyone has their own ...
Previously on Cheese Trials: I decided to try my hand at cheese making, something I’ve never really attempted before aside from the very simple ricotta that many cooks learn to make at restaurants. ...
Belize is a small Caribbean country on the northeastern coast of Central America, bordering Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east and Guatemala to the west. Belize is the home of my ...
Sopa de Guias con Chochoynes: Oaxaca Squash Vine Soup with Masa Dumplings
I love to garden. I love the physicality of it, I love the beauty of it, the pruning, tending and watering. I love eating fresh produce that I grew myself, and “seed to table cooking” is incredibly ...
I’m so lucky to work alongside such talented chefs and assistants at The Chopping Block. They give me inspiration, motivate me and teach me new things (culinary and otherwise). We are truly a team ...
Now that we're coming to the end of summer I keep hearing people talking about ‘spooky season’. Well, I love All Hallows Eve as much as the next ex-goth, but there’s something that I look forward ...
When it comes to food, cheese is definitely my guilty pleasure. It’s my go-to cure for any bad day, not to mention that it’s delicious with wine, which doesn’t hurt either!
As we get closer to the end of summer, I always get a little emotional. As my previous blog on blueberries proved, I love the act of picking my own produce. My favorite summertime places include a ...
As a self-taught chef, I quite literally wouldn’t have a career if it weren’t for food and cooking books. There are few resources as important in developing an understanding of the different ...
Of all the great gigs I’ve enjoyed as a consultant to the culinary industry (including The Chopping Block, of course!), there’s been none better than representing Wine & Food from Spain. I got to ...
Did you think using vinegar to make pickles was the only way to do so? Think again as we traverse down an alternative method that provides results that have more flavor and better texture than ...
I talk a lot to students about the importance of using fresh spices. So many people have little plastic jars of ground spices in their pantries that could be half a decade old or older. At that ...
Have you ever gone through a period of time where you just don’t feel like cooking? You get stuck in a rut and find yourself going out to dinner, driving thru or ordering takeout way too much than ...
When I first starting hosting parties at my house 22 years ago, I felt like I had to make everything from scratch. I literally made ketchup and mustard from scratch! But then I quickly realized that ...
This time of year a few things are true: it’s hot, too hot to cook certainly; if you have a garden and made the mistake of planting mint, it has gone absolutely berserk; and sometimes everyone in ...
I love angel food cake and when a client asked me to bake one for her birthday earlier in the summer, I couldn’t have been happier. She wanted all the trimmings – raspberries spilling over from the ...
I have always loved going to new restaurants, traveling near and far to experience great food and drinks. But there is one restaurant in particular that I go back to time and time again: Bien ...
When you work for a recreational cooking school for almost 20 years, it may seem strange that other cooking classes interest you. My friends joke, "Isn't that just like work for you?" But in reality, ...
As a chef there are a lot of things most people just buy that I’ve tried to make from scratch. There are the basics like bread, ice cream, or mayo, but I’ve also made my own croissants, emulsified ...
When I moved to Southwest Michigan, I did it for several reasons, the number one being its close proximity to Chicago, where The Chopping Block is based. I love Chicago, but I also longed to live ...
I’m fortunate enough to live near a grocery store that has many interesting and exciting ingredients that inspire my culinary creativity. When I make my weekly shopping list, I typically don’t have ...
Those of us who have grown up around diet culture have invariably spent some portion of our lives denying ourselves in the interest of some nebulous concept of “healthiness.” Some who reject the ...
The Maine Event – A Girls Trip to The Southern Coast of Maine
My mom grew up in the small town of Dover-Foxcroft, Maine. I was lucky to spend lots of time during my childhood experiencing snowy Maine winters and beautiful summers on Sebec Lake with my ...
The ground is wet with morning dew. The air feels damp and on the verge of almost sticky. It is familiar to anyone who has spent summer in the Midwest. The bright sun is starting to provide warmth ...
We’re into August now, and while I haven’t grilled as much as I’d would have liked to this summer, I’ve taken the Weber around the block a few times. Of course, there’s grilling and then there’s ...
Homemade fruit popsicles are an easy, healthy and refreshing treat to make for your kids this summer! They are made with only natural ingredients so you can feel good about giving them to your ...
Koji - what is it? I had never heard of this word until a few years ago. From time to time, I would hear about it from the depths of the kitchen walls as it was quickly tossed into a mix or coated ...
How to Make the Most of Summer Without Dying of Heat Stroke
Now that we’ve arrived at high summer and the temperatures in much of the country are soaring past records, the time has come to rethink summer activities. Don’t get me wrong - swimming, grilling, ...
We all know food itself is the basic ingredient (pun intended) of nutrition, but did you know that what you do in the kitchen can scientifically impact the nutrition of your foods as well?
I love this time of year. My garden is blooming, and the farmers markets all around Chicagoland are in full swing! It seems no matter where you live, there is a farmers’ market in nearly every ...
If you haven’t tried broccoli rabe before, I’d love for you to try this broccoli rabe and shrimp lo mein. It's a quick and easy healthy meal, perfect for just one!
It's not unusual for someone to travel across the country for our Culinary Boot Camp program. We've had students from California, Texas, New York, and lots of different places in the U.S. I know ...
Stir frying is one of the world's great cooking techniques. It's fast, can create hugely divergent types of dishes with a tremendously diverse array of flavors, and it's relatively simple. With ...
I’ve been cooking for a while now. Long enough to have developed some fairly thorough opinions on things like cookware. Usually when I’m asked to pick a favorite of something I find it very ...
Earlier this month, my family and I traveled to New Haven, Connecticut to visit my brother, sister-in-law and nephew. For the most part we stayed in New Haven, because we had a lot of work and ...
In summer I am pretty much always looking for an excuse to have a nice little treat. To be honest, most of the year I am looking for an excuse to treat myself (and my wife, I suppose). Finished all ...
Smoked BBQ Oyster Mushroom Sandwich with Chili Crunch
It’s no secret that I love to grill! I’d venture to guess that I grill 5-6 days per week from Spring to Fall. From beef ribs, to hard cider chicken, to jalapeno poppers, to grilled eggplant to ...
If you are like me, you think peanut sauce makes everything better. When I eat spring rolls, I likely consume more peanut sauce than the then spring rolls themselves. I just can’t stop dipping my ...
As someone who blogs, one of my favorite things to do is peruse restaurant menus to notice food trends. We’ve all seen how one ingredient snowballs into a plethora of options for diners. Kale ...
I’m no chef. I’m a pretty good cook, mostly due to the influence of my career in eating and drinking. Like most people, I have some sure-fire recipes for everyday and a few showstoppers. My Coq au ...
Risotto is not my first go-to dish in the summer. Steamy rich starches sound better on a frigid February night than a heat index July evening. However, arriving home after a late night working ...
Growing up in Northeast Pennsylvania, I was surrounded by an abundance of delicious and authentic Italian food. I also grew up in an Italian family where if it wasn’t pasta for dinner then there ...
With summer in full swing, juice detoxes, gluten-free cleanses, and 14-day bikini body diets are everywhere. We all know someone who has tried one if we haven’t ourselves. While it may initially ...
Last week, I had the pleasure of teaching a week-long virtual cooking camp for the Foundation for Culinary Arts called the Yes, Chef Culinary Camp. Foundation for Culinary Arts inspires and ...
When I was planning my recent trip to Alaska with friends, food wasn't too much of a consideration outside of one or two restaurants that we were told we must hit. I know that may come as a shock ...
All the summer fruit has been delicious lately, and one of my favorite fruits is blueberries! Be sure to pick some up on your next visit to your local farmer’s market.
At the beginning of June, my wife and I made the move from Chicago to my pretty rural home town of Ithaca, New York. If people have heard of Ithaca at all it's usually because it is the home of ...
Last weekend, my family and I spent the weekend in Nashville, Tennessee mainly to visit Vanderbilt University, but also to eat as much BBQ, hot chicken and ice cream as possible. I have heard so ...
We all have foods that remind us of certain people, or places, or a favorite memory, or season, and the combination of strawberry and rhubarb hits all of those notes for me. I’m always on the hunt ...
As a chef, I am always interested in expanding my knowledge and craft of cooking. I like to challenge the way that I think about cooking and eating on a regular basis. I have been cooking a lot of ...
In my last blog, I discussed adobo “the verb” as in the act of preparing food by marinating and simmering it in a vinegar/salt marinade. Today, let’s talk about adobo the adjective/noun. This is ...
Language and parts of speech always fascinate me. I look at words with multiple meanings and get caught up in how they are used in a sentence or how to put action to the word. This interest started ...
Late spring/early summer fruit is filling the farmers markets. I bought a bunch of rhubarb—the fruitiest vegetable, which I love dearly. And of course I bought strawberries, because they were there ...
I always feel like the need for peeled hard-boiled eggs seems to grow exponentially with the onset of Summer! My personal favorite ways to use them include sliced hard-boiled eggs in my picnic ...
Before understanding the high desire of the truffle, one must understand the history of the truffle and where it began its journey. A truffle is a fungal fruiting body that develops underground. ...
For those who love shellfish, I've got the scoop for you. Let’s talk about all you need to know when buying shellfish. I’m sure like me, when you first thought about cooking shellfish you have no ...
If I have said it once, I have said it a million times, I love outdoor cooking! My newest outdoor cooking apparatus that I have added to my collection is my flat top griddle. What is a flat top ...
You know that one friend who inspires you to reinvigorate your wardrobe? They make a colorful, printed head-to-toe pantsuit seem chic, but effortless enough for everyday life? They can wear an ...
The National Restaurant Show just wrapped up last week in Chicago. This great show has been hosted by our city for 100 years, and in 2019, we celebrated the 100-year anniversary spectacularly! This ...
In January of this year, I declared it the year I was going to get in shape and lose weight. For those of you who don’t know, I lost 70 pounds in 1999-2000 and maintained that weight loss for years.
A Lemony, Sweet and Salty North Carolina Treat: To Tweak Or Not To Tweak
A couple of years ago, while watching an episode of Cook's Country on PBS, I discovered the North Carolina Lemon Pie. It immediately got my attention because the crust was made entirely out of ...
It's no question I'm a fan of cooking. I also love technology. So, the idea of merging the two together in smart kitchen appliances intrigues me. One of my favorite apps tells me when my smoker and ...
Haitian Heritage Month – A Growing Appreciation of Haitian Food
When I met my husband almost 11 years ago, I was already a self-proclaimed foodie. I enjoyed trying new foods, new restaurants, and new cuisines, and my husband had to quickly learn not to eat ...
The spring rain makes everything so lively and exciting. It invigorates me almost as much as the sun. With every raindrop, I start to anticipate all the lovely things that will hopefully grow from ...
Duck is one of those misunderstood and maligned foods. I rarely hear people say they love duck, and I think the reason why is that most people don’t know how to properly cook duck. I am talking about ...
Lemon Cake with Blueberry Sauce: A Chopping Block Classic
When I first started working at The Chopping Block 20 years ago, the bulk of our curriculum revolved around the Building Block Series. In this series, there were 24 classes, and each menu focused ...
Who knew that something so small could be important for so many people and various industries? The mortar and pestle is a set of two simple tools used from the Stone Age to the present day to prepare ...
The birds are chirping, the masks are off and the wine sales reps are rolling their insulated bags loaded with samples across the U.S. In the wine biz, “back to normal” means Spring wine list ...
As spring awakens, I quit seeking out rich, warm, spicy treats and lean toward cool and clean. There’s nothing like an 88 degree day in May to make one reflect on their memories of the seasons, so ...
“What would be your last meal?” is a question that chefs like to ask each other. Most of the time, they ask it because the chef who asks wants to show off and tell his colleague what his own last ...
Working at The Chopping Block, one of the most common questions I get asked as a chef actually has nothing to do with cooking at all. Guests always want to know “What’s your favorite restaurant?”
Growing up, I ate more ice cream then I probably should have - a gallon a week to be exact. For others, ice cream may have been reserved as a treat, only eaten on special holidays or occasions such ...
The number one question I get asked when I am on the retail floor at The Chopping Block is: What are these cute little Dutch oven thingies and how do you use them? If you are not familiar, cocottes ...
What is the perfect food gift for the superhumans of the world? We all know mothers deserve more than just the one option of a mass-produced, standard box of chocolates. I mean, these women do ...
I recently returned from a vacation to Germany where I am originally from, and I had the amazing opportunity to spend time with my siblings for an entire month. Of course, we cooked a lot and since ...
Since I live alone, people reach out to me all the time asking how I eat things like beef roasts or pork roasts, if I am typically just serving one person – me!
Baking bread can be an intimidating undertaking for even an experienced home cook. There are so many new variables to consider, and vocabulary to master, not to mention all the different types of ...
I've been working for The Chopping Block for 20 of our 25 years in business. I've worked in each of our three locations in Chicago: Lincoln Park, Lincoln Square and the Merchandise Mart and for the ...
How do you preserve a memory? Are yours sparked by pictures? Can you inhale a certain aroma and be taken back in time? Maybe there is a particular sound that uploads a hard drive in your mind? It ...
It all started seven years ago at a bar. That’s how all good stories start, right? I had just finished a softball game, and I started chatting with one of my teammates, Gina. Somehow (not ...
We celebrated the 25th year anniversary of the opening of The Chopping Block this month, ironically as we are preparing to close the Merchandise Mart location permanently this Saturday, April 30, ...
We are thrilled to announce a very special small group culinary tour... this time to the Basque Country of Spain hosted by one of The Chopping Block's favorite chefs, Chef Guillermo Delavault and our ...
We Fell in Love with Pinot Noir, but Will the Sideways Affair Last?
It’s almost impossible to pinpoint the start of a major cultural shift. What work of art begins the Italian Renaissance, for instance, or on what day did the Jazz Age start? But there’s no doubt that ...
A couple of months ago I presented this topic, which I feel passionately about, in a blog. If meat production is disproportionately impacting the environment, I consider it my responsibility to ...
That’s right, I said lettuce soup. When I told my kids I was making lettuce soup, they thought I was crazy, because who in their right mind cooks lettuce? It’s certainly not the first ingredient ...
With summer approaching, it's almost time to start planning upcoming family barbecues and outdoor celebrations. What is a soirée without amazing food? The first thing that probably comes to mind is ...
This blog is a guest post from Peggi Clauhs, tour director for Cook Like a Tuscan. Peggi operated a cooking school in Bucks County, PA called the Cooking Cottage for 25 years. During that time, she ...
Ever since I could remember, cheese has been a staple in my diet. From sneaking chunks of mozzarella cheese as a kid to building charcuterie and cheese boards for get-togethers as an adult. I feel ...
There have been numerous culinary techniques I have learned throughout my career that have made me the chef I am today. I always say that as a cook you need to understand all of the aspects of ...
Hangry. There’s your food and mood in one word. But how does it actually work? How does a food that we eat (or don’t eat) travel in our bodies to control our brains to tell us we can’t focus on an ...
Those of you who follow me on Instagram may know that last week was a total cake-a-palooza of a week for me! I had three cakes to bake: one for my niece’s baptism and two birthday cakes. To stay as ...
Air fryers are a hot countertop appliance right now - with good reason. The high heat blown quickly around the cooking chamber by a fan allows you to achieve a crisp crust on the outside just as if ...
My daughter used to work at Panera many years ago. When she got the job, I envisioned her chopping up carrots and celery for the soups and simmering them in the back kitchen before customers ...
A Four-Ingredient Tomato Sauce That Lives Up to Its Hype
I’ve been known to spend hours upon hours researching recipes online, their ratings and the numerous comments left by people who have made that recipe. I’m fascinated by them! And none has ...
Yes, you heard that right - fresh homemade pizza, start to finish in 20 minutes. For most of us, that is faster than you can order delivery, a whole lot faster! Now that I think of it, it may be as ...
I think it would be fair to say that lately there has been a little sticker shock at the grocery store. The factors can be explained by higher wages, supply and demand disruptions caused by the ...
I’ve been working for the past few months on a new boot camp for The Chopping Block all about the expansive world of modernist cooking. Since our first session of this class is coming up this ...
