The Chopping Block Cooking & Wine Blog

Shelley

Shelley has been teaching people to cook since she opened The Chopping Block in 1997. She spent 17 years as a professional chef, working in busy restaurants and private homes but realized her calling was to get other people to cook. Shelley’s unique concept of a recreational cooking school, gourmet kitchen store and private event business provides Chicago with over 300 cooking classes and private events each month. Shelley loves to garden and entertain for family and friends in her Lincoln Square home.

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 then ...

10 Tips for Making Sauces Part 2: Espagnole

In this series, we are exploring the classic French Sauces known as the “Mother Sauces:” Velouté, Bechamel, Espagnole, Hollandaise and Tomato. These base sauces are truly the fundamental sauces in ...

10 Tips for Making Sauces Part 1: Velouté

Leave it to the French to assert that there are really only five sauces, the Mother Sauces. The idea is that the five Mother Sauces are base sauces, and by adding additional flavorings or modifying ...

The Recipe for Real Chicago Style Giardiniera

Even if you are a Chicago native, you may not realize that Chicago has its own version of Giardiniera. My father-in-law who was born and raised in Chicago recently moved out west and went into shock ...

Canning Boot Camp: The Next Step of Preservation

We did a lot of canning growing up. All four of us kids helped out: pitting cherries, snapping beans and shucking corn. My dad did the planting, and we all helped tend the gardens while my mom did ...

Homemade Corn Tortillas

When I go to a Mexican restaurant and they ask me “Corn or flour tortillas,” I am always going to choose corn. I think they are so much more flavorful! In Chicago, you can go to just about any ...

The Right Salt for the Right Job

I have come to realize throughout all these years of teaching and cooking that something as simple as using the right salt, in the right amount, and at the right time, can make a huge difference in ...

New Ideas for Breakfast

It is 7am as I write this. I woke up this morning as I usually do, ready for a cup of coffee but not breakfast. In fact, I rarely wake up ready for breakfast. I’m pretty sure some of that might be ...

Quest for Cassoulet

I have eaten a lot of cassoulet over the years and have a developed an understanding of what it should be: both rich and light, both crunchy and creamy, both earthy and bright and without a doubt, it ...

The 5 Most Important Things to Know about Knife Safety

As you might guess, we sell a lot of knives and cutting boards at The Chopping Block. Over the almost 22 years of teaching Knife Skills classes (which is our most popular class), I’ve learned a few ...

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Shelley

Recent Posts

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

10 Tips for Making Sauces Part 2: Espagnole

10 Tips for Making Sauces Part 1: Velouté

The Recipe for Real Chicago Style Giardiniera

Canning Boot Camp: The Next Step of Preservation

Homemade Corn Tortillas

The Right Salt for the Right Job

New Ideas for Breakfast

Quest for Cassoulet

The 5 Most Important Things to Know about Knife Safety

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