The Chopping Block Cooking Blog

Grilled Eggplant Three Ways

I find that eggplant generally gets a bad rap. I’m not sure if people are averse to its texture or flavor, or they are just not familiar with how to prepare it, but I absolutely love eggplant, so I’m ...

Upside Down is Right Side Up with Stone Fruits

Now this is what I’ve been waiting for: the season of stone fruits is now in full swing. Stone fruits are what they sound like - tree fruits that have a stone-like pit in the center, including ...

Sandwich Cake

Yes, you heard me right, I said sandwich cake. I just recently heard about this Swedish specialty and simply couldn’t wait to have an excuse to try making one. What is a sandwich cake, you might ask? ...

Tex-Mex Meatball Soup

With cooler weather on the way, I can’t think of anything more inviting than a hot bowl of soup. This Tex-Mex Meatball Soup is a hearty, zesty soup that I really can’t get enough of. I always make ...

Summertime Barbeque Smoke Out

If you are like me, you would agree that summertime is the best time for cooking. With the gorgeous weather, cooking and eating outdoors just can’t be beat. All of the bountiful produce from the ...

Japanese Souffle Pancakes

As the reigning Pancake Princess at The Chopping Block, I’m always looking for new and different pancakes to make. I’ve made sweet pancakes, as well as savory pancakes, so when it came time to make ...

Virtual Events are the Only Choice Right Now

COVID-19 has changed the course of many businesses, including ours. It was always part of The Chopping Block's strategic plan as one of the largest recreational cooking schools in the country to ...

How to Make your Own Ground Ginger

If you have read any of my past blogs you may know I am from a little town in Iowa, Fort Dodge to be exact. Growing up in a rural area, in a small Midwestern town in the 70’s, I had little exposure ...

Garden Salsa

Our garden has exploded with tomatoes this year. We literally cannot eat them fast enough. When I counted 30 beautiful, bright red tomatoes on the counter, I knew it was time for salsa. On average, ...

5-Ingredient Roasted Yellow Tomato Sauce

Welcome back to another blog post featuring our home-grown tomatoes! Earlier this month I made a delicious Onion-Tomato Jam that was fabulous on toasted sourdough bread with a sprinkling of goat ...