The Chopping Block Cooking Blog

Spicy Corn, Bacon and Candied Jalapeno Dip

I raided the refrigerator at our Lincoln Square store last Sunday in the hopes of coming up with a creative and delicious tasting for all of our guests to enjoy as they shopped. I found a few ears of ...

My Kitchen Journey

Yesterday I opened a bottle of wine and then mindlessly opened a drawer and tossed the cork in. As I did so, I thought to myself, “Okay, sure, that can go there for now.” I can honestly tell you that ...

The New Way to Cook Tofu

One simple step when cooking has changed my tofu life. This method may not be new to everyone, and it certainly isn’t revolutionary, but I’ve been seeing it popping up on the food media scene ...

Signature Scent and Flavors: A Love of Lavender

I remember when the movie First Wives Club came out. I must have watched that movie on cable 50+ times, each time finding a new quote-able line. I think the one quote that made the biggest impression ...

From Pie Student to Pie Philanthropist

Cece Coffey had attempted to make a decent pie for years, but it was always a crap-shoot. Sometimes her pies would come out beautifully and other times, they wouldn't but she had no idea why. So, she ...

You Need Le Creuset in Your Kitchen

Our most popular class here at The Chopping Block is Knife Skills, which gives you a solid foundation for cooking by teaching you how to be efficient with a knife. Our chefs always say that a sharp ...

Swedish Meatballs: A Retro Revival

If your family is anything like mine, any festive event, party, holiday, family gathering all revolved around one thing: food. Whether it was pizza for birthdays, ham for Easter, or turkey for ...

Flan: the Most Heavenly Caramel Custard

My husband and I hosted Mother's Day brunch at our house last weekend, and although it's a lot of work, I would rather spend quality time with my mom in the comfort of our home rather than a ...

The Advantages of Charcoal Grilling: Part 2

Previously on The Advantages of Charcoal Grilling Part I: we learned about different types of charcoal grill, how to start the charcoal, how to elevate our grill grate, and we learned about the ...

How to Grow a SCOBY and make Kombucha at Home

The world of kombucha has been something of a mystery for a long time and aside from a few movie references and jokes about it, the average person didn’t really know much about it. It wasn’t until ...