The Chopping Block Cooking Blog

5 Ways to Healthify Your Chili This Fall

I’ve been waiting for this time of year for months. I love Fall: crisp mornings, changing leaves, but most of all, I love Fall foods! Several people in my inner circle have mentioned chili in ...

It's Time to Appreciate You - Twice

The two days we look forward to most all year are just around the corner: Customer Appreciation Days! These parties are so much fun we have to do it twice, once at the Merchandise Mart and once at ...

A Little “Peppering” of Knowledge

Extremes of spice, in food, around the world are baffling. Whether you like a little cracked black pepper on your eggs in the morning, or you pop pickled jalapenos like they are marshmallows with ...

Red Cabbage and Green Apple Slaw

If you are familiar with Lincoln Square, you've probably heard about or even attended the annual Apple Fest in October. The Chopping Block is famous for our Apple Pie, and we bake a lot of them for ...

The Essential Pantry

Being a chef instructor at The Chopping Block is by far the best job I have ever had. I love food, I adore cooking, and I am passionate about teaching. Given those facts, every time I come to work ...

It’s Tea Time

One of my favorite daily rituals is having my cup of tea in the morning. I start my day by getting my kettle going and steeping a hot cup of tea. I am huge fan of loose tea and have been for quite ...

A Slice of Pie Goes a Long Way

The fall weather has finally hit Chicago and I don’t know about you, but I cheated and grabbed my first bit of pumpkin spice September 1st. And I fully admit it, it was a latte. At this point it’s ...

Pumpkin: More than just a Pie Filling

Pie? Sigh. Humans have been growing pumpkins for thousands of years, and we’ve been figuring out how to use them in our cooking for just as long. So why, I ask, WHY, is the pie the way that we most ...

How to Cook Chicken of the Woods Mushrooms

I'm in mushroom ecstasy as this is a banner year on my property in Michigan for wild mushrooms! My Hen of the Woods mushrooms have returned in abundance so I have been busy cooking and preserving ...

Apple Cobbler: A Recipe Mash-Up

Just a few weeks ago, my husband, kids, and I made our annual trip to Crane Orchard in Fennville, Michigan. It's such a fun family tradition, but what's even more fun is to daydream about all of ...