The Chopping Block Cooking & Wine Blog

Dan Dan Noodles Made Easy: Unraveling the Sichuan Magic

Virtual cooking classes offer a gateway to a world of culinary exploration, where you can learn how to cook and unlock your inner chef. In addition to the many delightful dishes you can learn to ...

Global Grilling with Galbi

It’s grilling season, finally! The weather in Chicago has vastly improved within the last week which inspired me to clean up my deck over Memorial Day weekend so that I could officially enjoy my ...

Hor Fun is More Fun

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 ...

Homemade Egg Rolls

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 ...

Celebrate a World of Flavors: National Nutrition Month

My favorite thing about Chicago is the food. Specifically, the fact that I can go on a 15 minute walk and potentially get authentic bibimbap from the impossibly small counter-service kitchen in the ...

Marbled Tea Eggs

Happy New Year of the Tiger! I love when my blog posts coincide with the Chinese Lunar New Year. We lived in Beijing from 1997-2000, and this celebration remains close to our hearts. It was always a ...

Miso Red Curry Soup

I can eat soup 365 days a year, but somehow it tastes better when the temperature is below freezing. You should always have a piping how bowl of soup while you watch snow fall outside.

Chinese Sausage Fried Rice

Growing up during the 70’s in a small Iowa town didn’t really expose me to much in the way of Chinese food. My mom made a few attempts at cooking Chinese food, mostly inspired by the “Chinese” ...

New Year, New You

I say this every year, but usually I tell myself I am going to do twenty things I’ve never done before every single day and by day four, when one of those things doesn’t get done, I usually just give ...

Summer Sesame Soba Noodle Salad

Seeing as I’ve got less than ninety days to rock a wedding dress, I’m really making an effort to make healthier eating choices and up my exercise. Luckily, I’m a veggie lover, so eating vegetables ...