The Chopping Block Cooking Blog

Baking and Building a Wedding Cake

I recently had the honor of making a wedding cake for a friend. I had creative control with the exception of the cake flavor, which had to be chocolate. I thumbed through my collection of recipes ...

Gluten-Free Scones that are actually Delicious

Delicious gluten-free scones? Can they exist? I often find it hard to describe gluten-free breads as delicious, but it's not for lack of trying. My mom has been gluten-free for years, and she ...

Take Your Happiness Into Your Own Hands: Make Your Own Bagels

I’m not going to say it's impossible to find a good bagel in Chicago. That would be irresponsible. But they are few and far between (Sorry, Chicago; I respect you too much to lie), which means that ...

Celebrate Carnival with King Cake Cupcakes

I love Mardi Gras season for many reasons: my birthday, parades with masked people and their "throws" (i.e. beads and trinkets), and King Cake. Being from Louisiana, I'm particularly picky about my ...

Foolproof Homemade Bread

I need to make a confession… for many years I felt extremely intimidated to bake bread. The kneading, the waiting, the pans it involved, it just felt too complicated. Even after I studied at a ...

When Inspiration Strikes: The Story of the Cannoli Cake

Have you ever had the urge to create a new and different dish but didn't have the foggiest idea of what to make? Or have you ever wondered how to put the seemingly random ingredients in your ...

Caramel is Liquid Gold

Drizzled over cheesecake, stirred into coffee, mixed into brownies, served with Pot de Creme or dunked with apple slices, caramel sauce is a versatile and fun way to turn any treat into an event, and ...

‘Tis the Season for Sugared Cranberries

Back in May, I wrote a post about sugared flowers and how wonderfully they can dress up even the simplest cupcake. Well, now that the holidays are upon us, I thought I would talk about another ...

Rugelach for all of the Holidays

I’ve always loved the holiday season. I grew up in a household that celebrated Christmas and Hannukah, so the month of December was always fun! There was lots of good food and friends and family to ...

Popovers: A Fun and Delicious Alternative to Rolls

I just found out that we are hosting Thanksgiving this year, and while that can be a bit daunting, my husband Mike and I are excited for the challenge. I say challenge because our condo is quite ...