The Chopping Block Cooking Blog

Cooking and Divorce

Many families go through divorce. According to data published by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), nearly half of American marriages split up before the 20th wedding anniversary. ...

Take a Trip on the Wild Side

A little over a year ago, I assisted in putting together a Guide to Campfire Cooking with The Chopping Block. That was shortly after my last trip into the wilderness. This week, I am very thrilled ...

Three Ways to Get Your Kid to Cook

I'm lucky that I was brought up in a house where both of my parents excelled at cooking, and we ate a home-cooked meal almost every day. But as a child, my parents didn't really allow me to do much ...

Cooking Lab: An Experiment in Cooking without Recipes

Sadly, I’ve taken few cooking classes since I started working at The Chopping Block nearly two years ago, so I decided to make up for it with the latest Cooking Lab series. It took place over four ...

The Perfect Party: Making Fresh Pasta

Believe it or not, I recently hosted my very first private cooking party at The Chopping Block.

Fantastic Cooking vs Glorious Fails

It’s not what you do, but how you do it.

I Got Gnocchi, do you?

Last Wednesday in Chicago was especially hard due to long commutes, long meetings and long days without sunshine. Instead of going home and succumbing to this winter’s wrath (and my sweat pants), I ...

Baby Got Back

Chicken back, that is.

Today is Your Second New Year's Chance

新年快乐！Happy Chinese New Year! Today marks the beginning of the year of the horse. Having spent the last several years in China, I am desperately craving all the treats that normally mark this ...

Roast Chicken: Flavor for Days

When it comes to cooking for two, nothing is more attractive than a meal that can be stretched. It's for this reason that when the weather starts to cool down, I roast a whole chicken almost weekly. ...