The Chopping Block Cooking Blog

How to Make Homemade Italian Sausage: A Step-by-Step Guide

Italian sausage is one of my favorite pork products, because it can be used in so many delicious applications from pasta sauce to meatballs, used as a pizza topping, added to stuffing or in stuffed ...

5 New Cooking Adventures to Try at Home

As a food photographer and stylist, I’m the person everyone always assumes loves to cook. But the truth is, sometimes, an activity that started as a passion before I was lucky enough to turn it into ...

Mac O' Lanterns

It finally feels like Fall in Chicago, and Halloween is just around the corner! While Halloween puts lots of attention on candy and all things sweet (Reese’s are my favorite), I was racking my ...

The Tale of Fettuccine Alfredo

Dim the lights. Gather in a circle. Put a flashlight under your chin. You are about to hear one of the scariest tales of blog writing ever to be told.

Two-Ingredient Handmade Pasta

I’m not only a chef instructor at The Chopping Block, but I also develop the curriculum you see on our monthly calendars. It’s a big job that requires the help of my fellow colleagues, so once a ...

French Seasoning Salt is Back by Popular Demand

French Seasoning Salt is one of the most popular retail products we have ever carried at The Chopping Block. The miracle seasoning in the blue jar as it's known among our students is the perfect ...

Baked Goat Cheese and Tomato Pasta

If you frequent social media, specifically TikTok, chances are that you’ve seen the viral baked feta pasta. I absolutely love one dish wonders, as I call them, where you essentially create an entire ...

Remembering My First

There is classic saying that you always remember your first. Does that phrase ring true for you? I thought of that today because this is my first “official” blog post for The Chopping Block, and I ...

Lasagna: A Look Between the Layers

I love making lasagna, and it has been a Christmas tradition in our house for as long as I can remember. For Christmas Eve, we always celebrate the Feast of the Seven Fishes, but on Christmas day, ...

Ragú Bolognese: The Ultimate Sunday Supper

I dream about pasta on a regular basis. No joke! It’s seriously the food my dreams are made of, and I could easily eat it every day. I restrain myself from doing so, but I do try and work it into ...