The Chopping Block Cooking Blog

Sopa de Guias con Chochoynes: Oaxaca Squash Vine Soup with Masa Dumplings

I love to garden. I love the physicality of it, I love the beauty of it, the pruning, tending and watering. I love eating fresh produce that I grew myself, and “seed to table cooking” is incredibly ...

Say Cheese to a New Grilled Cheese and Soup Combo

When it comes to food, cheese is definitely my guilty pleasure. It’s my go-to cure for any bad day, not to mention that it’s delicious with wine, which doesn’t hurt either!

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.

Three Easy Soups in Less than 15 Minutes

I’m generally not a fan of cold weather. It’s uncomfortable and managing the layers of clothing is a nuisance. However, I have four decades of successfully coping with Midwest winter, and I’m not ...

Roasted Delicata Squash and Carrot Soup

If you know me, you know how much I love delicata squash. I've shared recipes with you before for deep fried and baked delicata squash, biscuits or "delicuts" as I like to call them and gnocchi. I am ...

Soups are the Key to Season Transitions

It is hard to believe that summer is winding down, and we are getting closer to fall. Fall is a beautiful time of year, and when you are in Chicago, you hope for a nice long fall season, because we ...

10 Veggie Soup

I am one of those people who gets super pumped with every season changing. I love the sunshine in the summer, the color wheel of fall, the peacefulness of a winter snow and the regeneration that ...

Mexican Tortilla Soup: Your New Go-To Soup This Winter

After feasting on Thanksgiving leftovers all weekend, my palate was in need of some new and exciting flavors. I was also looking for a creative way to use up the turkey stock we made with our ...

Old-Fashioned Egg Noodles

When I was younger, I would hang out in the kitchen with my grandma, who was always cooking up a big pot of food. Even though it was just her and her sweetie at home, she still cooked for a small ...

Cozy up to a Bowl of Soup this Season

If you live in Chicago like me, you have to admit we have been pretty lucky with the weather so far this fall. That's been great news for all of the outdoor grilling classes we've hosted on our ...