The Chopping Block Cooking Blog

Too Many Tomatoes, Onions and Squash? Try a Tian

Another Summer is coming to a close and, if you live in the Midwest like me, your garden is probably exploding with veggies. But by this time, you’ve eaten a dozen BLT’s, you’ve canned so many ...

Canning Boot Camp: The Next Step of Preservation

We did a lot of canning growing up. All four of us kids helped out: pitting cherries, snapping beans and shucking corn. My dad did the planting, and we all helped tend the gardens while my mom did ...

Fresh Creamed Corn: The Ultimate Summer Experience

You know that old saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover"? Well, I feel like that saying could easily apply to this recipe. I admit that the visual of the final dish may inspire you to jump to ...

Watermelon Wonders

My favorite summertime fruit is watermelon and with the recent heat wave, I have plenty in my fridge. Between breakfast, lunch and dinner, I think I have eaten the equivalent of one and a half ...

Grilled Ratatouille

Lots of people have summer gardens, and there is nothing more satisfying than eating the fruits of your labor for dinner. I often find myself with a lot of odds and ends in my refrigerator: a ...

10 Tips for Summer Parties

Warm weather and perfect nights means it’s time to take your dinner party outside. Whether in the backyard, out on the deck or at the neighborhood park, a few simple tips will ensure an easy summer ...

New Wines for Warm-Weather Classes

The Chopping Block’s wine team has been hard at work – tasting, tasting, tasting – to find new wines for you to pair with food, whether at home, during Happy Hour or while you’re hard at work - ...

5 Tips for Making the Most of Your Grocery Trips This Summer

If there’s one thing I hate, it’s that walk back from the grocery store when you went a teensy tiny bit overboard. You know exactly what I’m talking about: reusable grocery bags (go you for ...

End of Summer Bounty: Easy Tomato Sauce

Tomatoes bursting on the vine? Herbs going to flower? Is overabundance wreaking havoc in your garden? Whip up an incredibly simple tomato sauce and hold onto Summer’s bounty for a little longer.

No-Bake Fruit Tart Bites

Well, Summer certainly took its sweet old time getting here this year, but since it arrived it’s been hot-hot-HOT! When it comes to cooking, for many of us that means trying to use our stoves and ...