The Chopping Block Cooking & Wine Blog

Shelley

Shelley has been teaching people to cook since she opened The Chopping Block in 1997. She spent 17 years as a professional chef, working in busy restaurants and private homes but realized her calling was to get other people to cook. Shelley’s unique concept of a recreational cooking school, gourmet kitchen store and private event business provides Chicago with over 300 cooking classes and private events each month. Shelley loves to garden and entertain for family and friends in her Lincoln Square home.

Ten or Maybe Even More Things You Don’t Know about Meatballs

There are a million meatball recipes available online. I’m sure most of them are pretty yummy, but I’m not here to tout the best meatball recipe. I’m here to tell you what you probably don’t know ...

How To Clean Mushrooms

How to clean mushrooms is a common question we get in our cooking classes, and it's one which over the course of my career has become a more complicated one to answer. When I opened The Chopping ...

Festive Holiday Parties with a Punch

Like so many people, I have family, friends and colleagues spread all around the country. During the holidays, I make it my personal mission to connect in some way with as many of them as I can. ...

Make your Own Cream of Mushroom Soup

With Thanksgiving around the corner, the sales of canned cream of mushroom soup are off the charts. In fact, 40% of the entire year's sales of Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup are attributed to the ...

What Onion to Use for What Recipe?

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between all of the onions you see at the grocery store? How does a white onion differ from a yellow onion? When should you use a red onion over a Vidalia ...

Sopa de Guias con Chochoynes: Oaxaca Squash Vine Soup & 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 ...

Old Fashioned Peach Cream Pie

When I moved to Southwest Michigan, I did it for several reasons, the number one being its close proximity to Chicago, where The Chopping Block is based. I love Chicago, but I also longed to live in ...

My Favorite Peanut Sauce

If you are like me, you think peanut sauce makes everything better. When I eat spring rolls, I likely consume more peanut sauce than the then spring rolls themselves. I just can’t stop dipping my ...

Spring Onion Noodles

As a chef, I am always interested in expanding my knowledge and craft of cooking. I like to challenge the way that I think about cooking and eating on a regular basis. I have been cooking a lot of ...

Duck is Delicious

Duck is one of those misunderstood and maligned foods. I rarely hear people say they love duck, and I think the reason why is that most people don’t know how to properly cook duck. I am talking about ...

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Cooking Techniques	Cookbooks & Tools
Food News	Local Spots
Travel	Wine
Vegetarian	Gluten-Free
Kids	Baking & Pastry
Boot Camp	Retail

Shelley

Recent Posts

Ten or Maybe Even More Things You Don’t Know about Meatballs

How To Clean Mushrooms

Festive Holiday Parties with a Punch

Make your Own Cream of Mushroom Soup

What Onion to Use for What Recipe?

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

Old Fashioned Peach Cream Pie

My Favorite Peanut Sauce

Spring Onion Noodles

Duck is Delicious

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