When I talk to home cooks, many share with me that they are afraid of trying things in the kitchen because they will make a mistake. They are worried they will create a “disaster” of some sort and ...
The Building Blocks of Cooking: Spices, Vinegars and Oils
Is your pantry stocked well so that you are set up for success in the kitchen? Or do you find yourself running to the store for last-minute ingredients all of the time? If you are a newer home cook ...
Once a week I get together with friends for food, drinks and silly reality shows. We all bring a dish to share, and I usually use it as an opportunity to try out a new recipe on my very patient ...
Tomatoes are one of my most cherished summer produce items. I always advocate eating, cooking and using seasonal ingredients at their prime. In my opinion, it should be a crime to sell tomatoes in ...
Do you make the best blueberry jam on the block? Have a cheese straw secret that is requested anytime you attend a party? Are your pickled peppers the talk of the town?
Almost nothing says “Chicago Summer” more than enjoying an outdoor beverage (and considering my last two blogs have been about hot dogs and my CSA box – it’s pretty apparent that anything summer ...
I wrote about weddings a while back, but that was before I had officially announced my upcoming nuptials to my family. Now six months later, my partner and I are well into the swing of planning ...
I’ve been cooking and barbequing for 40 years and have tons of experience. So even as a new member of The Chopping Block’s team, I was skeptical that I might learn something new in a recent hands-on ...
When I was young and had just graduated from culinary school, I took a job as a corporate executive chef, and I was a little cocky. One of my first things I had to make was barbequed ribs. I did it ...
