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A Lemony Welcome to Spring

Lemons truly rule in the Spring! Their bright yellow color reminds me that Summer is only a heartbeat away, their zip and tang reminds me how good cold lemonade is on a hot day, and lemon desserts ...

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Sicilian Cassata Cake

I am very proud of my Sicilian heritage, and I can’t believe I have never been there. My dad was born in Sicily and came to the states as a teenager and hasn’t been back since then. Until now!

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Festive and Simple Cake for the Holidays

When it’s my turn to make desserts, my go-to are usually pies, crisps and cobblers. For me, these desserts are much easier to prepare, probably because they are more formula-driven than recipe-driven ...

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My Dog Ate My Lemon Pudding Cake

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a bit self-conscious when it comes to baking and pastry. I also have a very ornery dog with a huge appetite. He is too cute (and tall) for his own good!

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Spice Up Your Kitchen Gadget Collection with a FinaMill

I feel like there are two types of people in the kitchen – those that love gadgets and those that keep kitchen gadgets to a minimum. My kitchen drawers would definitely disclose that I love kitchen ...

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Strawberry Memories Inspire Mascarpone Cake

Strawberries must be one of the most popular fruits. It is a rare occasion when we have a student who says they don’t like strawberries. If we put a strawberry-focused recipe or class on our class ...

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Over-the-Top Piecaken from Scratch

I first heard about piecaken a few years ago, but it always seemed like way too much dessert to me. (Spoiler alert: it still is!) If you are unfamiliar with this dish, the original is three types of ...

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Cranberry Nantucket Pie

It’s baking season, and one of my favorite seasonal flavors is cranberry. It’s perfect all fall and winter long and pairs great with pumpkin and orange which I also love. After Thanksgiving, I came ...

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Playing with Angel Food

I love angel food cake and when a client asked me to bake one for her birthday earlier in the summer, I couldn’t have been happier. She wanted all the trimmings – raspberries spilling over from the ...

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Lemon Cake with Blueberry Sauce: A Chopping Block Classic

When I first started working at The Chopping Block 20 years ago, the bulk of our curriculum revolved around the Building Block Series. In this series, there were 24 classes, and each menu focused on ...

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Most Recent Posts

Fluffy, Flavorful & Dairy-Free: Pancakes That Break the Rules

  There’s a long-standing myth in the brunch world that dairy-free pancakes are, well... sad....Read more

Bite Off More Than You Can Chew

  I want to share a project my wife and I worked on together a few years ago. I felt inspired...Read more

Tasting the Trend: Can Hearts of Palm Noodles Replace Pasta?

If you're anything like me, pasta has always been a go-to comfort food, it's easy, satisfying,...Read more

Pemmican: As Good as Gold

  Pemmican is one of the most important foods that you’ve probably never heard of. Pemmican...Read more

Community Tavern: A Wine Dinner Experience

When you walk into Community Tavern, located on the bustling six corners of Portage Park, the...Read more

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