Posts Tagged ‘pizza’

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Summer Grilling Show

Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012 by Jennifer

Join us Saturday, May 19th from 11AM-3PM as we kick off the 2012 summer grilling season with our first annual Summer Grilling Show! For those of you who don’t know, we have a stunning, state-of-the-art grilling patio at our Lincoln Square location. Throughout the summer, we offer both demonstration and hands on grilling classes. You can learn how to make ‘Pizza on the Grill, ‘Meat on the Grill,’ or enjoy a ‘Rendezvous under the Stars’. The patio has a gorgeous tent, so rain or shine we are out there grilling it up!

On May 19th, book a seat in our 30-minute chef demonstration at 11am for just $5. During this demo, you’ll learn basic grilling techniques and can ask all the questions you want to ensure your upcoming grilling season is a huge success! We grill on our Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet gas grills, as well our two Big Green Eggs. We have an Extra Large Egg and Large Egg that we use in every grilling class all season long. If you have not tasted a bite off of a Big Green Egg yet, you are missing out.  The moisture retention on meat is incredible and that delicious, smoky flavor is one of a kind.

Take advantage of our one day only promotion of 20% off all grilling accessories (excluding Big Green Egg). We have a ton of great grilling merchandise in stock for the season like grilling baskets, cedar grilling planks, and flavored smoking chips. If you don’t have any grilling utensils, we’ve got a great 3 piece BBQ set. Lastly, my favorite grilling accessory of all time is our copper grilling skillet since it is SO versatile and I love mixed veggies on the grill. Also, for one day only, buy a Big Green Egg and receive FREE enrollment in one of our Big Green Egg basics cooking classes. If you have questions or would like to sign-up for the 30-minute demo, contact our Lincoln Square location at 773-472-6700.

Enjoy the show!

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Jennifer Rozman is the Store Manager at The Chopping Block Lincoln Square. Her favorite part of her job is sharing her cooking journey with others who are just beginning to explore the culinary world. When she's not taking a cooking class or researching her latest gourmet retail selection, you can find her working off all of the delicious treats the chefs share at hot yoga or on the tennis courts, when weather permits. Dining out at a restaurant she's never tried before is how she rewards herself, as she loves trying new things and celebrating others passions.

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The Real Housewives of Napoli

Wednesday, April 25th, 2012 by Michael

My sister recently purchased a beautiful Emile Henry Pizza Stone and since then, it would appear that she opened a mini Pizzeria out of her apartment. As it tends to go in my family, we make something and continue to make it, and tweak it, until we just about never want to eat it again.

The other night she had myself and some friends over to watch the premier of the Real Housewives of New Jersey (a detail I probably could have left out) and of course, we made pizzas. It was an evening full of good food, red wine, and rich Italian women yelling at each other.

The great thing about having a party based around pizzas is that the options are limited only by your imagination. Webster’s Dictionary defines pizza as “some type of bread-like material with stuff on top”. Or at least that’s what I think it probably says. You can get creative and really deviate from the crust-marinara-mozzarella formula, not that there’s anything wrong with that. It’s a great way to use up things you have leftover in your fridge. You can make a mystery cheese pizza with whatever cheese you have around because, in general, all cheese plays nice with bread and more cheese. And it would be a challenge to find seasonal produce that doesn’t go well on pizza.

I’ve taken recipes from the Neapolitan Pizzeria class here at The Chopping Block and adapted them to be my own. Highlights have included a five-cheese white pizza with Gorgonzola and Ricotta, and a sausage, mushroom, and spinach combo.

Another crowd-pleaser has been a Fig, Prosciutto and Arugula pizza that we took from The Pioneer Woman, one of my favorite food bloggers, Using a fig spread as the sauce and topping it with prosciutto, arugula, and Parmesan right after it comes out of the oven, it’s magic. The sweetness of the fig, the saltiness of the Parmesan and prosciutto, and the pepperiness of the arugula work wonders together.

I would encourage anyone to make their own pizzas. It’s fun, creative, and cheap, and it goes well with wine and trashy reality shows.

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Michael is an enthusiast of all things creative. He studied Graphic Design in Iowa and spent a semester wandering around Europe, looking for pretty churches and cheap wine. He grew up around food, helping his Mom with her catering business while other boys his age were building forts and setting off fireworks. Working as a Retail Sales Associate at the Chopping Block has allowed him to continue to explore his passion for food. He lives to try new things and will never say no to a free meal.

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Vegan Voyage

Monday, April 23rd, 2012 by Lauren

I have never been a picky eater. Besides adopting a red-meat free diet in college, I am up for trying and eating pretty much everything. And other than mushrooms and bananas, my husband is the same way. So when we invited friends over last month for our first new home dinner party, we were a bit worried as to what would be on the menu. Our one friend is a vegan (by choice) and the other is gluten-free (not by choice). To me, this screamed, “What the heck can we eat then? Salads for everyone!” Luckily, both of these lovely ladies are excellent cooks, and my mind has been completely blown in terms of the diversity of vegan food. I would have been the last person to think I would leave this meal satisfied and amazed, but I am definitely eating my words.

First, Gluten-Free Amy provided a fantastic spring salad that included fresh strawberries and asparagus and just the right amount of a balsamic dressing. I made guacamole (shocking, avocados) and enjoyed this with natural corn chips. As an appetizer and first course, this didn’t steer too far outside our usual box, but still delicious and edible for all. Then it was time for the main course…

Vegan Kelly had brought ingredients to make pizza. Although it wasn’t going to be completely gluten-free, since she said that is actually a really hard feat to accomplish, it was going to be completely vegan.  I was really concerned, since cheese is pretty much my main food group, and to me vegan cheese had bad idea written all over it. I can now officially say with complete honesty the Neapolitan style vegan cheese and spinach pizza I had that night was by far some of the best pizza I have ever had. Even Steve enjoyed it, and he has been the biggest nay-sayer of vegan dinner parties the whole time! It was delicious. I didn’t even notice the difference in the vegan cheese which melted and complimented the flavorful sauce perfectly. I have to admit, I was wrong and need to keep an open mind more often. Kelly will also never let us forget that we fully enjoyed the meal.

Dinner finished off with Vegan Shamrock Shakes for dessert. This was the perfect ending since Amy can’t have lactose either. Not only did they taste exactly like the real version, but my husband who counts down the days until they return each year drank his in a matter of minutes. We even took pictures as proof. The dinner party was a delicious success that all of us can’t wait to repeat. Needless to say, I will remain mum on any future judgments of vegan food from this point forward.

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Lauren Fountas is the newest member of the Private Events Team at The Chopping Block. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Lauren moved to Chicago about 5 years ago and has been living it up ever since. Lauren has a background in Theatre and Photography, but has always had a love of all things food (even if she's never been real good at cooking it.) She loves learning and trying anything new, and looks forward to all the adventures The Chopping Block is sure to provide. She lives and enjoys life with her new husband and their puppy and can often be found dancing through the hallways and singing along to the radio.

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BGE Smoked Chicken Salad

Thursday, March 15th, 2012 by Carrie
Smoked and Grilled Goodness from our Big Green Eggs

Smoked and Grilled Goodness from our Big Green Eggs

Last weekend, we held the Big Green Egg Trunk Show at our Lincoln Square location, and for the month of March, we are offering a BGE Early Buy Program (stop by or call us for details).  I had the honor of firing up our Eggs early Saturday morning in preparation for the event.  Some of the items we prepared on the Eggs included Wood-Fired Apple Cobbler, Pizza, Chef Martin’s Sausages, Cedar Plank Salmon, Grilled Chicken Breast with Knox Spice Rubs and Applewood Smoked Chicken.  Luckily for me, there was a bit of the smoked chicken left over that I decided to make chicken salad with.

O'Carr's Chicken Salad

I’ve had some pretty memorable chicken salads – not a tossed salad with greens, but a bound or compound salad where the cooked chicken is bound together with a dressing.  Chicken salad is a staple on any Southern table, especially when you grow up on a chicken farm.  If you ask me “What’s the best chicken salad you’ve ever eaten?” I will always defer to my Grandmom’s (Love her!) as number one.  Others include my hometown drugstore and O’Carr’s in Birmingham, AL.  However, the one I made the other day was pretty tasty!

To smoke the chicken, I fired up the BGE with the plate setter, which is needed for indirect heat cooking/smoking, stabilized the temperature at 250° and added some applewood chips that had soaked in water for about 30 minutes.  I generously seasoned the whole chickens with salt and pepper and let them smoke until fully cooked (165°).  The chickens were roughly 3.5 lb each and they took approximately 90 minutes to cook thoroughly.

I pulled all the meat off the one lonely chicken that didn’t get eaten on Saturday, added ¾ cup mayonnaise, 1 T whole grain mustard, small diced ½ granny smith apple, minced one stalk of celery, ½ cup of minced onion,  ½ cup toasted sliced almonds, one boiled egg and Maldon Smoked Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.  Delicious!

Spring is here folks. Dust off your grills or come by Lincoln Square and get yourself a BGE to play with!

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Carrie finally found her culinary niche as a Chef Instructor for The Chopping Block in May 2008, but only after a hilariously traumatic demonstration interview (of which you will have to attend one of her classes to hear about). She gets a thrill of sharing the things she’s learned about food and cooking with others and the memories and experiences around food that have made her who she is today. Her hope is to take away the apprehension people have of cooking by pouring on her southern hospitality and charm and having fun in the kitchen. When she isn’t cooking, you can usually find her at a concert, a neighborhood restaurant or just hanging out with friends and enjoying their company.

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Meal Plan to the Rescue

Monday, March 5th, 2012 by Dawn

With spring in the air and summer shorts & tank tops fast approaching… this is the perfect time to get into a lighter & healthier eating groove. Most of us know what to eat to be healthy, but have a hard time actually doing it. Many factors can sabotage our intentions to eat smart, but generally the #1 barrier is: lack of time.

So I have put together a simple 7-day meal plan for you… with a shopping list… to help you eat healthy in a hurry. The plan features one of my favorite weight-friendly foods: grapefruit.

Below I have an example day of meals & snacks and here is the Facebook link to the complete plan (standard, vegetarian and vegan versions available).

*****SAMPLE DAY*****

BREAKFAST: Crispbread with Almond Butter & Pear Slices + Green Tea Latte

3 whole grain crispbread crackers

1 tablespoon almond butter

1 pear, thinly sliced

1 cup hot green tea

1 cup 2% milk or soy milk, warmed

Spread almond butter on crackers and top with pear slices. For latte, combine tea with milk. Makes 1 serving.

 

LUNCH: Parmesan Pita Pizza w/ Chopped Kale Salad & Lemon Almond Dressing

1 whole grain pita

1/4 cup jarred marinara sauce (no sugar added)

2 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

2 cups finely chopped kale

1/4 cup shredded carrots

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 teaspoon almond butter

1 teaspoon honey

Sea salt, to taste

Dash of cayenne

Preheat broiler. Place pita on foil-lined baking sheet and top with marinara and cheese. Broil for 6 minutes, until pita is crisp and cheese is melted. Top with basil and cut into wedges. Whisk lemon juice, almond butter, honey, salt and cayenne. Toss dressing into kale and carrots (this tenderizes raw kale). Makes 1 serving.

 

DINNER: Spicy Fish Tacos with Grapefruit Cabbage Slaw

4 ounces white fish
(such as tilapia, cod, halibut or snapper)

1 lime, zested and juiced

1 teaspoon honey

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste

1/2 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced

Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

1 cup pre-shredded broccoli slaw

1/2 Florida pink or red grapefruit, thinly segmented

1/4 cup julienned radishes

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

2 corn tortillas, warmed/toasted in dry skillet

Grill or broil fish until internal temperature reaches 145° F. Whisk lime zest and juice, honey, chili powder, jalapeño, salt and pepper. Toss mixture with slaw, grapefruit, radishes and cilantro. Serve fish and slaw in tortillas. Makes 1 serving.

 

SNACK 1: Yogurt Herb Dip with Crackers

1 (6-ounce) container Greek low-fat yogurt, 1 tablespoon chopped chives, 1 tablespoon chopped basil, salt & pepper to taste, and crispbread crackers (3)

 

SNACK 2: 1/2 Grapefruit

 

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Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, CSSD, LDN is the resident nutrition expert at The Chopping Block and teaches healthy cooking classes every month. She also works with the Chicago Cubs, USA Today, NBC Chicago and national magazines. In her cooking classes and her book, The Flexitarian Diet, she shows people how to eat a more plant-based diet without giving up meat. Words of wisdom: Be good to your body and it will be good to you.

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