Crunchy Cabbage Salad

On September 23, 2022November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, saladsLeave a comment

Growing cabbage always presents challenges. In my short growing season, each plant produces one head but doesn’t really have enough time to form a second flush. It has a big garden footprint, and I have to protect it under a cover all season if I want to keep cabbageworms and loopers from calling it home. Some varieties need to be harvested midsummer, when everything else is begging for attention in the garden, so I need to check carefully for number of growing days to ensure a long, extended harvest.

Is it worth it? Clearly I’ve answered yes, because as I share in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon, I now grow several cabbage varieties. Some I enjoy fresh, especially as young, raw leafy greens. Others I ferment to have on hand all winter. But my favorites remain the raw crunchy heads that I shred for salads.
Learn to make Crunchy Cabbage Salad

Shrimp and Summer Squash Enchiladas with Homemade Enchilada Sauce

On September 15, 2022November 19, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Canning, Column, fresh eating1 Comment

The enchiladas I share this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon have become household favorites. And that all started with the sauce. Before I began making my own enchilada sauce, I occasionally attempted this rich, cheesy dish when we wanted comfort food, but I never quite nailed the technique of getting the tortillas in that just-right place, ending up with ones that were mushy or crunchy. Then I found a sauce recipe I love and started putting up jars of it, which led me to track down the technique that keeps the tortillas soft and intact, making them the perfect vehicle for the homemade sauce.

The recipe I share here lets you make this delicious sauce in a smaller batch without the effort of canning it. If you fall for this sauce like I did, you can make a larger amount to process in a boiling water bath using the instructions in Tips & Tricks. The enchiladas themselves can have all sorts of fillings: as we transition from summer to fall, my favorite pairs homegrown summer squash with sautéed shrimp.
Learn to make Shrimp and Summer Squash Enchiladas with Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Onion Lover’s Dip

On September 8, 2022November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, dry stored1 Comment

I’m not sure there’s a vegetable that changes as much in texture and flavor when you apply heat as an onion. Caramelized onions taste completely different from raw ones, whether you cook them low and slow on the stovetop or let them pick up char and a slightly smoky flavor on the grill.

As with the three forms of ginger I use in Triple Gingersnaps, combining caramelized onions with other fresh and cooked alliums builds layers of flavor. I share one of my favorite combinations—grilled onions and garlic with fresh onion greens, whether the tops of bulb onions, chives, scallions, or walking onions—this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon. While you can oven-roast or sauté the onions and garlic for a similar effect, I fire up the grill while it’s still so hot into the evening. The recipe in my column outlines my grilling process, making this dip a great primer for grilling vegetables.
Learn to grill onions and make Onion Lover’s Dip

Choosing Ice Cube Trays

On September 2, 2022November 19, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Freezing, Topic1 Comment

When The Spruce Eats asked me to test some top-selling ice cube trays, I had no hesitation saying “yes.” Besides using trays to freeze water into cubes, I rely on them for freezing a range of homemade sauces, syrups, pesto, and other recipes I make from homegrown produce and use in small servings throughout the year.

The website recently published my testing results and photos. I froze and used a lot of ice cubes for this project and even took several of the trays to a Twice as Tasty cocktail workshop for a wider range of feedback. Some of these trays have been in regular use all summer for far more than ice.
Learn choosing and using ice cube trays

Tomato-Cucumber Salad with Asian-Inspired Dressing

On September 1, 2022November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, saladsLeave a comment

Tomato season is on. I harvested 45 pounds of heirloom paste and slicing tomatoes in one go earlier this week, and these larger tomatoes already need to be picked again. The cherry tomatoes have been prolific too; bowls of them are currently scattered around my house, waiting to be eaten, frozen, or canned.

As I share this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon, fresh cherry tomatoes and small cucumbers make a delicious salad. Nothing beats the taste of homegrown ones, of course, but local farmers can do the work for you and even a larger tomato and cucumber can be sliced up for a similarly quick, bright dish when they’re in season. Although most people think of a balsamic-based vinaigrette for tomatoes, I love to flavor this pairing with an Asian-inspired dressing—especially if I’m eating it with the recipe I shared in last week’s Flathead Beacon column: Zucchini-Basil Pancakes, one of my favorite was to use zucchini.
Learn to make Tomato-Cucumber Salad with Asian-Inspired Dressing

Storing Avocados

On August 29, 2022November 19, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn ToolsLeave a comment

Did you know I regularly write about food and kitchen tools and share recipes and techniques on other websites, besides my weekly column for the Flathead Beacon? These pieces aren’t published on a regular schedule, and I try to share them on Facebook and Instagram as the go live. For those who don’t follow Twice as Tasty through social media, I’m making a push to share them here on the blog too.

In my latest piece for The Spruce Eats, I tested seven avocado storage solutions, which meant a daily dose of avocados that George was happy to eat on everything from fish tacos to potato bowls. I found some storage tricks and avocado keepers that I continue to use in my kitchen.
Learn about storing avocados

Zucchini–Basil Pancakes

On August 25, 2022November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, grains3 Comments

Zucchini. If you grow it, you likely have more of it than you know what to do with. Even if you don’t grow your own, store-bought zukes tend to be large enough it’s easy to buy more than you need. Fortunately, zucchini and other summer squash are delicious in many dishes, whether obvious or disguised by other, more flavorful ingredients.

I share one of my favorite recipes showcasing zucchini this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon: Zucchini-Basil Pancakes. They use two prolific producers from the garden and are tasty on their own or as the base for other flavors, like Grilled Tomatillo Salsa, Spiked Guacamole, and Chipotle-Marinated Grilled Shrimp with Garlic Scape Aioli.
Learn to make Zucchini–Basil Pancakes

Cucumber-Dill Refrigerator Pickles

On August 19, 2022November 19, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, pickles1 Comment

If there was any doubt that I love pickles, it was dispelled when my first cookbook focused entirely on pickling. Even I explored some new-to-me flavors and foods for that book, some of which has since become personal favorites: Lime-Pickled Onions, Cultured Curtido (Cabbage Slaw), Zucchini Escabeche (Grilled and Pickled Zucchini), Fresh Pears with Lemon, Tepache (Fermented Pineapple Beverage), Sweet Vinegar-Pickled Eggs, Scratch-Made Sriracha, and more. But I always leave space in the fridge for simple, classic, cucumber-and-dill pickles.

In my Twice as Tasty column this week for the Flathead Beacon, I share one of my simplest and most straightforward pickling cucumber recipes that can be eaten in about a day (if you just can’t wait) but will keep for weeks in the refrigerator. It’s a great way to use less than a pound of pickling cucumbers, whose importance I also explain in the column, or make a couple of jars with a larger crop but without the hassle of canning.
Learn to make Cucumber-Dill Refrigerator Pickles

Huckleberry and Cheese Crepes

On August 11, 2022November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, grains2 Comments

My social media feeds are increasingly featuring photos of huckleberry harvests and the creations made from them. The season is on. As I note this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon, huckleberry season is short but sweet, so I always enjoy some now but save a few for the freezer. I tend to savor mine at breakfast—although I do go big when I pile any fruit on one bowl of homemade granola and fresh yogurt. I’ve taken sourdough starter into the backcountry so that I can dot pancakes with berries harvested at the campsite. Wild berries like huckleberries and blackberries are also delicious paired with homemade cheese and rolled into crepes.
Learn to make Huckleberry and Cheese Crepes

Veggie Shish Kebabs with Garlicy Marinade

On August 4, 2022November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, grilledLeave a comment

We give the grill a workout every summer, often with small items that want to fall through the grate no matter how carefully they’re arranged on the open surface. I have two grill trays that work well when smoking cherries or cheese or charring large batches of thin asparagus spears. I also have a pair of copper grill mats ideal for sourdough pizza and other soft ingredients—we even grilled scrambled eggs and potatoes on one when I forgot to put a skillet on the sailboat. But for grilled meals with more emphasis on variety than quantity, I reach for skewers.

As I share this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon, you can spear so many foods on a stick and cook them over an open flame. A simple marinade can tie the ingredients together, playing well with flavors that range from sweet tomatillos, to mild potatoes, to spicy peppers. Skewers are also ideal for grilling shrimp, scallops, meaty fish, and cubed meats.
Learn to make Veggie Shish Kebabs with Garlicy Marinade