Author: Julie Laing | Twice As Tasty

Learn how to eat well year-round by preserving, pickling, freezing, dehydrating, fermenting, and more at TwiceasTasty.com.

Smoked Cherries

On By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Grilling, Refrigerating, TopicLeave a comment

Twice as Tasty’s birthday month seems the perfect time to share my newest favorite way to enjoy tart cherries. Get home-smoked recipes at TwiceasTasty.com.
I’m keeping an impatient eye on my sour cherry tree, waiting for the green fruit to ripen, just so that I can pick, destem, pit, and smoke the fruit. That’s right—smoked cherries. Although my cherry tree is still stubbornly green, Twice as Tasty’s birthday month seems the perfect time to share my newest favorite way to enjoy the tart fruit.

We expanded our smoking repertoire last year after having had such success turning smoked chilies into a spicy paste and enjoying roasted and smoked beets on numerous sandwiches, including Vegetarian Smoked-Beet Reuben. Broccoli and asparagus both received the flavorful treatment, and we continue to smoke an array of store-bought and homemade cheeses. But cherries became the icing on the cake—or should I say, the garnish of the cocktail.
Learn to make Smoked Cherries and Bourbon-Infused Smoked Cherries

Twice as Tasty Turns 4

On By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Canning, Cookbook, Event, Fermenting, Workshops3 Comments

Twice as Tasty turns 4 this month! Read more about what’s new at TwiceasTasty.com.
I can hardly believe it: Twice as Tasty turns 4 this month! It’s been a year of growth and change, particularly with my focus in recent months on writing my first cookbook. But the blog and Twice as Tasty Live have grown in other areas as well, with a jump in online readership, an explosion of interest in baking with sourdough, and more workshops focused on eating well year-round.

Thanks for being part of the journey—your interest, questions, and feedback keep me returning to my computer each week to share new recipes, techniques, and ideas. Many of these can be found in the ever-growing recipe index. If you’ve been following along steadily, let me jog your memory with a few of the year’s highlights. If you’re new to the blog or have missed some of the latest news, here’s your chance to catch up. Skip down the page for more on what’s in store for the rest of the year.
Read more about what’s new at Twice as Tasty

Pickling Cookbook Update

On By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Canning, Cookbook, Fermenting, Refrigerating, TopicLeave a comment

I apologize for regular no blog post today. I just filed the last of 125 recipes for my forthcoming pickling cookbook (scheduled for release this fall). Hooray! But I must admit: I’m out of words at the moment. Look for a fresh post next week. In the meantime, I proudly present some beautiful test batches for your viewing pleasure. This book is going to be delicious.

My first cookbook is scheduled for release in fall 2020. Learn more at TwiceasTasty.com.
First ferment in my new crock from Stone Creek Trading

See more photos

From Garden to Oven

On By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Topic, Using4 Comments

You can put the heat on unexpected spring vegetables, like lettuces and radishes. Get garden-to-oven recipes at TwiceasTasty.com.
When the first vegetables grow big enough to harvest from the garden, I’m usually focused on enjoying them raw and fresh: leafy greens and herbs, green onions and garlic, radishes and peas. But as the recipes I’ve shared this month have shown, you can think beyond salads, garnishes, and snacks and actually cook these vegetables, whether they’re wilted over pasta or baked into a quiche.

You may already serve some spring produce, like asparagus and rhubarb, hot and sizzling. But it may never have occurred to you to put the heat on other vegetables, like lettuces and radishes.
Learn to cook spring vegetables and make Balsamic-Roasted Radishes

Quiche

On By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Baking, Topic, UsingLeave a comment

Quiche is a bit more work than frittata, but it has its upsides too. Get quiche and frittata recipes at TwiceasTasty.com.
When I prepared to share this recipe, I was surprised to realize it would be my first quiche on the blog. It’s one of my favorite springtime dinners: the hens are back to a full laying schedule no matter how cold it was over winter, spring greens and herbs are ripe for the picking, and asparagus is growing by inches every day.

Quiche is a bit more work than frittata, because you have to make and roll out a crust. It also takes longer to cook, because you’re letting the eggs slowly set up in the oven. But it has its upsides too. Because the eggs cook slowly, they come out more like custard, whereas frittata has a tendency to set up more like hard-scrambled eggs and can burn on the bottom of you aren’t careful. The pastry helps to hold everything in place, which can make it easier to enjoy leftovers for a quick breakfast or pack them for lunch. And then there’s the pastry itself: if you’re making one crust, it’s the perfect excuse to double the recipe and bake a crumble-top pie. If you can’t justify a whole pie to yourself, the trimmed edges of the quiche crust can be rerolled into one of my favorite childhood snacks.
Learn to make Spring Vegetable Quiche and a bonus snack

Spring Greens

On By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Ingredient, Using1 Comment

Hearty spring greens are delicious raw but can stand some heat. Get spring green recipes at TwiceasTasty.com.
Even in my cold mountain climate, harvesting from the garden has begun. After a winter of eating home-preserved food, I’m ready to start savoring fresh produce in my meals—and of course squirrel away tasty morsels for next season.

In our current social climate, this may be the first time you’re growing your own food, focusing on eating locally grown food, and thinking of saving your harvest for future enjoyment. If so, welcome to the club! You’ll find various ways to eat and preserve many delicious foods on the blog. I’m also continuing my sourdough starter giveaway all month for those who want to enjoy freshly baked bread with their garden goodies. In this post, I highlight some of my favorite early garden treats: spring greens.
Learn to make spring green meals and Wilted Arugula Pasta

Homegrown Hints

On By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn UsingLeave a comment

These gardening resources and ideas may help as you’re getting your hands dirty. Learn more at TwiceasTasty.com.
If you’re back in the garden this month—or starting a new one—you’re not alone. The Economist reports that 45% of Britons are gardening during the lockdown, and Burpee says it sold more seeds in March than any time in its 144-year history. It’s going to be a tasty season for homegrown food.

Instead of planning meals to eat on our standard spring sailing adventure, we’ve been staying home and preparing the garden. Early seeds are in the ground (greens and peas), and cold-hardy brassica starts are being tested by cold nights. We jumped the gun a bit on starts for heat-loving greenhouse plants and have fingers crossed. It’s shaping up to be a good season.

The ins and outs of growing your own vegetables is a whole other blog, but here I pass on a few resources and ideas that may help as you’re getting your hands dirty. I’ll be sharing recipes this month that use spring crops, whether you have a container garden on your patio, raised beds in your backyard, or a weekly delivery box from a local farmer.
Read more about homegrown hints

Sourdough Giveaway: Extended Edition

On By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Baking, Fermenting, Giveaway, TopicLeave a comment

Get your free sourdough starter and answers to some of your sourdough questions. Learn more at TwiceasTasty.com.
Sourdough Pancakes by Brenda

The sourdough starter giveaway continues! Last month, I reopened my 2020 Sourdough Giveaway. I’m extending it another month, since many people will still be in stay-at-home mode at least that long. I’ll send you free sourdough starter through May 31. Read on to get Twice as Tasty sourdough starter, as well as answers to some of your sourdough questions.
Read more about starting with sourdough

Adapting Desserts

On By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Baking, Freezing, Topic2 Comments

Make easy desserts and three-ingredient cookies from your freezer and pantry. Get dessert recipes at TwiceasTasty.com.
I went so big on adaptable dinner ideas last week that I decided to step back and focus on just a few favorites when it comes to desserts. At least that’s my excuse—I actually find it easy to skip dessert, far easier than running out of cheese. When I do crave dessert, I’m often just as happy with a couple of squares of dark chocolate alongside a nightcap. But the rest of my family would disagree that dessert is expendable. My dad just bragged about how since he’s buying groceries less often, he’s cut back to two desserts a day.

So for those with a sweet tooth, I highlight some recipes that can likely be made without a trip to the store. As a bonus, some take minimal prep time, and some don’t require dessert staples, like flour, that may be in short supply. I also give you the simplest cookie recipe you’ll ever find—shortbread—and plenty of ideas for gussying it up.
Learn to adapt desserts and make Improv Shortbread Cookies

Adapting Dinners

On By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Topic, Using1 Comment

What happens when you combine an unfamiliar ingredient, Web access, and creativity? Gluten-Free Cauliflower-Crust Pizza and other adapted dinners. Learn more at TwiceasTasty.com.
I have a confession: I often cook without recipes. Even when I use them, I alter this and change that to fit what’s in my cupboard and what I think I want to eat. And I rarely make a dish the same way twice. I mainly develop and write out recipes so that I can share my favorite foods more easily with you!

So almost every recipe on Twice as Tasty can be adapted and even free-formed. There are some exceptions: You’ll have greater success with sourdough baking and cheesemaking if you follow the recipe as closely as possible, particularly as you’re learning. For canning and fermenting for long-term storage, using the given ingredients and instructions ensures food safety. But when it comes to adapting dinners and other meals, you can typically use your judgment and experience in deciding how closely you’ll follow a recipe—like I did for my latest adaptation, Gluten-Free Cauliflower-Crust Pizza.
Learn to adapt dinners and make Gluten-Free Cauliflower-Crust Pizza