Rhubarb–Apple Crisp

On May 26, 2022November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn baked, Column2 Comments

To me, nothing says spring like fresh rhubarb. I share the history of my fourth-generation rhubarb plants and my love for their ruby-red stalks this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon. But what I’m really saying is that you couldn’t eat as much rhubarb as I have, and from such a young age, without becoming hooked on its tart fruit.

My pie-making grandmother baked plenty of those stalks between layers of her flaky crusts, but my mom was the master of rhubarb crisps. My column features a hybrid version of her recipe, mixed with apples and sweetened with a little honey, but you can find a pure rhubarb version here on the blog.
Learn to make Rhubarb–Apple Crisp

Spring Vegetable Quiche

On April 28, 2022November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, pies5 Comments

If you’ve been reading my latest Twice as Tasty columns for the Flathead Beacon and some of my other recent work, you know that spring has been oh-so-slowly arriving in Montana, with days of sun, snow, rain, frost—and sometimes all four in a single morning. The garden is beginning to wake up, with the greens we let go to seed last fall sprouting in freshly weeded beds and my first round of cold frame seeds showing signs of life. Walking onions and chives have been available for harvesting in small quantities, and rhubarb and mint will soon be big enough for the first crisp and mojitos.

However, the asparagus is still stubbornly in hiding from freezing overnight temperatures. As soon as we consistently get nights just a couple of degrees warmer, I expect to gather enough of it and baby spinach for my first spring quiche.
Learn to make Spring Vegetable Quiche

Sour Cream–Applesauce Coffee Cake or Muffins

On April 7, 2022November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, quick breads2 Comments

I offered up a streamlined version of one of my favorite coffee cakes in my Twice as Tasty column this week for the Flathead Beacon. The simplified recipe is easy to make with store-bought ingredients, many of which you probably already have in your kitchen. It’s also easy to pour the batter into a muffin pan and bake it into muffins.

Both shapes have their pluses and minuses. It’s attractive as a coffee cake for a group brunch, especially if you bake it in a springform pan, which makes it easy to release and shows off the streusel layers as you cut and serve it at the table. But that shape may be less ideal for an outdoor gathering or if the coffee cake will be eaten over several days at home. That’s when muffins make sense: They’re more informal but easy to eat on the go and keep well in the fridge or freezer. With either shape, you can upgrade my streamlined recipe by using scratch-made ingredients, like Homemade Sour Cream.
Learn to make Sour Cream–Applesauce Coffee Cake or Muffins

Chocolate–Sour Cream Cookies

On March 31, 2022November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, cookiesLeave a comment

Some years, I’ve spent April focused on recipes for making your own cheese and other homemade dairy products here on the blog. Now that I’m writing the Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon, I’m rewriting some of those recipes with the tweaks and upgrades I’ve made to them over the years. I’ll be sharing those new-and-improved recipes here this month.

My Flathead Beacon column will feature recipes that use these fresh dairy products and hopefully inspire you to try making them yourself. I couldn’t resist writing in March about a few of those recipes, including Savory Herb and Sour Cream Scones, Sourdough–Yogurt Pancakes, and this week’s Chocolate–Sour Cream Cookies. So check out the recipes in the column, and then come back here to the blog for the homemade dairy instructions.
Learn to make Homemade Sour Cream and Chocolate–Sour Cream Cookies

Savory Herb and Sour Cream Scones

On March 17, 2022November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, quick breads1 Comment

No matter how cold or gray it is, it feels like a little bit of spring when I spot the first herb and bulb shoots poking through ice and snow. Although I freeze, dehydrate, and otherwise preserve homegrown herbs to use all year, I’m always eager for the first fresh cuttings. Once enough have popped up that I can do more than sprinkle them as a garnish, I make savory scones packed with fresh herb flavors.

I share a savory version of my favorite scone recipe in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon. In early spring, I use chives and parsley, the first herbs that appear in my garden or I can get fresh locally. As the weeks pass, I start to swap in sorrel, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme, basil, dill, and more.
Learn to make Savory Herb and Sour Cream Scones and more

Crumble-Top Deep-Dish Apple Pie

On November 25, 2021November 19, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, piesLeave a comment

It’s feast time! I’m excited to be featured in the holiday feast issue from the Flathead Beacon—especially because my contribution, Crumble-Top Deep-Dish Apple Pie, made the front cover of the print edition. If you can’t pick up a copy locally, you can find the story online.

If you read to the end of the story, you’ll find the other reason I’m so excited to share this piece: Starting next month, I will be joining the Flathead Beacon as a food columnist. I’ll share more about that project—and some changes coming to this blog—when the first column goes live.
Learn to make Crumble-Top Deep-Dish Apple Pie