Category: Event

Canning It Forward

On By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Canning, Event, Topic2 Comments

This is a big week at Twice as Tasty, and it’s all about canning it forward. For the second year, I’ll play a part in feeding more than 100 hungry sailors at the Montana Cup, an annual sailing regatta hosted by the North Flathead Yacht Club in Somers, Montana. Jars of preserves and other Twice as Tasty treats will be shared for meals and awards. Coincidentally, the regatta’s opening day is the Ball brand’s seventh annual Can-It-Forward Day.

Gifting and sharing home-preserved food cans it forward to the joy of both creator and eater. You’ll find plenty of recipes here to inspire your canning projects. But this blog is just one small voice in the world of home preserving, and much of my inspiration began with other voices. Here are some of my favorite canning recipes from other sources.
Read more about my favorite recipes from other sources

Birthday Desserts: Year 1

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

I am all about birthdays—especially mine. I’ve long moved on from celebrating for a day, to a week, and now to a month. So it’s not a stretch to spend much of this month celebrating the first year of Twice as Tasty.

It’s not a birthday without dessert, but I’ve never been a huge fan of the traditional cake loaded with frosting. As a kid, I always wanted homemade angel food cake, buried in berries and carrying a dollop of home-whipped cream. Pies have also topped my list of celebratory sweets, particularly when you can load a table with a dozen varieties. But both of these choices can be labor intensive for a crowd. For today’s party, it was hard to resist easily created desserts that show off freshly harvested botanicals and fruits of summer.
Learn to make Strawberry Shortcake with Lilac Cream and Rhubarb Crisp

Twice as Tasty Turns 1

On By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Event7 Comments

Twice as Tasty turns 1 this month, and what a first year. The blog is going strong, with pages of recipes and techniques available. It’s been the launchpad for live food events and workshops, which are already so popular I’ve taken them on the road. Many of you are part of a core group of subscribers and followers who regularly check in and play with the foods found here—I couldn’t do this without you. If you’re still looking for a regular Twice as Tasty fix, here are some options beyond the blog:

As we roll into the second Twice as Tasty year, I want to point out some posts and recipes you may have missed and share some things I’ve learned since they went live. We’ll also be celebrating, and you’re invited!
Read more about year 1

Fruits of Summer

On By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Canning, Dehydrating, Event, Freezing, TopicLeave a comment

June has me craving garden sweets. Rhubarb has been gracing my table for weeks; now strawberries are reddening to join it. In warmer areas, you’re probably anticipating blackberries, blueberries, and tart cherries before the month is out. As we roll into July, raspberries, apricots, and early plums will all start to appear. It’s hard to resist summer’s sweet bounty.

It’s also hard to overcome the desire for fruit out of season. Although American grocery stores stock nearly every vegetable imaginable all year, some fruits can be harder to come by outside their harvest window. Those that do appear year-round, or close to it, lack that fresh summer flavor that makes them so appealing. How they are grown is also of concern; more than half of the Dirty Dozen list (foods with the worst pesticide residue based on USDA and FDA data) is fruit. These are all good reasons to grow—and save—fruit yourself.
Read more about preserving the fruits of summer

New Workshops and a Road Trip

On By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Event, Fermenting, Refrigerating, Using, WorkshopsLeave a comment

People love to gather in kitchens. Whether you’re feeding a family or hosting a party, the scents of good food being prepared draw people to the room. It’s part of what makes a Twice as Tasty–catered house concerts special: live music in an intimate setting is coupled with delicious appetizers and the scent of baking cookies for intermission. It’s also what is making Twice as Tasty workshops so popular: instead of trying to keep people from hovering while you cook, you gather your friends in your kitchen. Then I teach everyone how to prepare a fabulous dish, make a favorite from scratch, or use a new technique.

Twice as Tasty workshops have been so popular that I’ve taken them on the road. My recent road trip to the Pacific Northwest was such a success I plan to repeat it in the future. Workshops are always available locally in Montana’s Flathead Valley.
Read more about the current topics and scheduling a workshop

Pumpkin

On By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Baking, Event, Freezing, Ingredient, UsingLeave a comment

It’s been a week of firsts here at Twice as Tasty. It saw the official launch of workshops on just about any technique, recipe, or topic that is or will be covered by the blog. If you’re intrigued by these recipes but timid about trying them solo, workshops are for you—and your friends; the workshops are designed to be hosted in private kitchens for small groups. The first phase will be in my local corner of Montana. But I love to travel, so contact me if you’re interested in hosting anywhere: Next stop will be Bellingham, WA, and the Puget Sound area at the end of December.

Twice as Tasty also catered its first event, a house concert at the EVK Lounge. From a food standpoint, this was an opportunity to add smell and taste to an already sensual evening, with the scent of baking pumpkin and chocolate wafting through the room midway through the show. Learn to make Roasted Pumpkin Puree and Seeds and Pumpkin–Chocolate Cookies

Mushrooms

On By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Event, Grilling, Ingredient, UsingLeave a comment

When it comes to feeding a crowd, two things generally happen: expensive premade dishes pack the table, and those with special diets are left with precut fruit, naked greens, and a bare baked potato. This year’s Montana Cup meals proved it doesn’t have to be that way.

Dinner’s salads got the Twice as Tasty treatment, but North Flathead Yacht Club also had vegans and vegetarians fully covered with marinated and grilled Portobello mushrooms. NFYC also brought in gorgeous Yukon River Coho salmon fillets from Flathead Fish & Seafood Co. and top sirloin steaks provided by regional grocery chain Super 1 Foods. I decided to whip up some sauces that could accompany any option or the sides of salad and baked potato, relying on our local Kalispell Kreamery and my own canning shelves. Learn to make Marinated and Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Yogurt-Dill Sauce and Romesco Sauce

Salad Dressings: Vegan

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

Last weekend, Twice as Tasty recipes had the honor of being featured at the 2016 Montana Cup, a regatta hosted by the North Flathead Yacht Club in Somers, Montana. As usual, the club provided two breakfasts and one dinner for more than 150 hungry sailors, but this year there were a few twists. With the help of Sailors for the Sea, NYFC hosted its first Clean Regatta, working to use less, recycle more, and source locally throughout the event.

After the reusable cups had been cleaned and the winning skippers had been awarded insulated picnic baskets with durable place settings, the real results were in: resounding success. Not only is the club discussing how to implement more clean practices throughout its season, but so many people requested Twice as Tasty recipes that I’m offering bonus posts. Learn to make Vegan Green Goddess Dressing and Vegan Roasted Raspberry Vinaigrette

Tart Cherries: Savory

On By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Canning, Event, Giveaway, Grilling, Ingredient, Using5 Comments

Happy Can-It-Forward Day! As a new food blogger, I feel honored to be invited by the Ball brand to make a recipe from The All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving. One pass through the book, and I had decided what to create for the sixth annual Can-It-Forward Day. Yes, recipes such as Low-Sugar Strawberry–Tequila Agave Jam and Apricot–Lavender Jam caught my eye, but how could I pass up the chance to combine tart cherries, chipotles, cilantro, and tequila—especially when I was midway through the cherry harvest?

We harvested and processed a double batch of this cherry salsa last weekend, and we’ve been sharing it with people all week for feedback. Love for it has been unanimous. The recipe produced a lovely fruit salsa, with plenty of cilantro flavor and a great tart bite. It’s been particularly popular as the accompaniment for our favorite fish tacos. Learn to make Smoky Sour Cherry–Tequila Salsa and Grilled Fish Tacos

Bonus Post: Giveaway for Can-It-Forward Day

On By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Canning, Event, Giveaway6 Comments

Canners, prep your gear: The Ball brand is hosting its sixth annual Can-It-Forward Day on July 22. As a bonus for Twice as Tasty readers, it is letting me give away a new book to help get you started in home canning or give you new ideas for favorite produce.

I love this event. I’m a pay-it-forward person: I would rather go through life knowing the things I do for or give to others are encouraging them to pass it on than build lists of people who owe me. Much of what I give comes from my kitchen. By canning food, I have a stash of salsas, preserves, and other goodies to give as gifts at Christmas, birthdays, or weddings; to share at potlucks, picnics, and parties; and to turn into delicious meals and snacks when people gather at my table. With this blog, I can it forward by sharing what I’ve learned so that you too can preserve, enjoy, and share. Participate in Can-It-Forward Day and in the Twice as Tasty giveaway