Frozen Strawberry Syrup

On February 2, 2023November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, frozen2 Comments

The first year I canned fruit syrups, I gifted my sister a couple of jars. The next year, she asked for a full box of jars filled with the jewel-toned syrups. In her house, they get used more often than jams: drizzled on pancakes or waffles, stirred into yogurt, blended into smoothies, and more.

I like making summertime fruit syrups because I can pair fruit and herbs in the same way I do for shrubs, ending up with a sweet concoction rather than a sweet-and-tangy vinegar-spiked one. The downside, as with jelly, is that it takes a lot of fruit to fill a canner-load of jars. So I created a recipe for my Twice as Tasty column this week for the Flathead Beacon that takes just one bag of fruit from the freezer and turns it into a jar of syrup you can keep in the fridge.
Learn to make Frozen Strawberry Syrup

Stovetop Sourdough English Muffins

On January 26, 2023December 27, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, sourdough3 Comments

I baked up a batch of sourdough English muffins a few weeks ago and rediscovered just how easy they are to make. That’s not how I had remembered them, and looking back over my notes, I realized it was because it took several tries to create a recipe that had almost no kneading, allowed a long ferment time, and could be cooked entirely on the stovetop.

That latter quality was the reason I pulled out the recipe after ignoring it for so long: we’re in the middle of a house remodel, so I’ve been a bit transient for the last few months, most recently staying in a family guesthouse with a functioning stovetop but a nonworking oven. I’m now baking a new batch of sourdough English muffins every time we polish off the last one. It seemed well worth sharing as the final Sourdough Month recipe in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon.

The 6th Annual Sourdough Giveaway has been a huge success; so far, I’ve sent out more than 250 packets of sourdough starter! It is winding down, so sign up by January 31, 2023, if you want me to send you a free packet of my own sourdough starter.
Learn to make Stovetop Sourdough English Muffins

Pillowy Sourdough Pita

On January 19, 2023January 4, 2024 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, sourdoughLeave a comment

It’s always rewarding to pull a sourdough creation from the oven, but pita bread has a bonus fun factor. As they bake, sourdough pitas puff into floury pillows, holding their shape until they hit the cooling rack. When they cool, they collapse into flatbread ready to be stuffed with fillings or rebaked as chips.

As I explain this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon, a few tricks help with the rise and fall of sourdough pita bread, but don’t worry if a few pita rounds refuse to puff evenly—they’ll still be tasty, and with practice, you’ll become better at rolling the rounds and timing the baking for pillowy sourdough pita.
Learn to make Pillowy Sourdough Pita

Sourdough Power Waffles

On January 12, 2023December 27, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, sourdoughLeave a comment

When you think of sourdough, you probably picture a loaf of tangy, tasty bread. But you have so many more ways to use sourdough, as I’ll be sharing all month in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon. Some of my favorites can use what many people call sourdough discard. I consider the word “discard” to be a misnomer, because I never actually throw out starter—even when I’m waking up a starter that’s been dormant for months or rehydrating a new-to-me starter, like the one I’m giving away until January 31, 2023. You can learn more about the giveaway here.

Get Starter

Instead of discarding weak starter, I use it in numerous baked goods that don’t need a lot of rising oomph, including pancakes and waffles. Either sourdough breakfast option has enough flavor that you can simply serve them with butter and syrup, but more filling toppings give the waffles in my latest column their “power” name.
Learn to make Sourdough Power Waffles

Norwegian-Style Gløgg

On December 29, 2022December 28, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn beverages, Column1 Comment

As many friends and family approach the end of the year with subzero nights and canceled flights, a stay-at-home New Year’s Eve sounds welcoming. Whether you’re keeping it intimate or filling the house with friends, the hot spiced wine recipe in my latest Twice as Tasty column can be casual enough for a cozy fireside chat or tasty enough for a countdown party.

Various cultures have twists on the basic idea of hot red wine in a mug. Some are simply warmed with spices, others are sweetened or boosted with stronger alcohol, and some have it all. My favorite version, the Norwegian-Style Gløgg I share in this week’s Flathead Beacon, falls into the third category, with the bonus of vodka-spiked raisins and crunchy almonds in the bottom of each cup. Fortifying the wine with spice-infused vodka and adding a bit of sugar makes it adaptable to all sorts of reds, including cheaper bottles or ones opened but then forgotten.
Learn to make Norwegian-Style Gløgg

Cranberry-Orange Quick Bread

On December 22, 2022November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, quick breads1 Comment

After endless hours in coffeeshops, I have a soft spot for muffins and scones, but Montana life has taught me to favor quick breads. It’s their mobility I admire. Where muffins can get squished if they aren’t well packaged and scones can crumble after the first day, quick breads can be sliced once cool and slid into a gallon zip-close bag, where they hold their shape well. Better yet, presliced loaves can be frozen so that I can pull out a couple of slices, warm them in the toaster oven, and devour them as I’m driving up the ski hill.

In my Twice as Tasty column this week for the Flathead Beacon, I share a wintertime quick bread that packs a flavor punch from cranberries and orange. I usually buy at least two bags of cranberries as soon as I see them in stores and immediately freeze one with the berries whole and unwashed, since water causes the skins to blister. I can then make this bread on a whim, chopping still-frozen cranberries in a food processor.
Learn to make Cranberry-Orange Quick Bread

Gourmet Granola with Nuts and Fruit

On December 15, 2022November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, dehydrated1 Comment

My food dehydrator sees regular, year-round use: drying homegrown herbs and vegetables during the growing season, making fruit leather to give my nephew and niece for birthdays and Christmas, and dehydrating sourdough starter for my annual January giveaway. Still, I fill it most often with a blend of grains, spices, and sweeteners that become granola.

In my latest Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon, I share one of my favorite granola recipes and explain why I make it in a food dehydrator. If you don’t own one, don’t worry—I give instructions for baking it in the oven too.
Learn to make Gourmet Granola with Nuts and Fruit

Mason Jar Gifts: Mixed-Bean Soup

On December 8, 2022November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, dry stored2 Comments

Every December, I share ideas and recipes that make delicious food gifts. These ideas have ranged from tags and bags to suggestions for food gifts that include homemade treats, kitchen tools, and of course my books.

This year, I’ve added to the food gift ideas with a meal-in-a-jar recipe in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon. It was surprisingly straightforward to adapt one of my favorite fresh soup recipes so that it could be gifted in a jar, ready to by pulled from the cupboard and made on a chilly night with minimal added ingredients. It still packs all of the flavor of the fresh recipe without relying on salt-heavy bouillon cubes or store-bought seasoning blends. It’s also easy to scale up or down for larger or smaller households and to make multiple jars to cover everyone on your gifting list.
Learn to make Mixed-Bean Soup as a mason jar gift

Vanilla Bean Cookies

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

To kick off the December holiday season, I shared a favorite family cookie recipe this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon. Vanilla Bean Cookies are an appropriate way to start a month that emphasizes baking not only for their flavor but also because of how you create them: by making the cookies and letting them sit for several weeks. They’re the first cookies I make each holiday season, quickly followed by Chocolate Rum Balls, and they’re some of the first to be devoured when I crack open the cookie tins.

These cookies are special to me because of their history in my family and because friends continue to adopt them and include them in their own holiday traditions. My grandmother’s original recipe seemed untouchable, but I recently improved on it by switching to organic ingredients, especially a tapioca-based powdered sugar instead of one laced with cornstarch to prevent caking. After years of making this recipe, the flavor and texture were better than ever, making the extra cost well worth it.
Learn to make Vanilla Bean Cookies

Creamy Roasted Pumpkin Pie

On November 24, 2022November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, Ingredient, piesLeave a comment

This week, I share my favorite pumpkin pie recipe in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon. It seems fitting not just for the season but also because the introduction to my first column a year ago began with Mike Kordenbrock’s story and Hunter D’Antuono’s photos of another family favorite: Crumble-Top Deep-Dish Apple Pie.

I almost always make one or both of these pies for Thanksgiving gatherings, and they’re delicious for other winter holiday feasts, birthday parties, family meals, and more. If you’re just now stumbling on this recipe, don’t worry: read it completely, decide how many of the components you want to make from scratch, and then remember it for a future holiday.
Learn to make Creamy Roasted Pumpkin Pie