Twice as Tasty workshops cover a range of topics, giving you a chance to try the recipes and techniques offered on the blog in your own kitchen, among friends—and with my personal help. The following workshops are available at any time; to sign up, jump down the page.
Creative Cocktails: Syrups and Shrubs
Size: 4 to 10 people
Time: 2-1/2 hours
Gather your friends and your favorite booze: this is a Twice as Tasty cocktail party. Craft cocktails aren’t about expensive equipment or fancy techniques: they’re about flavor, aroma, and creativity. In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn to make sweet, tangy, and savory syrups and shrubs (also known as drinking vinegars). You’ll then mix them with your favorite liquors and test nonalcoholic combinations, experimenting with taste and balance until you’ve found your ideal cocktail or mocktail. We’ll be snacking as we work and send everyone home with samples to savor and share.
Starting with Sourdough: Starter and Baking Basics
Size: 4 to 8 people
Time: 3 hours
Baking with sourdough can be easy, simple, and delicious, yet many people are hesitant to explore the world of wild yeast. This hands-on workshop focuses on how to care for and use sourdough starter in various recipes. In this small workshop, everyone gets involved in the process and learns by doing. I’ll be supplying active batches of my own sourdough starter and teach you how to “feed” it once you get it home. Together, we’ll make Sourdough Pita to enjoy during the workshop and share with your family or friends.
Grilled or Baked Sourdough Pizza
Size: 4 to 8 people
Time: 3 hours
Gourmet pizza has become a restaurant staple. At home, you can combine sourdough pizza dough and seasonal produce to create gourmet pizza from scratch, baking it on a grill in summer and in your oven the rest of the year. This hands-on workshop is designed to get everyone involved in the process and learning by doing. With my guidance and homemade sourdough starter, you’ll make a batch of Sourdough Pizza Dough and learn to “feed” the starter so that you can take both starter and dough home. We’ll also turn a batch of dough into pizza to enjoy at the end of the workshop.
Fraternal Twins: Making Lemon Cheese and Yogurt
Size: 4 to 6 people
Time: 2-1/2 hours
Milk, acid, and salt: That’s all you need to make a fresh cheese adaptable to a range of uses and flavors. Better yet, cheese and yogurt are fraternal twins: From 1 gallon of milk, you can create both at the same time. Learn how in a small workshop designed to get everyone involved in the process and learning by doing. We’ll take the process from its early setup stages to the final products. At the end of the workshop, you’ll have the results of your labor to eat on the spot and take home to enjoy.
Perfecting Pies: Crusts and Fillings from Scratch
Size: 4 to 8 people
Time: 3 hours
There’s nothing like a freshly baked pie in its flaky, buttery shell. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to make the final act of the night from scratch. I’ll share my tips and tricks to help you create a delicious crust and one of several fruit- or custard-based fillings. You’ll walk away with a crust and filling package ready to bake for your next gathering. We might just eat a little pie too.
Pick a Pickle: Easy Pickling Processes
Size: 4 to 8 people
Time: 2 to 3 hours
Pickling is a safe, easy way to preserve almost any vegetable. This hands-on workshop focuses on the basic science behind pickling and is customized to the type of produce you want to preserve. You also choose the technique: mealtime pickles that are ready in minutes, refrigerator pickles ideal for single-jar batches, fermented pickles big on flavor and crunch, or pasteurized pickles perfect for long-term storage. These small workshops get everyone involved in the process and learning by doing. You’ll leave the workshop with a jar of pickled goodness to share with family and friends—or keep to yourself.
Creative Cookies: Dough Basics and Variations
Size: 4 to 10 people
Time: 2-1/2 hours
There’s no such thing as the holiday cookie, singular. There are cans, trays, and jars that must be filled with a variety of cookies every season. Some people simplify their holiday baking by holding a cookie exchange. This workshop takes that one step further: You’ll learn to find the basic ratios behind cookie recipes and how to swap up the ingredients to easily fill that cookie tray on your own. We’ll discover why cookies come in so many textures, shapes, and flavors and look at why some recipes work better than others. Whatever we don’t eat will end up on your tray to take home.
Dressed for Success: Classy Salad Dressings
Size: 4 to 10 people
Time: 2-1/2 hours
Has a battalion of salad dressings taken over your refrigerator? Why surrender to these expensive, heavily preserved soldiers when the basic ingredients for fresh, classy dressings likely already live in your kitchen? This workshop teaches you ratios that free you to create delicious dressings from scratch at a moment’s notice. This workshop can accommodate up to 10 people but still offers hands-on opportunities. I’ll teach you the basic ratios and supply a variety of ingredients so that you can create your own combinations on the spot. We’ll taste-test these creations before we send them home for you to enjoy.
Getting Your Green Fix: Growing and Using Sprouts
Size: 4 to 10 people
Time: 2-1/2 hours
Homegrown sprouts are one of the easiest ways to get your green fix without gardening, and you’ll be shocked by how little you need to keep a constant supply of fresh sprouts on hand. I’ll supply a kit to get you started, and we’ll examine the growing stages for a couple of sprout varieties. This technique workshop can accommodate a few more people but still offers hands-on opportunities. You’ll learn to care for your sprouts before you take them home, and we’ll enjoy a batch—along with other Twice as Tasty treats.
Groovy Granola: Baked and Dehydrated
Size: 4 to 10 people
Time: 2-1/2 hours
Although we think of them as healthy, commercially packaged granolas can be junk food in disguise: high in sugar, salt, and dollars. But homemade granolas can be good for you and good for your budget. They’re easily made, endlessly adaptable, and seriously delicious. In this workshop, we’ll explore the differences between dehydrated and baked granolas and learn the basic ratios that will let you personalize your granola recipe. I’ll provide a range of ingredients so that you can make your own batch during the workshop, and you’ll sample your creations before taking them home for tomorrow’s breakfast.
A Little Sweetness: Low-Sugar Jams
Size: 4 to 8 people
Time: 3 hours
Who doesn’t love a jar of sweet, sticky jam? The problem is, jams can be too sweet, overpowering the fruit until you feel you’ve just eaten a spoonful of sugar. In this workshop, you’ll learn about the three key elements of jam making: acid, sugar, and pectin. Then you’ll discover how to balance those elements to create low-sugar, fruit-forward spreads. During the workshop, we’ll go through the entire process, finishing our jams in a water-bath canner so that they are shelf stable. The ratios you’ll learn will allow you to make jam at home from just about any fruit.
Playing with Pesto: Classic Basil and Variations
Size: 4 to 10 people
Time: 2-1/2 hours
Most people think “basil” and “sauce” when they hear “pesto,” but basil is just one ingredient option and sauce is just one use. This workshop teaches you ratios that let you harvest from your herb garden (or buy from your farmer) and fill your freezer throughout the season with a collection of pesto bases that can be used on everything from pasta to pizza and in everything from sauces to soups. This workshop welcomes up to 10 people but still lets you try your hand at original pesto flavors. We’ll taste your creations before you take them and the techniques you learned home to enjoy.
Feeling Saucy: Sauce Basics and Variations
Size: 4 to 10 people
Time: 2-1/2 hours
Sauces form the basis of so many meals and vary widely in ingredients, flavors—and ultimately success at your family’s table. But most can be divided into three broad groups that let you make what appears to be a different sauce every meal. This technique workshop covers the basics of making sauces thickened using a roux, an emulsion, and a reduction. We’ll chose the ingredients for each together, and then I’ll demonstrate how each is made, with your help. We’ll sample our creations and discuss other options for each sauce.
Indian Spices: Marvelous Masalas
Size: 4 to 10 people
Time: 2-1/2 hours
Indian food is delicious, but the long list of ingredients in traditional recipes can be daunting. A closer look reveals that list is primarily spices; factor out the spices, and the other ingredients and techniques are often simple and familiar. In this workshop, you’ll discover key spices used in Indian cooking and how to combine them into flavorful dishes at a moment’s notice. We’ll look at spices that are likely already staples in your collection, as well as ones that are readily available but may not be as well known. You’ll also sample and experiment with different spice blends.
Scrumptiously Solo: Cooking for One
Size: 4 to 10 people
Time: 2-1/2 hours
If you live alone or often cook solo, one of the biggest challenges is finding inspiration and energy in the kitchen. But cooking for one doesn’t rule out delicious, healthy, and varied meals. The secrets to being scrumptiously solo start long before you turn on a burner and are more about your approach to feeding yourself than single-serving recipes. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to affordably stock your kitchen for solo meals and focus on basic ingredients that let you make every meal special—even leftovers. You’ll then put what you learn to practice before striking out on your own.
Recipe Revamp: Making Your Family Favorites Better
Size: 4 to 10 people
Time: 2-1/2 hours
We all have recipes passed down in our family through the generations. But if you’ve never made your cranberry sauce or dressing (stuffing) from scratch, built a green bean casserole with fresh beans and home-fried shallots, or roasted your own vegetables, those family favorites could be—well, twice as tasty. In this workshop, we’ll look at your favorite family recipes and give them a facelift. You’ll have a chance to practice new techniques and test an upgraded recipe, giving you the confidence to present version 2.0 at the next family gathering.
Grilled or Roasted: Getting Fired Up about Vegetables
Size: 4 to 10 people
Time: 2-1/2 hours
Meats often feature in grilled and roasted meals, but that backyard barbecue and indoor oven are among the best tools for a vegetable lover. Grilled and roasted vegetables not only upgrade your evening meal but also enhance your canned and frozen goods. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to grill and roast your vegetables perfectly every time. Depending on the season, we’ll either grill or roast vegetables to eat on the spot as part of a group meal.
Riffs on Risotto: Risotto Basics and Variations
Size: 4 to 8 people
Time: 3 hours
Why do we see pasta as easy and versatile but risotto as challenging? Gather your friends for a dinner party, and I’ll show you how to unlock risotto’s mysteries. In this hands-on workshop, we’ll start the evening by making a risotto from scratch in your kitchen. Then we’ll sit down to enjoy it and discuss how you can create other risottos at home. I’ll provide notes and recipe ideas that lead you from the meal to playing in your own kitchen.
Speedy Soup Suppers: Soup Basics and Variations
Size: 4 to 10 people
Time: 2-1/2 hours
Want to play and eat well? You can have a variety of dinners within 30 minutes of shedding your outdoor layers. In this workshop, which can be expanded to accommodate larger groups, you’ll learn about the basic elements of soup and a simple ratio that lets you vary those elements each time you pull out the stockpot. We’ll then play with the formula by creating a soup to enjoy on the spot.
Have another technique you want to try? Check out the ideas on the custom workshops page.
Workshops are always available locally in Montana’s Flathead Valley, but I also take these workshops on the road. If you are interested in setting up a workshop in your area, contact me.
Schedule a Workshop
Workshops are hosted in private kitchens among friends. I supply all materials and any tools you don’t already have in your kitchen. Better than a book club or a night out with friends where you simply talk about good food, these fun gatherings teach you and your friends how to prepare good food from scratch with my personal help.
To schedule a workshop, simply contact me! Together we will:
- Choose a workshop or request a custom topic.
- Pick a date and time.
- Decide how many friends you will invite, based on the workshop topic and the group size you can accommodate in your kitchen.
It’s that easy! I’ll handle all of the food planning and preparation from there. We’ll be in contact before the workshop to make sure everything goes smoothly once people arrive at your door. Workshops cost $40 per person; contact me if you’re interested in setting up a workshop for a larger group or at a special rate.
Unsure whether you’re ready to take part in a workshop, or undecided about what you would like to learn? Click here to subscribe to Twice as Tasty and get ideas delivered weekly to your inbox. You can also click here to join the companion Facebook group, a forum for asking questions and offering your own ideas about food and preserving.
Twice as Tasty 