Recipe: Candied Heirloom Orange Peels

Winter means citrus season here in California. We are so lucky to have access to such an abundance of varieties like Cara Cara, Sumo Mandarins, Ruby Grapefruit, Clementines, Heirloom Oranges and our favorite Blood Oranges. Our weekly CSA box has had a bounty of these beauties lately and it got us inspired for a new flavor. We have been wanting to mix in some ingredients for some time now to add an element of texture and flavor and these candied orange peels are just the ticket! We are still playing around with the future flavor but we are thinking a rift on Mexican Hot Chocolate with deep cocoa, lots of warming cinnamon and the candied orange peels mixed in. For now-they have been a great accompaniment to our afternoon shot of espresso and we wanted to share with you! So here we go!

To start, we peeled about 3 Heirloom Navel oranges and 2 Blood oranges. The easiest way to peel to assure you can cut nice strips is to score the citrus into 4 segments with a pairing knife and then peel back the ski-you will want to make sure the white pith is included.

Next-fill a pot with enough water to just cover the citrus peel strips and boil for about a minute or two to remove some of the bitterness.

Now for the sweet part! You are going to create a simple syrup of sorts which is one part water to two parts sugar. This creates as slightly thicker syrup than a traditional simple syrup which will help with the ultimate tackiness of the citrus peels so that the sugar that you are going to roll them in adheres. I added a little vanilla bean to mine and simmered for 30 minutes, turned off the heat and then allowed to sit for another five minutes.

Next, lay the citrus peels on a wire rack to dry-patience is key here, dry for eight hours minimum but ideally for about twenty-four hours.

After allow to dry, you should have a tacky but not overly squishy citrus strip. Roll in your favorite sugar to coat-we used good old regular white cane sugar but you can use raw sugar, coconut sugar, you name it!

You now have candied, coated citrus peels that you dip in chocolate for an even sweeter treat, eat on their own with your afternoon coffee, add to vanilla ice cream, truly whatever sounds good! Below are some sample bags of the new flavor to share with friends!

Happy sugaring!

Friday Happy Hour-Smoky Jalapeno Paloma Recipe

Summer is on its way and that means bright, refreshing cocktails mandatorily drank outside. The Paloma, is the perfect hot weather cocktail; typically made with tequila, lime juice, Squirt and ice, in a tall, salt-rimmed glass. It is simple, balanced and ridiculously refreshing. Sweet, sour and a bit salty, with a hint of bitterness from the grapefruit, it covers the whole flavor spectrum. There is no better summer drink.

We punched ours up a bit by doctoring the traditional “lazy man’s margarita” with the addition of mezcal, fresh squeezed grapefruit juice and spicy jalapeno simple syrup. The flavors meld together for an earthy, smoky, yet still delightfully refreshing grown up version of La Paloma. Southwest summer sophistication in a glass.

A very brief history of the drink: La Paloma, translating to, “the dove”, really didn’t start getting a strong footing south of the border until the early 1990’s. That being said, its virtually the national drink of Guadalajara. By the end of the decade, the drink started filtering into the United States, starting in California and then radiating out of the Southwest. It gained in popularity at the Orange County restaurant, Tlaquepaque.

We find that this summer cocktail pairs best with sunsets and a savory flavors, like Rosemary Garlic Giddy Up Nuts, shrimp ceviche, or carne asada tacos. Cheers!

-The Paloma-

Ingredients:

1oz 100% Agave tequila-blanco or repasado

1oz mezcal-repasdo

3-4oz freshly squeezed grapefruit juice

2-3 oz La Croix grapefruit soda

.5-1oz jalapeno simple syrup (see note below)

Combine ingredients in a glass with crushed ice, stir, garnish with your favorite aromatic and enjoy!

*To make jalapeno simple syrup combine one part sugar and one part water in a small saucepan. Heat to dissolve sugar, then add sliced, fresh jalapeno. Heat for another minute or so and then remove from heat and allow to steep for at least 20 minutes

Epic Adventures and New Friends

The Pacific Crest Trail, or PCT, has rapidly been gaining popularity over the past few years. It is a grueling 2,600 mile trail that makes its way from the Mexico boarder, travels up California, through the Sierra Nevada mountains and ends in Canada. It's vast, has long stretches without water, forces you to endure desert heat, mountain elevation and all sorts of wildlife. Maybe it has to do something with Reese Witherspoon's portrayal of Cheryl Strayed in Wild or maybe it has something to do with more and more people wanting to completely disconnect from everyday chaos and re-connect with nature. Either way, the trail is hot, and we get a lot of hikers stopping through Mammoth Lakes. 

A few weeks ago a good friend from Australia reached out to us and asked if we could help out his good girlfriend who set out on this epic trip by herself. The ultimate bad-ass babe. She started in Mexico in early May and would be making her way to Mammoth on July 6th. We picked her up and offered a bed, shower and laundry for however long she needed; all complete luxuries for someone who has called the great outdoors their home for the past two months. We got to know some of her friends that she has made on the trail as well, over a BBQ and some late night beers under the stars in our backyard. These are four of the loveliest, most gracious people you will ever meet. We ended up hosting Jay from South Korea, Pete from New Mexico, Lance from San Diego and Kirsten from Australia for the next few days. They were able to see the best of Mammoth, listen to some live music, drink some good beers and eat some great food all while giving their legs a much deserved break. We were treated to stories of their faraway homes, trials on the trails and made to feel like we were right there when they summited the highest peak in North America. 

Kirsten, Jay, Lance and Pete, we were honored to be your trail angels for a couple of days and can't wait to follow your adventures over the next few months on your way up to Canada! 

Backyard Apple Almond Flour Muffins

I love to bake. My loving of baking is pretty much how I ended up on this crazy almond adventure to begin with. There is something incredibly therapeutic in cooking and baking. You get to take all of these disjointed ingredients and make a delicious creation for the people you love. I'm fairly certain my love and ability to cook and bake is what has landed me a fiance. 

But life and work has been getting in the way lately and there has not been as many messes made in our kitchen as there should be. So I have made a mini resolution to get back in there and play around more. It's interesting because somehow, "We have nothing to eat" ends up producing the most delicious food. This morning was one of those mornings, two people, 1 egg, 2 pieces of bacon and like 10 lbs of apples. After my suggestion of apple sauce for breakfast was met with a flat "no" I turned to the pantry to see what inspiration may lie in there. After scraping together a little of this and a pinch of that these Backyard Apple Almond Flour Muffins were born. Without further ado, the recipe: 

To make the applesauce for this recipe, peel, core and chop 2 1/2 lb. apples. Place in a heavy saucepan with 1/3 cup water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until very soft, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat. Allow to cool and then puree in food processor. Taste and add sugar if needed. The applesauce can be stored for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. It can be used at room temperature or cold in this and other quick bread recipes. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups almond flour (any flour will do but in the spirit of Giddy Up, almond flour was used)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/3 cup almond oil, walnut oil or canola oil
• 1 egg
• 1 heaping cup applesauce (see headnote above)
• Unsalted butter for serving
• Cinnamon Sugar for topping

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Grease 12 standard muffin cups with butter or butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray. 

In a bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and allspice. 

In a bowl with a fitted mixer, beat together the oil, egg and applesauce until smooth. Add the flour mixture in two additions to the applesauce mixture and mix until until evenly moistened. The batter may seem dry at first, but it will loosen and smooth out as you beat the mixture. 

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them level with the rim of the cup. Bake until the muffins are golden, dry and springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 18-20 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the muffins. Serve them warm or at room temperature, with butter. Makes 12 muffins. 

And these babies were good, like really good. As evidenced by the crumbs and mixing bowl licked clean. Happy weekend and happy baking! 

New Year's Resolutions

2018 you are our year, we can feel it! 2017, overall you were great, you showed us the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. There was a lot that was learned and we can honestly say that gratitude was the biggest outcome of 2017. Gratitude for the good and the bad and the ability to roll with, get comfortable with and learn from both. Not a bad life skill to work on.  But there is just something about a clean slate. The new year brings endless possibility and to say that we are ready to slay is an understatement.  2017 was all about laying the groundwork for what will hopefully be our biggest and most exciting year yet! Giddy Up was born out of the desire to wander, to explore, to dream of something bigger than ourselves and we are so excited to put it all to the test.  We cannot wait to share everything with you as it all comes together. 

We've never really been ones for resolutions, they are always have the best intentions but never seem to survive past February, if we are lucky. But upon further reflection that just seems like a cop out. The world needs more accountability right now, more compassion, more curiosity, more inspiration. So in honor of wanting to be a good citizen in the world and in hopes of helping to inspire, here are our New Years Resolutions (all in the format of speaking to ourselves): 

1. Volunteer More. The holiday spirit always sparks a temporary boost in wanting to help others but why does that spirit have to fade come new years? You know that homeless guy that you see every day on your way to work? Go talk to him, bring him a hot meal and find out his story. We all crave that human connection. You know those cute puppies that are available for adoption that pop up on your Instagram feed all the time, and you think aww for a second? Go help out at the shelter, take one for a walk or better yet take a crazy leap of faith and actually adopt your new best friend! Speaking from experience animal companionship helps everything. Take that fleeting of idea of "'I should do something" and DO IT! The feeling is addictive. 

2. Get Cultural. Like really cultural, not Museum of Ice Cream cultural. We love good a IG photo as much as the next but there is so much beauty in this world. Go to more concerts, open mic nights, films and museums. Go marvel in something that someone else created.

3. Save Mo Money. Christmas is over, and it was good to you. You do not NEED anything else. You know what will feel better than a fancy watch, statement bag or 100th lipstick in a slightly pinker shade than the last 10 that you bought? A fat bank account with robust investment portfolio!  And you know what is more fun than checking your social media apps 10 times per day, checking your Fidelity Investments app to see how much money you made today! 

4. Dream Big. No more excuses, no more whining, no more waiting. You get one chance, make something bigger than you. No exceptions. Demand more from yourself. Whats the worst that could happen? 

So there they are kids! Feel free to comment, check in, and hold us to them. Hopefully they inspired you as well. We wish you all a very happy New Year. Make it your best one yet! 

Giddy Up Nuts Is Coming to Lassens Grocery

It's been a few months in the making but Giddy Up Nuts is so excited to announce that we can now be found in six of Lassen's retail locations: Los Feliz, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Thousand Oaks, Bakersfield and Simi Valley.