if you ask me, most of us could really use a few extra hours in the day. i know i sure could. my house would be cleaner, the dark circles under my eyes would be much reduced and i would likely spend even more time in the kitchen. 

unfortunately, that is a pipe dream. we are stuck with our measly twenty-four/seven to get everything we need done. and if you cook regularly or entertain, you know it is always a mad scramble to get things done, served and looking pretty. 

so for todays tips & tricks, i'm showing you one of my go to make in advance styling and flavor helpers. from start to finish, drying citrus takes an hour with approximately 2 minutes of active time. you can get these bad boys going and use the rest of your hour for whatever time consuming activities you have on your plate. 

when i have a few minutes to spare and i know i will be at home, i make a point to dry whatever citrus i have on hand. and what do you use it for you may ask? i use them as garnish for savory dishes, decor for cakes and they are amazing chopped up in a sauce when you do not have citrus on hand. not to mention, they store well. you can keep them in something airtight for up to six months. 

dried citrus
serves: 10-15 wheels (depending on how large your citrus is)
prep time: 2 minutes
active time 1 hour (add about 20 minutes for larger fruits like grapefruit and oranges)
total time: 1 hour 5 minutes ingredients: 1 citrus of your choice (limes, lemons, grapefruit, oranges, kumquats, get creative!). sharp knife. baking sheet. parchment paper or silicon mat. oven. 

start by preheating your oven to 200 degrees f. line your baking sheet with the parchment or silicon mat. slice the citrus THIN. as thin as you can based on your skills (thicker fruit will take longer to dry out). 

lay the fruit in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. dry in the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes for larger fruit, flipping the fruit over halfway through. 

when the fruit is dried, remove from the oven and allow it to cool till you can handle them. 

use as you desire, but if you are storing them, allow them to cool completely before packing them into an airtight container. 

use or store for up to 6 months. 

xo, a

dried citrus
serves: 10-15 wheels (depending on how large your citrus is)
prep time: 2 minutes
active time 1 hour (add about 20 minutes for larger fruits like grapefruit and oranges)
total time: 1 hour 5 minutes ingredients: 1 citrus of your choice (limes, lemons, grapefruit, oranges, kumquats, get creative!). sharp knife. baking sheet. parchment paper or silicon mat. oven.
start by preheating your oven to 200 degrees f. line your baking sheet with the parchment or silicon mat. slice the citrus THIN. as thin as you can based on your skills (thicker fruit will take longer to dry out). lay the fruit in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. dry in the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes for larger fruit, flipping the fruit over halfway through. when the fruit is dried, remove from the oven and allow it to cool till you can handle them. use as you desire, but if you are storing them, allow them to cool completely before packing them into an airtight container. use or store for up to 6 months. 

as previously expressed, i have kumquats coming out of my ears. but, i'm kind of loving it. it has me hyper focused on one ingredient and figuring out all the wonderful things i can do with that ingredient. 

plus, if you haven't noticed, they are really freaking adorable. 

so i'm getting very creative with kumquats. kumquat squares. kumquat jam. kumquat cocktails. 

but my favorite so far has been these lavender + kumquat cupcakes. 

one of the women i work with at one of my yoga studios and her friends bought a whole lavender plant when they made my lemon + lavender cake and were so sweet to give me the plant when they were done. and i've absolutely fallen in love with it. lavender has proven to be an amazing compliment to the tart and sweet kumquats and together they made a scrumptious cupcake.

lavender + kumquat cupcakes
serving size: 18 cupcakes
prep time: 10 min
bake time: 15-20 min
total time with frosting: 1.5hrs
ingredients: 2 cups flour. 2 tsp baking powder. .5 tsp salt. .5 cup shortening. 2 eggs. 1.5 cups sugar. 1 tbs diced kumquat (about 2 kumquats). 1 tsp lavender leaves, minced. 1 tsp lavender flowers, minced. .75 cups buttermilk. .5 cups whole milk .5 tsp vanilla extract. .5tsp almond extract. 

preheat your oven to 350 f. with a mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the sugar and shortening.

while the shortening and sugar are being worked, combine the extracts, kumquats and lavender in a small bowl. 

with the mixer on a medium speed, add in the eggs until just combined. then add in the kumquat, lavender, extract mixture. 

still on medium, pour in the milk and buttermilk and mix till smooth. 

with the mixer on a slow speed add in the dry ingredients until just combined. 

spoon the mixture into a large ziplock or piping bag. 

into prepared cupcake pans, add 2-3 tbs batter to each pan. 

bake until a toothpick comes out of the cake clean. about 15 to 20 minutes
allow to cool completely.
frost with cream cheese frosting and serve. 

xo, a

lavender + kumquat cupcakes
serving size: 18 cupcakes
prep time: 10 min
bake time: 15-20 min
total time with frosting: 1.5hrs
ingredients: 2 cups flour. 2 tsp baking powder. .5 tsp salt. .5 cup shortening. 2 eggs. 1.5 cups sugar. 1 tbs diced kumquat (about 2 kumquats). 1 tsp lavender leaves, minced. 1 tsp lavender flowers, minced. 75 cups buttermilk. .5 cups whole milk .5 tsp vanilla extract. .5tsp almond extract.
preheat your oven to 350 f. with a mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the sugar and shortening.
while the shortening and sugar are being worked, combine the extracts, kumquats and lavender in a small bowl.
with the mixer on a medium speed, add in the eggs until just combined. then add in the kumquat, lavender, extract mixture.
still on medium, pour in the milk and buttermilk and mix till smooth.
with the mixer on a slow speed add in the dry ingredients until just combined.
spoon the mixture into a large ziplock or piping bag.
into prepared cupcake pans, add 2-3 tbs batter to each pan.
bake until a toothpick comes out of the cake clean. about 15 to 20 minutes
allow to cool completely.
frost with cream cheese frosting and serve.