Candied Orange Peel

3 large thick-skinned oranges (I've used navel, cara-cara, and valencias)

1 cup of water

2 cups of sugar

First, peel your oranges. I like to slice off the top and bottom, then score the sides, and peel them off. Cut each piece of peel into strips.

Place orange peel in a large pot and cover with a few inches of cold water. Bring to a boil, lower a bit, and let boil for 30 minutes. Drain the water, rinse the peels (I just put more cold water in the pot, swished it around, and drained again) and fill with a few more inches of water. Boil for 30 minutes again. If you like just a smidge of the bitter taste of orange (like me), stop here. If not, drain, rinse, refill, and boil for 30 minutes one more time.

In a medium pot/saucepan, stir together the sugar and water as you bring it to a boil. Let boil for 8-9 minutes. Add the drained orange peels and lower to medium-low (it should still be simmering and bubbling). Swirl the pot a bit to make sure the peels are coated. Let simmer for 35-40 minutes, checking often. The syrup should keep bubbling. NEVER stir this!!!! If you are concerned about the peels at the top, swirl the pot gently again, but do NOT stir! After 35-40 minutes, remove from heat, lift pieces of peel out of the syrup with a fork (or tongs) and lay each strip on a wire rack over some wax/parchment paper to set. After a few minutes of cooling, you can sprinkle/toss them with sugar to make them all pretty.