As I was thinking about the holidays and what I love so much about them, I remembered the holiday smells that use to waft through my friend’s house. Only the fragrant smells were not from good ole’ home cooking, but from a few common ingredients found in the pantry and around the garden.
A little Knott’s boysenberry syrup, a couple of cinnamon sticks, little white flowers from an orange tree, a few cloves, and a bit of water stirred in a pot turned my friend’s house into a holiday abode.
Homemade Simmering Potpourri is a great, frugal way to make the house smell delicious. For some more ideas, try these great recipes.
Directions: To make homemade simmering potpourri fill a small saucepan with the ingredients and simmer over low on the stove or use an electric potpourri simmering pot
. Make sure to keep an eye on the water levels and refill as necessary.
Simple and great smelling. I like to mix the dry ingredients up in little Ziploc’s to have them ready to add to water during the holiday season.
3 cinnamon sticks
3 bay leaves
1/4 cup whole cloves
1 teaspoon ground cloves
2 lemon slices, fresh or 2 tablespoons dried lemon peel
2 tablespoons orange peel or dried orange peel
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 quart water
Mix all ingredients in medium saucepan. Simmer on low heat. Add more water as needed.
Cinnamon sticks
Vanilla extract
Almond extract
Nutmeg (optional)
Add a little apple cider to your simmering water, and you get a whole new flavor.
Fruity-Fresh Simmering Potpourri
1 lemon
1 orange
3-3 inch cinnamon sticks
6 bay leaves
½ cup whole cloves
Cut lemon and orange into slices or place in pot or slow cooker or saucepan. Cover with water and then top with a few bay leaves, whole cloves and cinnamon sticks. Cook on low heat. You can refrigerate and reuse any leftovers.
Three cinnamon sticks
Three or four whole cloves
Two pinches of ground cinnamon
One pinch of nutmeg
Two or three apple slices, including the peel (optional, but really nice!)
Mix all ingredients in medium saucepan. Simmer on low heat. Add more water as needed.
sometimes i put all of my ingredients in a casserole dish, add water and put it in the oven – leaving the oven cracked open. not only am i getting a nice aroma, but it’s also heating my home … ahh, the good ole two birds w/one stone.
Oh, what a great idea! What are some of your favorite ingredients to use?
ooo lovely, I’m thinking thrifty Christmas presents!?
I think that is a great idea. If you have a dehydrator you could dry out some orange or lemon slices.
Great recipes. I am working on some mason jar gifts for co-workers and these will come in handy if I decide I don’t want them all to be the same gift: hot drinks. I especially like the potpourri idea. I think that would work as a gift in a mason jar as well.
thanks again!
Thank you. I like the mason jar gift idea. How fun to put together. I found a blog post, I wish I could recall, that had a slew of homemade flavored coffee recipes.
I am thinking I could put a ‘home gift basket’ together for my mother’s gift – some dried potpourri, some nice kitchen towels & potholders, a good book, and lots of diabetic friendly cookies (is there such a thing) all stuffed in a nice basket. Hmmm… thanks for the mason jar idea. have fun putting yours together.
For those folks living near Albertsons grocery stores, have you noticed that they pump cinnamon scents into the produce and bakery areas? I’m convinced it’s because it smells like the best days at home! Thanks for these–cinnamon is such a divine, warming, fabulous scent. I should try using it year-round!
LOL. They do it at Stater Bros., too. Love it!
You know cinnamon tea is really good for upset stomachs caused by overstuffing at Turkey time. The wonders of cinnamon.
Hope you give the home simmering potpourri a try. MMm…caution: may make you hungry for holiday food. 😉
Really? I didn’t know that. I get motion sickness pretty easily and people are always telling me to drink ginger tea. Wouldn’t ya know, I’m one of those few freaks who gets worse with ginger tea. I’m gonna try cinnamon and see how it works!
But now, all I really want are some warm cinnamon rolls. mmmmmmmmm 😛
LOL. ya, ewwy gooey cinnamon rolls with a Starbuck’s mocha n whipped cream (how many calories did I just spell?) 😉
get worse with ginger tea? I would think the ginger would make you ancy or jittery? cinnamon tea is a mexican remedy. Works great for me.
Oh, thought of another… like Snickerdoodles? I love things with cinnamon!
We do something similar w/ old orange rhines for example. I love your different options though and I’m thinking there’s probably a cute way to make these into little gifts. You’re a genius! : P
LOL. Thanks! Einstein at your service. 😉
This post made me think about an episode I was watching. Bobby Flay on the Food Network and he made mulled cider: cider, oranges, cloves… I can only image how the house would smell and the cider would taste.
I love simmering potions….I’m definitely trying one of these!
I love them, too. Makes me wonder why I don’t simmer more often. Thinking of picking up one of these simmering pots to use year round.