The smell of this simmering potpourri is amazing. I made it for the first time when I hosted our family Thanksgiving last year. It uplifted my spirits and made the home feel cozy. I was surprised when my two sisters-in-law and my mother-in-law all wanted to know how to do it. So I quickly made up a few take home packages and sent them along with the directions.
This year, I decided to make up a few holiday packages with the ingredients and instructions as a nice gift for my children’s Sunday school teachers. It only took a few minutes and it is a gift that can be used and enjoyed.
This recipe is a great way to use up oranges and cranberries before they go bad if you have more than you consume or if you have travel plans and won’t have time to consume them all be before you leave.
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INGREDIENTS
1 orange, tangerine or clementine
Divided if using for yourself or whole if packaging as a gift
4 small cinnamon sticks or 2 large ones, broken in half to release more fragrance
You could also substitute 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. But I think the cinnamon sticks add a special touch to the appearance, especially if you are giving it as a gift.
1 cup fresh cranberries
I love the red color!
1 teaspoon of ground cloves or a small handful of whole cloves
Again, I think the addition of whole cloves lends another special touch to the appearance, especially if you are giving it as a gift.
1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
This is a very forgiving recipe, so use this as a guide and vary according to what you have on hand.
When giving as gift, include the following instructions:
STEP 1: Empty contents of package into a saucepan.
STEP 2: Remove the orange, divide into segments and return to pot
STEP 3: Add water to cover
STEP 4: Simmer and enjoy