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One-Pot Cheesy Turkey Tamale Pie.
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It’s finally the time I wait for all year long.
Thanksgiving week is here and that means the holiday craze is beginning! Yes!
Watch the How-To Here:
Christmas Potpourri from Half Baked Harvest on Vimeo.
Here’s the thing, every year I always make these grand plans in my head to do all my favorite holiday things. Like all of them. Cut down the family tree, decorate the tree, make sugar cookies, decorate the house, make gingerbread houses from scratch, send out christmas cookies to everyone, find the best gifts, watch ALL the Christmas movies, go for a snowy sleigh ride, make hot cocoa with giant marshmallows and loads of whipped cream, go ice skating, make the most grand Christmas dinner – with the table set all cute and festive. The idea is pretty much just to have the perfect Christmas season, which for me started with our big snowfall last week.
Here ‘s the reality though, I maybe do one or two of those things and then Christmas comes and goes and I am wicked sad it’s over because I didn’t even get to cross off half the things on my list. It honestly happens ever year.
So this year, I am just accepting the fact that I will never get all those things done. Especially with how busy I am right now, it’s just not possible. Instead, I am bringing the Christmas fun to the blog and making my work not work like at all. Gotta love that. I have decided that there are just way too many things I want to tell you guys all about this December, so now the weekends will be filled with Christmas cheer.
So exciting right!?!? Ok well exciting for me any way.
Today I am kicking things off with some crazy easy, holiday potpourri that simmers on the stove all day long. Don’t think I am all old and lame trying to tell you guys to make some homemade potpourri, I promise you will love this. Just trying to make the house smell like Christmas – like home. If you’re a candle person, you’ll love this potpourri.
The best part is, you can really use whatever you have on hand. The must-haves in my opinion are cinnamon, citrus, ginger and vanilla. Nothing makes it feel more like the holidays than those smells. So good.
I have seen the idea of potpourri that simmers on the stove all over the place lately and I am so glad I finally tried it, and especially that I tried it on a cold, snowy weekend. I just let this simmer all day long, adding more water as needed, and every person that walked through the house said “wow, it smells so good in here, like Christmas.”. Trust me, if you are having guests over this is the perfect thing to have simmering away on the stove. So try it at Thanksgiving. It’s a great easy fix that makes people feel warm, cozy and welcomed!
Jeez, I am so cheesy. It’s the holidays, they do that too me.
Homemade Holidays: Let’s Make the House Smell Like Christmas.
Servings: 1
Calories Per Serving: 580 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
- 3 tangerines halved
- 3 whole cinnamon sticks
- 2 star anise gives a strong black licorice smell. optional
- 1 teaspoon whole cloves
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean + 1 vanilla extract
- 1 small branch fresh pine
- 1 cup apple cider pomegranate or cranberry juice
- water
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a medium size sauce pot. Fill the pot with water until it reaches 3/4 the way full. Place the pot on the stove and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, adding more water as needed. I let mine simmer for close to 4 hours and then let it cool over night and simmer again the next day. Just be sure to keep adding more water.
Simmering.
This post was originally published on November 23, 2014
This is genius. Can’t wait to try it!! Also – love that white background! Where is it from?!
Thanks so much!! The back is actually and old door my dad found for me. It’s huge and so heavy!
I so badly want to experience a white Christmas and have this bubbling away on the stove!! For us in Australia, Christmas is the hottest time of year. We normally do BBq’s on the day and spend as much time as we can in the pool. It’s always fun seeing the difference in the food posts of bloggers in the US and Aus in a the contrasting seasons. As always your photos are just gorgeous!
No way! I cannot even imagine spending Christmas day BBQ and swimming in the pool. I hope you get to enjoy a white Christmas someday!
Thanks so much!
I so want the house to smell like Christmas, this is gorgeous!
Thanks Laura!
Hope you had a great weekend! 🙂
This is so beautiful to look at, not to mention how lovely it must smell! Also, that saucepan is gorgeous! ; )
Thanks Crystal! 🙂
Hope you had a great weekend!
This is so incredibly cool Tieghan!! I think I can, I think I can…
THANK YOU! 🙂
Hope you had a great weekend!
Lovin’ the smells you’re creating here, Tieghan!
Thanks so much!!
This is so much fun, I agree Christmas is the best time of the year. So many wonderful emotions and memories to feel and build!
Thanks Nik! Hope you had a great weekend!
I’ve been meaning to try this for days! Looks so gorgeous, especially in that copper pan! I can almost smell it through my screen 🙂
Thanks Nora! 🙂
Oh gosh, I can almost smell how amazing this must be. I do the same thing with coming up with a huge list of all the things I want to do over the holiday season, and then never managing to do more than half. Those pesky final exams keep getting in the way!
UGH. I hear ya!
Thanks so much and I hope you had a great weekend!
Not sure what I love most; the beautiful potpourri, your beautiful lived-in pot, the glimpse of your stove or imagining what wonderful posts you have coming up in December!
I totally agree with you Toni!! That’s what I wanted to say too Tieghen!! Everything and I mean everything here screams cozy holidays!!
Thank you so much, Ami!! Hopping you had a great weekend! 🙂
Thank you so much, Toni!! That is one of my favorite pots! 🙂
Hope you had a great weekend!
Tieghan, I love to do this to! I save the peels from the clementines we’re eating to add to the pot. I haven’t tried adding pine branches but I’m sure gonna try it today!
I’m with you on the huge Christmas wish list that is never fully realized. One of these years I’ll start this list in August, and maybe then it’ll actually get done 🙂
Love your blog! -Nancy
Oh that is such a great idea!! I am doing that starting right now!:)
Thanks Nancy! 🙂
You will have the best of the season….a warm home, good food (you family is grateful for), family, and friends. Oh and that little Christmas elf running around full of Christmas joy. Is she old enough to help with simple cookie recipes?? I can see your kitchen now–lol.
Hope your Sunday is a happy one.
Yes, she is….but she gets bored..fast! Haha, but I love having her in the kitchen with me.
Thanks Nancy!
What?! You can’t eat that? I am pretty sure if I leave out the pine, it will be very tasty…
Holidays are definitely in the air, I can smell them too 🙂 So exciting
Haha! 🙂
I love doing this on the oven this time of year. It looks beautiful too. I don’t have a cooper pan like that though. Gorgeous!
Thanks Emily!
Mmm this looks so lovely. I can imagine my ideal cozy little cottage with this bubbling away on an aga stove, keeping the kitchen warm and cozy. It makes me want Christmas to arrive all the sooner!
Thanks so much!