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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
Love this it makes my house smell so good. How often do you have to make new?
Thank you!!! I would say after every two to three days you would need to make a new. Have a Merry Christmas! 🙂
When do you refresh everything ? How long does the mixture last? Just love the smell.
My friend just gave me all the ingredients (not including any liquids) in a mason jar with a cute tag on it that stated how to use it. A pretty ribbon tied around the lid. A perfect little gift for neighbors, teachers, etc!!
Yeah! That is awesome! Happy Holidays! 🙂
This worked awesome, the wife loved it! She was a bit upset that it didn’t feel like Christmas after getting some holiday decor up. So we got a tree over the weekend and used your recipe to fill the house with holiday spirit and she loved it.
Also you can try pickling spice it smells great simmering on the stove.
Do you news to let it simmer for so many hours? Gas is really expensive here in México.
Do you really have to*…
Hi, To keep the smell going, you need to keep it on a low heat. You could put this in the crockpot as well.
I really want to make this for Christmas but do not want to spend money in a ceramic pot, can I make it in one that I have but is a clay pot that I brought from overseas, never have used it.
I am making this soon because of how lovely is looks and sounds. Ahhhh! I went out to get the stuff tonight as well as pick a pine branch off a tree from the streets. Haha. I showed someone what I’m gonna make and they swear the branch you pictured here is either spruce or fir. What’s the deal?
love this sent and I am going to make this for my girlfriends gifts. Where did you get the beautiful copper pot you are simmering in?
Thank you so much! I bought it on Etsy, just search copper pots. 🙂
Would this work in a spare crock pot? Looks amazing ?
Hey Becky! Yes, it would be great in a crockpot, just set it on low. Thanks!
Holy COW, your photographs are drop dead gorgeous. Like put them in a frame beautiful. I thoroughly enjoyed gazing at them!
THANK YOU!
Just a stupid question, after I make this for how long the smell stay???, I wouldn’t like to be making this every second day.
Thanking you.
HI! You can keep adding water to this to keep it going longer (store in the fridge when not on the stove), but no more than four days.
Hi! What a wonderful idea! I’d never heard of liquid pot pourri, but this looks to be an excellent way of introducing a Christmassy atmosphere. Do you think it might work in an old fondu pot with a night light burning? I only ask because of the energy costs involved with keeping a stove going for a long while …
Hmm, I am not sure. It might not give off enough heat to produce a smell, BUT then it might. I think it is worth a try! 🙂
I can just about smell this coming from your kitchen and want it for my kitchen too! Of course here in NZ, Christmas is Summer time, but this Christmas aroma I fondly remember of being in California for Christmas a few times, wants me to make our home smell like this too! I was thinking of using the Crock Pot too!
hehe! Thank you so much, Chrissy! Hope you love this! Oh and I think the crockpot will be great!
so when all ready what do you do with it
You just let it simmer until it all gone basically. You can add more water to keep it going longer.
Thanks for illuminating me with this Christmas aroma recipe?, I’ve tried it today and it’s omg,will never buy candles again on Christmas❤️.
haha! So happy you love this, thanks!