Last week I was scouring Pinterest, looking for ideas for “thank-you” gifts for a card class that I participate in. I happened across lots of ideas for these stove-top potpourri gift ideas and recipes. The sample gift bags I saw looked pretty, but having never tried stove-top potpourri, I decided I should test a recipe before making up a bunch of “thank you” gifts, just in case they really didn’t smell all that great.
I settled on a recipe by Liz On Call because she also had a beautiful printable included that could be used for Christmas gifting. Her recipe contained simple ingredients, and was easy. I tried it. It wasn’t long before a lovely fall scent filled my kitchen, reminding me of holiday desserts and family get-togethers. I decided it would make a nice “thank you” gift for the card class and to my delight, the ladies were pleased with their favors.
The fun thing about these fall scented stove-top potpourri recipes is that you can pull ingredients from your spice shelf, mix and match and try new combinations. This basic recipe that I tried calls for oranges, cranberries, cloves and cinnamon sticks. Other recipes add apple slices, or replace the orange with lemon. Still others call for vanilla beans or ginger in place of cloves. In a stove safe pan you simply combine the ingredients with water and simmer, occasionally adding more water. The recipe can be saved in the refrigerator and reused several times. In talking with the ladies at card class, it was mentioned that these stove-top recipes could probably be used atop a wood-burning stove being used to heat a room, or a small crock pot or slow cooker. I didn’t try either alternate method, but I don’t see why they wouldn’t work.
Stove-Top Potpourri
1 sliced orange and/or apple
1/3 – 1/2 cup of fresh cranberries
2 cinnamon sticks
1 Tbsp whole cloves
Combine in a pot with 2 cups of water and simmer. Add more water as needed. Do not boil until dry. Enjoy the lovely, holiday fragrance!
Thanks Liz for the fun idea!
Here’s the link to Liz On Call in case you are interested in her printable: www.http://lizoncall.com/stove-top-potpourri-recipe/