12 Days of Christmas Decorating: Day Nine

Consider this a holiday decoration for your sense of smell.

For years, I have put past-their-prime apples and oranges
to good use instead of just tossing them out.

In a pot, combine sliced fruit with whole or ground spices

such as cinnamon sticks, star anise, allspice, ginger and cloves.
I happened to have cranberries leftover from our popcorn chains
so I tossed them into the mixture too.

Cover with water and let it boil, then simmer, on your stovetop.

The smell is so delicious and will last all day.

Reuse it the next day with the addition of more water.

An alternative is to dry rings or slices of apples and citrus fruits

in a dehydrator or your oven to use in this stove-top potpourri.

Mix up a batch of the ingredients to store in a sealed container
for use anytime you want this heavenly scent.

This potpourri is a great teacher gift, especially if the kids

help mix up the whole spices to package in organza bags

and write out the instructions for their use.

Throw ian apple and orange on the gift bag

for a whole new take on "an apple for the teacher."