My Favorite Potpourri Recipes

I absolutely love to have a good smelling house

I either want it to smell like I have been baking and cooking all day (which sometimes I have) or I want it to smell festive like the season we are in at the time of year it is, so I burn candles and simmer potpourri and wax tarts all around my house.

Here are a few of My Favorite Potpourri Recipes

Hope you will make some

Kitchen Potpourri

1 lemon cut in fourths

1 apple cut in fourths

1 orange cut in fourths

2 or 3 cinnamon sticks

Water to cover

Place in a pan and simmer.

Holiday Potpourri

1 Orange

1 Lemon

1 Bay Leaf

1 Cinnamon Stick

1/4 Cup Whole Cloves

1. Cut orange and lemon into pieces.

2. Put all ingredients in a sauce pan and cover with water.

3. Simmer on stove, and add additional water during the day, when needed.

Holiday Spice

2 c. water

1/2 c. sugar

1 c. pineapple juice

1 c. orange juice

1 lemon, sliced

4 cinnamon sticks

1 Tbs. whole cloves

Bring ingredients to a boil and simmer. If liquid gets low, add more water. Liquid can be used over and over again. To reuse, add liquid and simmer. Refrigerate when not using. This will make your house smell like the holidays, all the time.

Apple Cinnamon

1 cinnamon stick

1 apple cut into fourths

Bring ingredients to a boil and simmer. If liquid gets too low, add more water.

Citrus Cinnamon

1 cinnamon stick

1 orange sliced into fourths

Bring ingredients to a boil and simmer. If liquid gets too low, add more water.

Scents of Christmas

1/2 kettle of water

3 tbsp cinnamon

3 tbsp cloves

2 tsp nutmeg

2 tbsp apple pie spice

2 tsp ginger

Place all in a sauce Pan and simmer

Spicy Harvest Simmering Potpourri

This delightfully spicy pumpkin-pie scent will make your house smell like Home.

INGREDIENTS

Enough cider to fill the pot

1 cup canned pumpkin

3 whole cinnamon sticks

1 handful whole cloves

1 apple, cut crosswise into round slices

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

grated fresh nutmeg, as much as you like

Place ingredients in a large pot on the stove or in a crock pot. Bring to a simmer and allow continuing simmering over very low heat, replacing cider or adding water as needed. Be careful not to allow mixture to scorch.

Edible Simmering Potpourri

Apple cider to fill a large soup pot

One apple, cut horizontally to make circular round slices 1/2-inch thick

One orange, cut into round slices 1/2-inch thick

3 whole cinnamon sticks

6 whole cloves
6 whole allspice berries

One 2-inch piece of fresh ginger root, cut into small rounds

Place all ingredients in a large soup pot and bring to a simmer, then reduce and allow to simmer uncovered, adding cider as liquid evaporates.

When guests arrive, ladle out a mug full of the hot cider for each person, and serve with an additional cinnamon stick in each mug.

Spicy Simmering potpourri

* 3 1/2 cups anise star, whole

* 1 3/4 cups allspice, whole

* 1 3/4 cups orange peel

* 1 3/4 cups juniper berries

* 1 3/4 cups nutmeg, whole

* 1 3/4 cups cloves, whole

* 3 1/2 cups cinnamon chips

* 1 3/4 cups lemon peel

* 3 1/2 cups rose hips

* 3 handfuls bay leaves, whole

Use oil fragrances such as French vanilla, old world spice, and vanilla fragrance. This recipe makes 24 cups.

Citrus Simmering potpourri

* 1 cup cinnamon sticks, whole, 1"

* 1 cup orange petals, whole

* 1/4 cup lemon or grapefruit peel

* 1/8 cup allspice, whole

* 3 cups lemon verbena leaves, whole

* 1 cup chrysanthemum flowers, whole

* 1 3/4 cups orange peel, cut and sifted, 1/2" - 3/4"

* 1/8 cup cloves, whole

* 2 cups lemongrass 1/2" cut

For oil use 1/8 ounce lemon essential oil, 1/2 ounce sweet orange essential oil, 1/8 ounce tangerine essential oil, and 1/8 ounce cinnamon bark essential oil. This recipe makes 12 1/2 cups.

you can dry your own flowers, fruits and herbs or buy some already bagged if you're in a hurry

add scented oils or essential oils toss them in a large zip lock bag and leave them sit a few days and they are ready to use

Floral Simmering potpourri

* 1 cup rosebuds and petals, pink

* 1 cup rosebuds and petals, red

* 1 cup Balm of Gilead buds, whole

* 1 1/2 cups orange peel, cut and sifter, 1/2" - 3/4"

* 16 nutmegs, whole, cracked with a hammer

* 1 cup oak moss

* 1/4 cup allspice, whole

* 2 cups cinnamon chips

* 1 vanilla bean, cut into small pieces

* 1/4 cup fenugreek seeds, whole

* 1/4 cup cloves, whole

Use 3/4 ounce of your favorite floral fragrance oil. This recipe makes 8 1/2 cups.

Fruity Simmering potpourri

* 1 1/2 cups orange peels, cut and sifted, 1/2" - 3/4"

* 1 cup anise star, whole

* 1/4 cup cardamom pods

* 2 cups cinnamon chips

* 1 cup apple pieces

* 1/2 cup mace, whole

* 1/4 cup allspice, whole

* 1/4 cup cloves, whole

For oil, use 1/2 ounce apple fragrance, 1/8 ounce cinnamon bark essential oil OR use 3/4 ounce spicy apple fragrance. This recipe makes 6 3/4 cups.

5 Quick Breakfasts That Accelerate Weight Loss

This is so me, so I looked for better ideas and here is what I have found

Q: I am trying to eat healthy so that I can lose 20 pounds, but I'm having a hard time with breakfast. If I eat cereal, I'm hungry again in an hour. I need to eat foods that are quick or can be made in advance, since I'm usually running out the door. Any suggestions?

A: Yes! Since you're getting hungry after eating only cereal, I recommend that you eat something that's higher in protein. Research shows that eating a high-protein breakfast helps stave off munching later in the day when you're trimming calories to lose weight. A bowl of cereal has a moderate amount of protein (the protein comes from the milk, unless you're specifically choosing a high-protein cereal) — but there are definitely other delicious, higher-protein options out there, including:

• Nonfat Greek yogurt, a piece of fruit, and a handful of nuts. This is a terrific portable breakfast since you can just toss each item in your purse and take it with you. Nonfat Greek yogurt (plain or flavored) has 2 to 3 times as much protein as regular nonfat plain/flavored yogurt, so making this swap is a super easy way to bump up the protein in your morning meal.
  
  
• Scrambled eggs with reduced-fat cheese on whole-grain English muffins. For a slimmed-down version of the classic fast-food breakfast sandwich, create your own at home — and feel free to add whatever veggies you like, such as spinach or a tomato slice. Delicious!
  
  
• Frozen burrito: These burritos are super easy to prepare in the microwave and contain lots of high-protein ingredients like beans, eggs, cheese, even tofu. One brand I recommend is Amy's — the company makes yummy frozen burritos and breakfast burritos with clean, healthful ingredients.
  
  
• Cottage cheese with fruit and nuts or seeds: A scoop of low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese topped with cut fresh fruit (melon, berries, pineapple, etc.) and 1 tablespoon of sunflower seeds or chopped nuts. You can pack this all in a container the night before and take it with you to work — or enjoy it in the morning before you leave.
  
  
• Nutrition bar and 1 hard-boiled egg (or a string cheese): Choose a nutrition bar with at least 8 grams protein and 4 grams fiber — and no more than 2 grams saturated fat. Hard-boiled eggs are terrific because you can boil up a dozen at the start of the week and have them in the fridge, ready to go all week. You can sub four hard-boiled egg whites for one whole egg if you're watching your cholesterol.