When the holidays are here it means the holidaze craze has begun, and it includes spending time in the kitchen.
We like to make grand plans to decorate the tree, make sugar cookies, build a gingerbread house, send out Christmas card to everyone, find the best gifts, watch many Christmas movies, go for a snowy sleigh ride, make hot cocoa with giant marshmallows and loads of whipped cream, enjoy the most grand Christmas dinner – with the table set all cute and festive. The idea is pretty much just to have the perfect Christmas atmosphere, air, aura, climate, mood, feel, feeling, character, quality, impression, complexion, flavor, look, tone, tenor...etc.
Here ‘s the reality though, we do one or two of these things and then Christmas comes and goes and I we didn’t even get to cross off half the things on the list. It happens ever year. But this year, we will make our home ooze with aroma of this joyous season.
Gently boil the following in a pot of water:
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
3 tangerines, halved
3 whole cinnamon sticks
2 star anise gives a strong black licorice smell.
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 inch piece fresh ginger
1 vanilla bean + 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 small branch fresh pine
1 cup apple cider, pomegranate or cranberry juice