Recipes with Helen Austin |
Time was when women spent much of the holiday season in their kitchens. And oh, the wonderful aromas that
came wafting from those kitchens. No wonder family and friends gravitated to the room where the baking was done.
If you happened to get there at just the right time you might get a fruitcake cookie or a pecan tassie fresh from the
oven. You had to wait until the festive dinner for sweet potato pudding and pumpkin pie, but boy were they worth
waiting for!
Then a lot of us went out to work and the pumpkin pie came from Mrs. Smith. Or even if we made the filling, we got
the crust from Pillsbury. Not that there's anything wrong with Pillsbury and Mrs. Smith. Actually, they do a pretty
good job. Trouble is, the kitchen just doesn't smell quite the same.
Eventually the candle companies and room fragrance people figured out how to reproduce those wonderful smells.
But candles and tabletop potpourri burners have to be carefully guarded from children and pets.
Here's a recipe for a simmering potpourri you can use right on the stove top. Just keep the saucepan handle
turned away from little hands and paws and your kitchen will smell like you've been baking for days!
IMPORTANT: This is not edible. Don't even use it to season cider or wine.
came wafting from those kitchens. No wonder family and friends gravitated to the room where the baking was done.
If you happened to get there at just the right time you might get a fruitcake cookie or a pecan tassie fresh from the
oven. You had to wait until the festive dinner for sweet potato pudding and pumpkin pie, but boy were they worth
waiting for!
Then a lot of us went out to work and the pumpkin pie came from Mrs. Smith. Or even if we made the filling, we got
the crust from Pillsbury. Not that there's anything wrong with Pillsbury and Mrs. Smith. Actually, they do a pretty
good job. Trouble is, the kitchen just doesn't smell quite the same.
Eventually the candle companies and room fragrance people figured out how to reproduce those wonderful smells.
But candles and tabletop potpourri burners have to be carefully guarded from children and pets.
Here's a recipe for a simmering potpourri you can use right on the stove top. Just keep the saucepan handle
turned away from little hands and paws and your kitchen will smell like you've been baking for days!
IMPORTANT: This is not edible. Don't even use it to season cider or wine.
If using cinnamon sticks, break up into 3 or 4 pieces. Then place contents in a small saucepan, cover with water
and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover loosely (vent top of saucepan slightly). Add water as
needed; don't let mixture dry out. Be sure to turn off the heat before you leave the house. The fragrance will
remain for awhile.
NOTE: To dry orange peel, score an orange in quarters, then remove peel
and as much of white pith as possible. (Add orange sections to a fruit
salad.) Place on flat surface, such as the kitchen counter, for several days.
and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover loosely (vent top of saucepan slightly). Add water as
needed; don't let mixture dry out. Be sure to turn off the heat before you leave the house. The fragrance will
remain for awhile.
NOTE: To dry orange peel, score an orange in quarters, then remove peel
and as much of white pith as possible. (Add orange sections to a fruit
salad.) Place on flat surface, such as the kitchen counter, for several days.
HOLIDAY SIMMERING POTPOURRI
3 or 4 pieces of dried orange peel (see NOTE)
1 teaspoon cinnamon chunks (available in bulk at Whole Foods
Market) OR 1 or 2 cinnamon sticks
1/4-1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
2 or 3 pieces of star anise (also available at Whole Foods)
1/4-1/2 cup whole fresh cranberries (optional)
3 or 4 pieces of dried orange peel (see NOTE)
1 teaspoon cinnamon chunks (available in bulk at Whole Foods
Market) OR 1 or 2 cinnamon sticks
1/4-1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
2 or 3 pieces of star anise (also available at Whole Foods)
1/4-1/2 cup whole fresh cranberries (optional)
Helen Austin was food editor at the Arkansas Democrat for six years and has since been a
contributor to Active Years and the Arkansas Times. Having no formal education in either
journalism or home economics, she credits any expertise in these fields to a lifelong interest in
food and writing.
Helen's food philosophy consists of getting the best, freshest ingredients available, then cooking
them in the simplest manner possible. She and her husband, Jerry, prepare most of their meals at
home.
contributor to Active Years and the Arkansas Times. Having no formal education in either
journalism or home economics, she credits any expertise in these fields to a lifelong interest in
food and writing.
Helen's food philosophy consists of getting the best, freshest ingredients available, then cooking
them in the simplest manner possible. She and her husband, Jerry, prepare most of their meals at
home.
| HOLIDAY SIMMERING POTPOURRI (not edible) |
© 2008 Helen Austin. All rights reserved.
© Nicolás Batista/Dreamstime.com
