Stovetop Potpourri

Now is the time to clean your your spice cabinet so all that wonderful cooking and baking is done with fresh flavor. I opened up some cardamon that has virtually no scent anymore (probably no flavor either), and the same with the ground ginger. Rather than dump them out, I dumped them in a pot with some other old baking spices, some oranges I cut in half and dropped in a few drops of essential oils to add to help pump up the scent. Fill with water and simmer on the stove. I bring it almost to boiling, then turn it down to 2. Be sure to keep an eye on the water level so it doesn't burn.

Now the house smells amazing and those old spices that wouldn't add much to my baking anymore can have their last hurrah as potpourri. Experiment with savory spices too. Rosemary or thyme with lemon and drop of lavender oil is magnificent!