Mulling It Over

Southern Living

My subscription to Southern Living ran out long ago, but the December issue made me wish it still arrived in my mailbox every month. Most notably, their idea for mulling spices proved to be fantastic and so simple (for once...no offense SL)!

For this fun and festive little treat, here's what you need:

8 black peppercorns

6 whole allspice

6 whole cloves

2 3-inch cinnamon sticks

3 3-inch by 1-inch orange rinds

5-inch square of cheesecloth

kitchen string

Voila! La finished product! (I used green twist ties instead of kitchen string (1) because it added a little more color and (2) because we aren't eating or drinking anything seasoned by these spice bags.)

You can really use mulling spices in a variety of ways. My favorite SL suggestion, though, concentrated on bringing that wonderful holiday aroma into your home.

Place two spice bags in a pot filled with eight cups of water and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Once the water boils, turn down the heat and let the spices simmer for three or four hours, filling your home with Christmas cheer!

This year, I plan to give two mulling spice bags to all of my fab friends who sweetly welcome us into their homes. Ideally, they would receive the spices BEFORE the party so that their house smelled yummy and delicious but surely women who love to entertain can employ the spices at a later date...

For the hostesses' gifts, I tied a gift tag onto the bags with green wired ribbon and wrote the directions on the back of the card...in pink, of course!

Maybe this holiday season, you have someone who could use a little Christmas cheer? If not, these smell just as lovely in your own home...

Happy Holidays!