Simmer for scent
When it comes to aroma, the stovetop is a very good friend. Let hot spiced beverages simmer throughout the party and perfume your house. Serve these deliciously aromatic drinks at your holiday gathering:
Bake for beautiful aromas
Have dessert or other baked goods in the oven when your guests arrive. As you remove them from the oven and set aside to cool, your house will smell fantastic. This holiday, bake:
- No-fuss option: put coffee beans in a pie pan and "roast" on low (250 F) heat.
Add zest to holiday settings with citrus
For fresh, spicy aroma, stud oranges and tangerines with whole cloves and then line them up along a mantle. Use a lemon zester to carve patterns on citrus and arrange in a bowl as a fragrant centerpiece, or tuck freshly cut blood orange halves into evergreen garland. Buy extra oranges and make:
Cranberry red signals "party ready"
Chill champagne in a mixture of frozen cranberries and ice. Use cranberries in a vase to anchor fresh blooms. Line a rimmed tray with cranberries as a "bed" for hors d'oeuvres. Serve:
Decorate with "scented" candles
Place pillar candles in hurricane holders and tuck in whole spices such as star anise, cinnamon and cloves. The warmth of the candle will release the fragrance of the spices as it burns. Tie together bundles of long cinnamon sticks, lavender branches and bay leaves; toss into the fire for scent.
