The {Tastes and Smells} of Christmas!

The {Tastes and Smells} of Christmas

Every time I smell the sweet citrus of an orange mingled with the spicy aroma of cloves, it floods me with memories equally crisp and delightful.  My mother used to make these festive spiced orange balls by the dozen.  She would tie them up with ribbon and give them away as gifts.  The air in our home danced with their colorful aroma.  Growing up, I was always a bit leary of my mother's incessant craft projects and her creative ideas (little did I know how much like her I would become!), but this one drew me in.  We would sit at the dining room table, plunging spikes of whole cloves into juicy oranges, creating patterns in orange and brown and reveling in the pungent scent. To this day, I love that smell.

I can't get enough of it!  In fact, every year around this time I make homemade apple cider because it has undercurrents of that same aroma woven through it.

My Favorite {Homemade Apple Cider}

Ingredients:

8-10 gala apples

1 small orange

1/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. white sugar

4 cinnamon sticks

1 Tbsp whole cloves

3 Tbsp allspice

{1} Chop unpeeled apples and oranges and toss them into a large stock pot

{2} Add water until all apples are covered

{3} Add sugar and spices

{5} Boil uncovered for one hour

{6} Cover and reduce heat, letting simmer for at least two more hours

{7} Turn off heat and let cool.

{8} Mash the fruit.

{9} Strain the fruit and spices from the pot into a large container and enjoy!

What are your favorite Christmas tastes and scents?  Link up and let us know!