Simmering Spices

My favorite thing about fall has always been the scent of apple cinnamon. The fresh smell of a pine christmas tree, the fragrance of peppermint teas and mochas, any smell you can think of that reminds you of fall, it makes me giddy. I love winter, but I'm really missing the scents of the autumn season. Starbucks is running out of pumpkin spice, Trader Joe's has sold out of their peppermint Joe-Joe's and Pumpkin Pancake Mix, so I thought I'd do something to bring fall back to my house. I am so excited to share this one!

What you'll need:
1 large navel orange
1 large apple (peeled, any kind you want)
1-2 cinnamon sticks
Cloves (ground or whole)
Water
A 32 ounce mason jar (optional)
A large pot

Directions:

1. Gather your ingredients

This is my helper cat, Fitz, who was very distraught that I was paying attention to something besides him. He kept rolling my orange on the floor and hiding my teaspoon measure from me, just because he's a huge punk.

2. Cut up your fruit and measure about 1/2 tsp of ground cloves. Cut your orange into thin slices. Cut all the skin off of your apple, you will be using all of this. Cut only 3-4 slices of the apple to use.

3. If you're using your mason jar, you'll need to cut your apples and oranges into fourths so they can fit well in the jar. Pour in all your ingredients (try and layer presentably if you're giving this as a gift). If you are gifting or saving this, it should save for at least a week in the fridge.

4. Fill your 32 ounce mason jar with water, all the way up to the mouth of the jar.

5. Pour in a pot, and simmer all day long! 

I can't rave about this enough! After about twenty minutes, my house smelled delicious. And the best part about this is that these ingredients are usually laying around! Give it a try and let me know if you guys love it as much as I did. I'd love to hear if you have any fun and simple household tips or DIYs for me! xoxo