Williams Sonoma Potpourri

The fresh smell of Summer!

My cooking skills are quickly advancing as our #saferathome policy is in place here in Florida. With that you should all know, as a native Floridian fresh fish is my favorite thing to cook at home. Salmon, scallops, snapper, shrimp, ahi tuna or even lobster when we decide to splurge! The meals are always delicious and healthy, and both Jeremy and I are 99.9% of the time on the same page for our meal style choice.

However, with all the positive health and freshness of a seafood dinner, they always have 1 drawback that gets to me every time... the lingering smell. No amount of bath and body works candles can mask or eliminate the smell! With an open concept home I feel like the smell lingers in every corner of our house, and it drives me insane.

I wanted a more natural way to eliminate odors, because you and I both know that candles aren't always the best thing to burn into the air. (I am a recovering 3 wick candle hoarder) I've recently invested in some air purifying house plants (blog coming soon) and I am happy to report they are all still alive! My next step in my odor eliminating quest came to me from an old trick that my mom used to do when she was in real-estate. When showing homes staging is everything, even if it's freshening up the smell in an older musty home, the whole feel can change! She used to use potpourri to make every home smell fresh and clean before her open houses. Waking up this morning to the lingering smell of scallops, I ran straight to my fridge and front patio and collected the few items I needed to start my own potpourri.

One of those ingredients is rosemary. This is my second attempt at planting a rosemary shrub, and so far so good! She was happily transplanted to this cute little blue pot yesterday, so everyone say a prayer she stays happy and healthy!

I use so much rosemary on my cheese boards, and in my cooking, that this is a staple herb in my growing garden. I do need to name her - any suggestions? She is strong (I forgot to water her for about a week) so I want something that represents her perseverance! To be continued...

The other ingredients you'll need you should be able to find in your pantry and your fridge: vanilla extract and lemons

The combination of these 3 ingredients is also know as Williams Sonoma's signature scent!

You'll start by picking 2 stems of rosemary, and thinly slicing the lemons. If you have a larger home I recommend doubling the recipe. As is the recipe should be sufficient for an apartment, or a smaller closed kitchen.

Ingredients:

• 1 lemon

• 2 springs rosemary

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. slice lemon to 1/4 inch slices

2. combine ingredients into a pot

3. fill with water until ingredients are floating

4. bring to boil, and then reduce to a low boil/simmer

5. boil until water is evaporated or add more before the fruit begins to cook to the bottom (I used about 3 c of water and it boiled for approximately 1.5 hours)

*Note: for more potent potpourri double this recipe