25 Days of Christmas - Faux Baking

So, I have to start off by saying that this post should have been up earlier this morning. I had to go to the store and expected to be in and out in under an hour, leaving me plenty of time for leisure and lunch with the governor before my 2 o'clock tee time.

I was in that store for three hours.

THREE. HOURS. Sweet Moses.

Since the 'guv' (as his close friends call him) will have to wait and tee time is cancelled since I actually don't golf, I decided to do some baking to make the house smell all pretty.

I forgot half the baking ingredients while I was in the store. FOR THREE HOURS. IF YOU THINK I'M GOING BACK THERE, YOU'RE OUTTA YOUR MIND.

Instead, I'm going to make the house smell like I've been baking without all the work. I sliced up an apple...

These pictures have not been edited because I was in the store for three hours and have lost my will to live.

I grabbed my cinnamon extract...

I didn't even have the strength to rotate this one.

And I put the apples into a pan with some water.  I have a pan that I only use for potpourri because I don't want my soup to taste like cinnamon.

I poured in some cinnamon extract (about a tablespoon I think)...

I boiled it for a minute or so and then set it to simmer... mmmm, it smells yummy in here. After the morning I've had, I need some aromatherapy.

You could use cinnamon sticks for this but I didn't have any.  And I already told you, I'm not going back out there.  I'm a big peppermint fan around the holidays, so some peppermint and vanilla in a pan would be great too.  And it was all in my cupboard!