Oftentimes even the simplest of fares can convey a sense of comfort, a feeling of joy and a certain amount of contentment to your day. Merely the smell of something baking in the oven, a hint of cinnamon or the tang of ginger is all you need to make you feel warm and placated after a long day of rain and chilly wind beating against the windows of your home. In fact, the scent of baking is supposed to enhance the beauty of your surroundings to such a degree that realtors insist that you perfume your home with cinnamon, orange, vanilla or apple when you are showcasing it to perspective buyers.

These smells are, to some people, aphrodisiacal. The aroma of vanilla (on me in particular) has proven itself over and over again in so many contexts over the years. Women, men and children stop me in the halls at work and insist that I must have cookies in my pockets. I got into a car with a friend recently and he told me I smelled like Cocoa-Puffs (personally I think he might have been a bit “coo-coo”). My old boss used to search my desk drawers when I was at work, assured that there had to be piles of Rice Krispie Squares hidden in there somewhere. When I first started my job in the clinic where I work now, one nurse told me I always smelled of icing – I said it must be because I like to bake so much…and she believed me.

The sweet, slightly musky scent has never had an adverse effect on anyone I’ve met and I don’t even really notice the scent anymore until someone else points it out to me. I also don’t wear vanilla perfume, but rather vanilla oil, which has no alcohol base to it; making it much more subtle and less annoying than regular perfume (I’m actually allergic to regular perfume).

About twelve years ago I used to wear a scented oil called “Dragon’s Blood”…I know, it sounds sinister, but it really was quite innocent. I purchased it at a shop that specialized in Wican products, but it really was just because it smelled so amazing. It smelled just like cinnamon oil and man alive, did it drive the boys wild! I had to stop wearing it because my skin became so sensitive to it that it broke out in hives where ever I would dab the oil. I would end up with small red hicky-like raised areas on my neck and wrists. I guess I’m just pure at heart.

Blending aromatic ingredients such as bananas and liquor-soaked cranberries into a lusciously dense banana-cranberry bread brings a smile to my face. Nibbling on said bread the next morning with a hot cup of coffee by my hand makes for the perfect start to a cold, blustery, busy day that has no early end in sight. In fact even though I ate that piece a few hours ago I can still catch a whiff of banana and coffee and cranberry if I turn my head just so while sitting here at my desk.