Don’t you just love warm scents for fall, winter and the holidays? It’s a great time of the year to make simmers, burn candles, and run a diffuser with essential oil blends. It’s fun to be able to customize a couple scents for the seasons with what I have on hand or for the feeling I’m hoping to conjure up in the kitchen.

Here are five of my favorite simmers for fall, winter and the holidays. Mix one up and simmer it away on your stove or in a small crockpot and you’ll be feeling festive in no time. Gather any combination of the following ingredients – you only need one or two things, but you can combine to your heart’s content. A lot of times, if I’m cooking or baking in the kitchen for an afternoon, I will simmer ingredients I’m using. Extra lemon rinds or herbs? Toss them in water and simmer away.

Ingredient Ideas:

  • lemons
  • oranges
  • apples
  • cranberries
  • pomegranates
  • cinnamon sticks
  • whole cloves
  • vanilla beans
  • fresh herbs
  • pine needles
  • extracts – vanilla, almond, etc.
  • 4-6 cups water

My favorite Holiday Simmers:

HOLIDAY KITCHEN

  • lemon
  • rosemary
  • vanilla beans

CHRISTMAS ORANGE

  • orange slices
  • clove buds

HOLIDAY APPLE PIE

  • apple slices
  • cinnamon sticks
  • pomegranates
  • cranberries

HOLIDAY BAKING

  • orange and/or lemon slices
  • clove buds
  • cinnamon sticks
  • vanilla beans

THANKSGIVING MORNING

  • orange slices
  • sage
  • cranberries

Add 4-6 cups water to a large saucepan.

Combine ingredients with water in a saucepan and put on your stove. Set heat to low and let the ingredients simmer away as long as you’d like. Keep an eye on the water so it doesn’t boil over or scorch. Add water if you need to.

TIP: If you have a small crockpot you can combine the ingredients and let your simmer bubble away on low all day.

Happy Simmering!