Christmas Simmer Pot (from kitchen scraps)

One of the best parts of Christmas is the smells.  A combination of baking/cooking, along with the tree - just brings back so many memories.  And I love baking, but sometimes I don't get around to it, but still want the smells.  That's where simmer pots are so great.  You leave it on the stove to simmer, and it smells like you have been busy in the kitchen!

Now if you go in Pinterest, you will find lots of "recipes" for these simmer pots.  Then you'll need to go out and buy certain ingredients, spending extra money, and then wasting the foods you use (apple slices, orange chunks). 

What I love to do is keep a small pot on my stove throughout the day.  I add our apple cores and peels from various baking or snacks.  I also throw in the orange peels, and other fruit cores (from pears, etc).  This would all have been composted anyways, so there is no waste.  I throw in a cinnamon stick (that I reuse many times), add a bit of water, and put it on the stove on low.  Note: any time I use a simmer pot, I make sure I'm always at home, and I put on a timer for every half hour or so to check on it.

The actual ingredients that you add can vary, so the scent will be different each time too.  You can always add a bit of cloves, allspice, ginger or nutmeg.  Some cranberries might be nice too.  But for me, this is about not wasting anything.  It may not look as pretty as these "recipes" but it smells great, and that's the whole point!