🎄🎁 🍵The Coziest Home Secret: My Holiday Crock Pot Simmer! 🍁🍂❄️🍪
I’ll be the first to admit it: I love a good scented candle and a perfectly melting wax tart. My collection is proof! They offer quick, delightful bursts of scent that can instantly set a mood. But lately, I’ve been craving something different, something more natural and enveloping for the holidays.
For ages, I’d seen those beautiful pictures of stovetop simmer pots, and I finally decided this was the year I’d try it. And let me tell you, I am officially a convert!
There is something deeply satisfying about using fresh, natural ingredients—think citrus slices, spices, and evergreen sprigs—to create a completely customizable aroma. You become your own scent mixologist! One day it’s bright and citrusy, the next it’s deep and woodsy. The possibilities for mixing and matching based on your mood or the day’s celebration are endless, and the result is a home that smells genuinely, wonderfully good.
But here’s the real game-changer —the secret weapon that makes this a zero-stress holiday tradition: the Crock Pot (Slow Cooker)! I used my mini 1.5 quart size.
💡 Why the Slow Cooker Wins Over the Stovetop
While the traditional method involves a pot on the stove, switching to a small crockpot offers some huge benefits, especially during the busy holiday season:
- Safety and Peace of Mind: The biggest advantage is constant, low-temperature heat. On the stove, water can boil away quickly, requiring continuous monitoring. If the water evaporates, the dry ingredients can burn, creating a terrible smell and a potential hazard. With a slow cooker on the “Keep Warm” or lowest setting, you eliminate that worry entirely.
- Set It and Forget It: Need to run errands? Got guests arriving? The simmer pot can stay safely bubbling away for hours on end—even a whole day! This continuous, gentle scent diffusion is perfect for filling the whole house.
- Energy Efficiency: Slow cookers use significantly less electricity than running a burner on your stovetop for an extended period.
- Portability: You can easily place the crockpot in a less-trafficked area, like a corner of the counter or even a mudroom, keeping the stove clear for actual holiday cooking!
- Multi-day: You can use your homemade scent for a few days in a row. Turning the crockpot off before bed, then back on the next day.
My house currently smells like the most wonderful, comforting blend of holiday cheer —fruit and spice —and it’s all thanks to the simple magic of the slow cooker. It’s a natural, easy, and customizable way to make your home smell unforgettable this season.
Holiday Simmer Pot
Want your home to smell like pure holiday magic without worrying about the water boiling away? 😌 I’m sharing the secret to my low-maintenance, all-day fragrance: the Crock Pot Simmer Pot. Set it, forget it, and enjoy the cozy scent!
simple-
Prep time: 10 minutes -
Cook time: 1 hours -
Total time: 1 hours 10 minutes
Ingredients
| One (1) Apple (sliced) | |
| One (1) Orange (sliced) | |
| One (1) Cup fresh (or frozen) cranberries | |
| Two (2) Cinnamon sticks | |
| One (1) Sprig rosemary | |
| One (1) Tsp Nutmeg | |
| Hot Water |
Utensils
- Crock Pot (any size)
- Measuring spoon & cup
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
Steps of preparation
- First slice and prep your ingredients, fruits & spices.
- Place fruits and spices and layer in the EMPTY crock pot.
- Fill crock pot with HOT water.
- Place lid on and set crock pot to High for ONE (1 ) Hour.
- Now you can turn to warm (or low), remove or crack lid.
- ENJOY your fragrant homey scent for hours to come.
Notes
— You can use any size crock pot. If you’re using a larger one you may not need to fill it entirely full with water.
— You can use this scent for a few days, being sure to turn your crock pot off at night then back on the next day when your ready.
— If you are going to use the same scent for a few days, just check to make sure there’s enough water in the pot. This is basically a set it and forget it, but you want to make sure to watch for any evaporation.
MIX N’ MATCH IDEAS (The possibilities’ are endless)
Sliced lemon
Fresh mint leaves (or 2-3 mint tea bags)
Vanilla extract
cloves
star anise
1 Cup Pumpkin puree’
All spice berries
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Pear slices
Pine sprigs
1 Tablespoon Brown sugar
1 Cup Apple cider
2-3 Tablespoons Maple syrup
Peppermint leaves (or 2-3 peppermint tea bags)
Two (2) Candy Canes
AND MORE !!
Forget the fuss and the constant stovetop checks. With the crock pot doing all the work, you can focus entirely on enjoying the cozy, continuous fragrance it creates. It’s the perfect, simple and safe addition to your holiday routine—the background scent track to your baking, gift-wrapping, and festive gatherings. Just fill it, plug it in, and let the magic happen.
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I love holiday simmer pots. The house always smells so nice. Great post. Thank you for sharing with us.
I used to do one just like this; I still swear it helped us sell our last house with the first viewing.
Totally agree with the crock pot vs. stovetop! Love it. This recipe looks AMAZING, too! Wow. I can almost smell it. :) Pinning to save and share! Thank you so much for sharing this post with all of us at the Will Blog for Comments #73 linkup! :) We hope to see you next week at #74, too, sharing old or new posts with us.
Congratulations, Paula! This is the Host’s Choice post from our Will Blog for Comments #73 linkup. It will be in the spotlight throughout #74, and I’ll Pin it for extra visibility, too. Thanks for sharing it with us!
Oh how special! Thanks to you and your readers so much. I’m a little late catching up on my comments.
xo
Thankyou ! Even your mix & match ideas, besides the blend of holiday cheer —fruit and spice – the simple magic of slow cooking❣️Unforgettable Post.
Warm wishes.