DIT&O would like to present you with our first guest post! We're constantly inspired by others creativity & love to share Teresa Ortega's originality. Take it away, Teresa!
I'm not ready for fall. Don't get me wrong. I love fall colors and coziness as much as the next person, but I'm a summer enthusiast. Even though I'm no longer in school, each year I grow apprehensive when the sun begins to set before 7pm and Halloween decorations appear in stores. I need to ease into the season. This simmer pot indulges my summer nostalgia and autumn anticipation.
A simmer pot is a cheap, easy way to make your entire home (at least if you live in a one-bedroom apartment) smell dreamy. This one is made from fragrances associated with summer and fall.
In addition to making your home smell wonderful, simmer pots give second life to things you'd normally discard. All of the ingredients you use can be post-eating-potential so long as they still smell good. For example, I used a lime that was half-squeezed and browning.
To complete your simmer pot experience, save the meat of the apple for a snack. I also recommend setting aside 2 extra tablespoons of ginger (peeled) and 1 tsp of jamaica with a squeeze of fresh lime to make a complimentary tea because I'm into both tasting and being surrounded by an aroma. But this could understandably sound nauseating to others. O:-)
Not-Still-Summer, Not-Quite-Fall Simmer Pot
What you'll need:
1 tbsp jamaica - I love the scent of jamaica but restrain myself from using more because it condenses on your stovetop in fuchsia drops. If you are inclined to add more, the drops clean up easily with a wet cloth or sponge. The water will take up the color of these petals, so be careful with this simmer pot so that you don't stain your clothes.
2 tbsp fresh cut ginger, unpeeled
core and skin of 1 green apple - Other apples also smell great, they'll just send the fragrance into indisputable autumn (instead of cusp-of-autumn) territory.
1/2 tsp whole or ground cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 lime, halved or quartered
What you'll do:
Add all ingredients to a saucepan. Fill the pan with water, leaving at least 1.5 inches at the top so that no liquid splashes out. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. That's it.
Feel free to adjust the fragrance as you wish after the pot has been simmering for 10 minutes by adding more of the ingredients. One word of caution - go easy on the cloves. A little goes a long way, and if you use a heavy hand, your home will likely smell like a Michael's craft store.
The water will boil off, so add approximately two cups of water every 30 minutes or so to prevent burning the ingredients. You can keep doing this for several hours. As long as your pot is steaming, and the steam smells good, it's working.
Thanks for sharing, Teresa!
-DIT&O
