Festive Pickles

Yield: 1 quart pickles

Ingredients

• 1 (1 quart) jar dill pickles (about 12)
• 1 small jar maraschino cherries
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 stick cinnamon, crushed
• 1 teaspoon whole cloves
• 1 teaspoon mixed pickling spices
• 2 bay leaves

Instructions

1. Drain pickles and cherries, cut pickles crosswise into 1 inch thin slices. Using a corer, remove center from each piece of pickle. Insert a cherry into each. Put pickle chunks into a shallow dish. Set aside.
2. Mix remaining ingredients together in a saucepan. Bring to boiling, simmer 5 minutes.
3. Pour the spice mixture through a sieve over the pickles.
4. Cover and set in refrigerator for 1 week before serving.