Recipe: Christmas Pickles (maraschino cherries inside pickle slices)

CHRISTMAS PICKLES

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

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.

Mix remaining ingredients together in a saucepan. Bring
to boiling, simmer 5 minutes. Pour the spice mixture through a sieve over the pickles. Cover and set in refrigerator for 1 week before serving.

Makes 1 quart of pickles.