For Jess and I this holiday season will prove to be one that is both exciting and exhausting. It will be exciting in that a week from now her sister will be getting married. That means we will have many extra guests from out of town that we normally wouldn’t expect for our holiday festivities. This is also where the exhausting part resides as well. We will have many extra guests from out of town that we normally wouldn’t expect for our holiday festivities…..

While I’m glad that they will be here for this special occasion and even more excited about the fact that many of them will be extending their stays throughout the holiday seasons a few problems do eventually pose themselves.

I would love to believe that our holiday season budget can easily expand to allow us to get everyone a unique gift that they were secretly wishing for all year. However, sadly that is not the case. This is why I love DIY Christmas present ideas. Not only do they extend your gift giving budget so that no one is left behind but it also shows the recipient that you cared enough about them to take some time out of your busy everyday life to make something that you are sure they would appreciate. (I mean who doesn’t appreciate a homemade DIY Christmas present?). DIY Christmas presents also allow you; the gift giver, a chance to make things that you are almost certain everyone will like, which really helps when you are dealing with the problem of getting something for that distant relative who you don’t normally see on a regular basis.

DIY Brandied Cherries Christmas presents will be part one of a multi part gift Jess and I will be giving out this year. While I would love to tell you that this is something you can whip together in a couple of minutes this week to cover those last few gifts you were struggling with, alas, I cannot. See I knew that we would have extra guests this year and had been thinking about what we would be able to get them 4 months ago actually. That is why I did this post on How to make Brandied Cherries. It takes about 3 to 4 months for the cherries and sugar to blend perfectly with the alcohol.

I wanted to make the DIY Brandied Cherries Christmas presents special so I went out and bought some inexpensive glass bottles with corked tops to create a really cute presentation. Now you can gift these brandied cherries simply by giving away the containers in which they were stored (which are cute enough). What’s nice about that option is the cherries come with the gift and will make one of the greatest ice cream toppers I have ever had.

However, I really wanted my recipients to focus on the cherry flavored brandy that has been created. This is by far a unique and delicious creation. You can drink this straight or use it in your cooking. Like a holiday ham glaze. You could also create some really interesting mixed drinks. Like Cherry Coke? You’ll love the brandied cherry coke this can make! Let your imaginations be your guide!

Seeing as how doing this has resulted in some brandy soaked cherries sitting in a container in my fridge I will have to get creative and use these up. I already have a few great ideas in my head and can’t wait to make the rest of this year’s gifts….

Brandied Cherries Recipe

Things needed for this DIY project:

12 oz glass jars – equal to the number of recipients
Funnel
3 feet of ribbon cut into 6 inch lengths
Scissors
Tape
Printable stickers – I had circle stickers that I got from Avery however, sticker paper and an exacto knife work well too.

Directions:
Fill jars with brandied cherries using a funnel. Make sure to securely attach corked tops and clean jar of any spilled brandy.
Cut the ribbon and lay it over the glass in a criss cross pattern. Secure in place with a small piece of tape.
Place stickers over top of tape and ribbon.

The beginning of September means a few things here in Texas.

1. The heat is finally starting to subside.
2. Cold winter months are fast approaching.
3. Cherries are reaching the end of their season.

Because of this I find myself wanting to jar every fruit known to man as I know that the long cold winter months will most likely yield nothing but frozen fruits and sparse vegetables.

A couple of years ago a fried of mine brought over some brandied cherries during the holidays and gave me my first taste of a truly fantastic ice cream topper. While this is not the only thing brandied cherries are good for, it surly is my favorite use of them.

Seeing as how it takes 3 months before the brandied cherries are ready to eat I thought that I would make this a two part series. The first part will be as you can see below the steps involved with jarring your brandied cherries and storing them for a later date. Pretty much the only thing I don’t like about these babies is the fact that they lack the sense of immediate satisfaction due to the 3 month fermenting period….

Begin your brandied cherries by submerging your mason jars in boiling water for 5 minutes. While normally this process is done primarily to keep the jars from cracking when you add hot ingredients, I do this for these jars as well as you never know who (or more importantly WHAT) might have been in the jar before you got it at the store. Once your jars are ready you can take them out of the pot and set them aside as they don’t have to be hot for this jarring process.

There are two ways of approaching the next step. If you want quick and easy brandied cherries simply de-stem your cherries and place them in the jar until you reach about a ½ inch from the top. If you want (in my opinion) much more flavorful and easier to consumer later cherries; pit your cherries. If you don’t have a cherry pitter, (as I quickly found out I miss placed) you can always use a paper clip by unfolding it into an S shape and using it to dig out the pits. Personally a cherry pitter is a worthwhile invention however, in a pinch the paper clip wasn’t a bad option. A little bit messy, but since when has working with cherries not been messy?

Now it’s time to fill the jars with sugar. Slowly add your sugar until the jar is approximately ¾ full. Make sure to tap the jar a few times to ensure that the sugar fills in any gaps.

Now comes the fun part; adding the liquor. While I know the title of this post says brandied cherries, don’t let this limit your imagination. For this years batch I used brandy for 1/3 of my jars, Kirsch for another 1/3, and Cognac for the remaining third. Another great liquor that came to mind was some aged whiskey, but alas, I had already finished the bottle earlier in the week. Fill your jars just below the rim to allow a about a ¼ inch space of air between it and the lid. It is important to leave this space as it will help you properly form your seal shortly.

Make sure to securely tighten your lids to your jars as close to center as possible to ensure a good seal. Place the jars into a large pot and completely submerge with water. Bring the water to a hard boil for 10 to 13 minutes. Then turn off the heat and allow the jars to sit for an additional 5 minutes to help equalize the pressure in the jars. Remove each jar and let cool.

The next day check your seals. Do this by removing the screw tops carefully and gently pushing down on the center you should feel no give what so ever. If your seal is broken you can stick them in the fridge and do the process over again when you have the chance.

Turn the jars over every hour for 4 hours to allow your sugar and liquor a chance to mix completely for the next day.

Now comes the hard part. Wait (if you can) 3 months before opening your jars….

My friend sent me this link to the recipe he uses to do this however, I feel it’s really lacking in the proper jarring steps so please make sure to follow the instructions above to avoid any possible jarring diseases….

Brandied Cherries
Altered slightly from Ehow.com

Ingredients:

Roughly 3 1/2 pounds black cherries for 12 jars
6 cups sugar
6 cups brandy or other liquor

Directions:

1. Simmer the jars in water for about 15 minutes (Lids and rings can go in, too).
2. While the jars are sterilizing, wash the cherries well and remove the stems completely drain them well.
3. Pit the cherries.
4. Fill clean jars with the cherries, packing tight without squashing them.
5. Pour sugar over the cherries until the sugar is at about the 3/4ths level, shaking the jar as you add the sugar to make sure all air pockets are getting filled.
6. Pour brandy in slowly, swirling it around a bit as you pour so the sugar absorbs as much as possible. Add brandy to within an ¼ inch of the top.
7. Clean the lip of the jar with clean paper toweling and put the rubber lid and ring on the jar, securely.
8. Place in a large pot and submerge in water. Bring the water to a violent boil and boil for 10 – 15 minutes.
9. Remove form heat and let sit for an additional 5 minutes until jars have pressurized.
10. The next day check your seals to ensure proper sealing.
11. Turn the jars upside down, and turn them end to end again every hour for 4 hours. This insures that the brandy and sugar will mix completely.
12. Store in a cool, dry, dark place at least 3 months before using. A basement pantry works well but can be stored in the refrigerator on a low level in back. You can cover the jars with a dark dish towel in the fridge.

As the weekend nears I decided that I was deserving of a little treat. Heck I worked hard this week and even though I am a day early the weekend starts today!

I had some left over homemade vanilla ice cream (which recipe I will hopefully share with you at a later date) and decided that it was time for it to meet its maker (literally, as I was technically its maker). But I didn’t want this vanilla ice cream to feel unloved, so I wanted to make a sauce to jazz it up a bit (a farewell party of sorts).

I have long loved making this easy to make sauce anytime I have a craving for a sweet ice cream topper. However, the best part of this sauce is that it can be used to top so much more then ice cream! The simplicity of this sauce will call out to you every time you are looking for something to sweeten up your next dessert.

I have used this on desserts ranging from meringue to angel food cake and everything in between (including brownies be creative people!). One little trick that I have learned and recommend you do too; is to store it in your refrigerator for a couple of hours after you make it. I do this because the longer this sauce sits the sweeter and thicker it becomes! Almost like a fine wine (with obvious limitations of course). Warm it in the microwave just before use and you will have the perfect berry sauce to create a warm and gooey treat!

Brandied Berry Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 pint fresh strawberries
• 1 pint fresh raspberries
• 1 pint fresh blueberries
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup brandy

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F

Place the strawberries, raspberries and blueberries in a medium sized Pyrex dish. Spread the sugar evenly over the top. Finally, poor the brandy over the sugar covered fruit. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the refrigerator to cool.