Holiday Sweet Kitchen (and no, it's not more ice cream!)

I couldn't tell you what it was, but this morning I suddenly got this eerie feeling that I needed to check my calendar. Boy, was I shocked to see that Christmas is just over a week away!! Where did the time go?

Fortunately, we have been doing more than simply resting on our laurels for the last few weeks. Our Christmas shopping is done (yes, done!!), we've ordered our standing rib roast for Christmas day dinner, and we just finished wrapping our gifts. Oh -- and we did manage to whip up a nice big batch of chocolate covered cordial cherries.

These delicious tidbits have become a holiday tradition at our house. And we couldn't envision Christmas without them. As of this year, we've been making them for twelve years running.

The cherries soaked in brandy for over a week this year, so these little gems are packing a bit of a punch.

And they're tasting particularly fantastic. We've packed up most of them to give as holiday gifts. But, we'll set aside a few for eating as well... I might even manage to hoard a few long enough to enjoy them on New Year's Eve, if Peef doesn't find them first.

Of course, if you're not a fan of cherries, you could make another one of our favorites: Layered Peppermint Crunch Bark. This stuff is hauntingly similar to the stuff you can buy at Williams Sonoma, without the hefty price tag. A full recipe of this stuff would cost you about $50 at WS. The ingredients to make your own will cost about $12. Yeah, trust me. It's worth the effort.

I also have a pretty fantastic recipe for fudge bourbon balls. You take barely-cooked brownies as its base. They're completely fudgey and wonderful. Come to think of it, we haven't made them yet this year. But, just the thought of them is making me a little bit drooly.

So, it's back into the kitchen with me...

In the meantime, I just want to take the opportunity to wish each and every one of you a Very Merry Christmas! I hope that your celebrations are filled with incredible joy, the company of your favorite people, and plenty of delicious food. And if we don't talk before the new year, may your 2010 be blessed with all that was good in 2009, and then some!