A little something for me; a little Eggnog bread for you

I signed up with Kori to be in her Secret Santa Shindig. And I am so excited to report that my package arrived. I took off the paper. And guess what was under it? Look at that box. Oh, that so brings back memories. I long for the days of Gymboree. And matching outfits. And words absent from my girls' boo-tays.

And when I open the box - it almost looks like there are Gymboree outfits in there. Do you think that Gymboree ever contemplated making clothes for adults? And I find, not clothes but this incredibly cute pot holder, towel, and matching aprons.And you see what Madalyn is shaking? Those are sprinkles. Because they are apparently now used as musical instruments.

And look at everything that was under the aprons:

I got a cute birdie ornament. That will lovingly be packed away. Because I don't have a Christmas tree this year.

And look! A smutty book. But one that is true. I cannot wait to delve into this. And "Love Story." Can you not just hear Ali McGraw telling Ryan O'Neal that "love means never having to say you are sorry?" Right before she dies? Sigh.

There's more, too. A bookmark. A cookie cookbook. Cookie cutter. Sprinkles. That my children decided was much better used as maracas. Many, many thanks to Amy at Papertrails by a Paper for such a Merry Christmas gift!

And since my girls are dressed in their apron finest. Let's put them to work. And show you how to make something yummy - Eggnog Bread. This is our standard gift for the neighbors. And I usually give this with a gift card for all the other people in the girls' life. For their choir director. Sunday school teacher. Piano teacher. Tennis instructor. Who am I forgetting?

Here are our ingredients:

Mix the eggnog, oil, and egg. (Ummm...can you tell I forgot to take pictures when I made the first batch?)

Combine all the dry ingredients.

And then gradually mix in to just blended.

Add pecans if you like.I put it in those disposable loaf pans. They are kinda small. So a double batch will fill three of these. If you are making a loaf for you. With a regular loaf pan - it will fill just fine with a single batch.

Then bake. And these are better the next day rather than hot out of the oven. Yum! A perfect gift. And EASY to make!

Here is my easy recipe:

3 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 egg

1 3/4 cup eggnog

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup pecans (opt)

Combine egg, eggnog, and oil.

Add dry ingredients until just combined.

Stir in nuts.

Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350º for 60-70 minutes. Enjoy!

So...what about you? Have you been someone's Secret Santa? Do you do something at Christmas for your neighbors? For your kids' teachers? What?

And...have you entered to win the Disney prize pack yet? You can think of that as a little something for you!

Theme song: Goo Goo Dolls - Give a Little Bit. Yippee - playlist is back up. And Godzilla doesn't have to be the theme song for this post.