2013, Here I Come!

I seriously can’t believe that it is almost 2013. Last year on New Year’s Eve Jamie and I said that we wanted 2012 to be our best year ever, and boy, I think we sure lived up to our statement.

First, Jamie and I bought a house! I love the feeling of homeownership. It is so much more rewarding to be putting our money towards paying the mortgage and eventually owning the house, than throwing our money away on rent. Even though we still have boxes to unpack, and the list of updates and upgrades we want to do is really endless, it’s truly wonderful to have a place to call home.

Second, Jamie and I both got new jobs! We both weren’t too happy with our old positions and decided to take a deep dive into the world of job hunting. Considering the state of the economy and the job market, we’re both so thrilled that we were able to upgrade our professional life. Jamie now works for a Microsoft consulting Company which means that he gets to work from home almost everyday. He hasn’t been to the office in over 5 months (boy, did I pick the wrong field). I call this Jamie’s command center. When it’s dark out, I feel like you need to wear sunglasses to shield your eyes from the glow of the computer screens!

Look at all of those computers!

I moved to a new job about a month ago and now work for a local children’s hospital at their nonprofit Foundation running their prospect research program. I miss my old co workers terribly but I love my new job and making new friends is always fun.

Third, as you may know, Jamie and I are expanding our family…we’re getting a puppy! A co-worker of mine has 5 dogs (and 3 cats…yikes!) and one of them had 8 puppies, so we’re taking one. We are naming her Luna. She is a mutt, but the mom is part Shar Pei and the dad is part Rhodesian Ridgeback, so we expect her to be a fairly large dog when she grows up. We think we’ll be able to pick her up in about a week which is super exciting. It’s really nice having Jamie work from home because the puppy will have someone to hang out with all day. It will be interesting to see who the cats react to her, but I think they’ll be one big happy family eventually.

Here’s Louie helping Jamie work…

Lily on her Christmas Ale bed!

 

 

Eggnogg Mini Loaves

Now, I am not a eggnogg fan, but these loaves are really a great way to use up any leftovers you may have around the house. The eggnogg gives a kick of spice to the bread, and I find it much more enjoyable to eat as a bread, than as a drink ! I stuck to the recipe, since I was making them to  give a way as gifts. If I were to make them for Jamie and I, I would change the flour to white whole wheat and substitute the sugar for honey! When they were cooled I stuck them in cute little parchment paper gift bags so they’d be all ready for delivery 🙂 The nutrition information at the bottom is from the original recipe, which you can find here

Finished product

Eggnogg Mini Loaves

 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 eggs

1 cup eggnog

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons rum extract

 Directions

• Grease 3 mini loaf pans.

All buttered up!

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Dry Ingredients

• In another bowl, beat the eggs, eggnog, sugar, butter and extracts

Wet Ingredients

• Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Pour into three greased 5-3/4-in. x 3-in. x 2-in. loaf pans.

• 

  Ready to be baked

• Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. 

Yield: 3 loaves. Nutritional Facts 1 slice equals 105 calories, 4 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 27 mg cholesterol, 106 mg sodium, 15 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 2 g protein.