Eggnog Cranberry Bread Pudding

As another holiday season comes to an end, I hope everyone has had wonderful times filled with family, fun, and lots of tasty food! Personally, I ended up with a rather obscene amount of eggnog and cranberry orange relish after all the other leftovers had been dispatched. What to do... what to do...

To be honest, I'm not at all sure what made me devise this recipe, but I'm sure glad I did! It's not terribly sweet, and I think even people who don't care for eggnog will enjoy it.

1 large loaf cheap French bread (you know... the kind that's mostly air...)
5 large eggs
2 C eggnog
1 C leftover cranberry orange relish
2 t vanilla
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 stick butter, melted

Tear French bread into bite-sized pieces and place in large mixing bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together eggs, eggnog, cranberry relish, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir egg mixture into bread and let stand for about an hour. Place bread mixture in greased 2 1/2 qt baking dish; drizzle with melted butter. Bake uncovered at 350° for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes. Serve with additional cranberry relish, maple syrup, bourbon sauce, or whatever moves you.

I even had some for dessert!