My "about me" section described me, among other things, as a pug-owning baker who reads in her spare time. My secret santa really hit the nail on the head with this one!

First off, there was a white index card which had been lovingly filled out by mom (the handwriting is totally mom-penmanship, amiright?) - it had her chocolate pecan pie recipe on it! I love, love, love things that are special and handmade like this, and I especially appreciated how it was written out in mom's own hand! There's a very similar recipe in my family, and I've decided that the best thing to do is to bake both of these pies at once and invite my family and friends to do a taste test.

Next up, there was a 50th Anniversary Edition of William S. Burroughs' Naked Lunch, which I have yet to read - way to try the odds and win, Secret Santa! I can't wait to show off my fabulously designed book on my daily subway commute....that is, if I don't finish it before then.

The last item caused the most stir - a little kit called "Dog Treats & Tricks", which came with a book of doggie treat recipes, a doggy bone cookie cutter, and a rainbow rope chew toy! My 10 month old pug, Trousers, went berserk and ripped the toy out of the packaging before proceeding to run around the house like a madman. He's slept with it every night since!

Thanks again, Secret Santa - I normally prefer to give gifts than to receive them, but this reminded me just how fun it is to get an extremely thoughtful present!