Pear Bread

At first glance this bread might not seem too dangerous. It's made from everyday ingredients, nothing unusual. Except. It is SO tasty, you may not be able to stop eating it. :o)
I had 3 pears in the bowl on the counter - thought maybe if they were easily accessible, Greg would grab one on his way out the door in the mornings, and actually eat some fruit. Guess they weren't obvious enough, because they were soon too ripe for "grab 'n go", so I dug out the recipe for pear bread.
I think this came from Paula Rodewald, a past girlfriend of my dad's. She's a great cook, and sells her baked goods at the street market in York during the summer.
I made this and shared it at work last night. It was a hit. Now I'll share the recipe with you:

Pear Bread
1/2 C applesauce (I use natural, unsweetened)
1/2 C oil
2 C sugar
3 eggs
2 1/2 C peeled, diced pears
1 C chopped pecans (optional, but nuts always make it better!)
2 tsp vanilla
3 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg (I used 1/4 tsp - I don't care for a strong nutmeg flavor)

Mix applesauce, oil, sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Add pears and nuts. Mix flour w/ baking soda, salt, and spices; add to pear mixture and stir just til combined.
Bake in two loaf pans at 350 F for one hour. I used French bread pans, so they only took about 50 minutes.

Let cool before slicing - if you can! Enjoy!