Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease ONE 9"x 5"x 3" loaf pan and set aside.
Mix pecans, dates, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Stir to combine, then pour boiling water over mixture and let it sit for 20 minutes.
In a medium bowl, beat eggs until foamy. Then beat in vanilla, sugars, shortening, spices and SIFTED flour. Mix until thoroughly combined.
Add date mixture to flour mixture and stir until just blended. (Date mixture is slightly watery before adding to other ingredients)
Scrape into loaf pan and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 5 minutes. Or until done. I placed a piece of tin foil over the top of my bread around the 45 minute mark as I didn't want it to get over brown. Let stand for 10 minutes after pulling out of the oven and enjoy!
**We heat up slices of bread in the microwave for about 5-10 seconds (depending on the thickness of the slice) and serve with whipped cream cheese!