I have a few books that are on my nightstand and/or carried around to read but I’ve recently discovered the joys of audio books. I was quite reluctant to give it a go but I bit the bullet and am finding it marvelous to get some extra reading time in while doing other things… Like driving, while on my stationary bike or baking !!!
I chose Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel as my baptismal read on the audio book front. I’m into chapter 3 and so far I’m finding it a tad slow, but I imagine these chapters are just the set up for something bigger. The writing so far is very lyrical and descriptive.
I’m almost finished For the Love of Mary by Christopher Meades. This was an Advanced reader’s copy and I can’t wait to share my thoughts with you on this coming of age novel !!
A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout is the third book that I’m getting through at the moment. It’s such a powerful, inspiring read. I bring this book with me almost everywhere. It was a Secret Santa gift from a forum I participate in. I’m quite shy about being vocal in forums, but I love the CBC reads forum within Goodreads.
Oh, and just before publishing this post, I started reading The Jigsaw Man by Canadian born author Leigh Goodison. The Jigsaw Man is a short medical thriller that has taken me by surprise.
Now, to the Double Stuffed Date Squares !!!
I’ve had some gorgeous Medjool dates that have been sitting around since the holidays and needed to be used. Medjool dates are the crowning jewel of dates. If I had to use words to describe them I’d use : meaty caramel gooeyness. If you can’t find any Medjool dates, any variety in the baking section will do just fine.
Date squares are one of the most simplest of deserts to make and in my mind, since they have fruit in them… No guilt. (ok, maybe just a little)
Filling :
- 3-1/2 to 4 cups of roughly chopped pitted dates
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1-1/2 cups water
The Crust and Crumb :
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 1 cup butter
- 1-3/4 cups of Flour
- 1/2 tsp of Salt
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1-1/2 cups of Rolled Oats
Making it happen :
- Line with parchment paper or grease a 8×8 pan. Heat oven to 400 C
- In a saucepan, place all the filling ingredients and bring to a gentle simmer for about 10 mins or until the mixture thickens nicely.
- While the filling cools slightly, mix together remaining ingredients. It is best to use your hands for this part.
- Firmly press about half the mixture into the pan. Pour the filing over the crust and then top with remaining crumb mixture.
- Bake for 30-35 mins.
Serve warm or cold. I prefer mine room temperature with a nice cup of tea. This is perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack.
Notes : You can use a larger pan if you don’t want these to have a thick filling and you can also cut the sugar if you find the filling too sweet.
And there you have it, a sneaky food post within what has become a mostly book related blog. Since I’ve done it once… you can be sure that I’ll be sneaky again. (it is all because of audio books !). 🙂