Vol. 5, The Kitchen Library
The new Hot Date! cookbook, chocolate sourdough, and the joys of a house cookie
May felt like three months packed into one. Between all the end-of-school stuff for kids, a new part time job for me, and a thousand other things (camping! swimming! kids’ soccer! birthday parties!), I’m unsure exactly how we made it through.
But here we are, on the cusp of summer. I’m so ready for more meals on our back deck, more lazy afternoons of reading, more pool days, and more space. Less running around, less busy, less “have-to’s.”
I carry the hope of a lighter season ahead, and also know that the goodness of the next season can’t be attached to more or less of any one thing. Instead, I’m trying to spot the daily grace that’s sustaining us and notice how even on the hard days—the long days, the days where my toddler is clingy, the days where I feel behind on nearly everything—there’s always something that’s bringing joy.
This past month, the joy was found in a STUNNING cookbook, the discovery of chocolate sourdough (OMG, you guys), the dependability of a good cookie recipe, and the time spent together with people I love.
Here’s what I’ve been up to lately!
Cookbooks:
HOT DATE!: SWEET & SAVORY RECIPES CELEBRATING THE DATE, FROM PARTY FOOD TO EVERYDAY FEASTS | Rawaan Alkhatib
I grabbed a copy of this book from my library and when I opened it, I was overcome with the immediate + overwhelming desire to make ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING.
So I made 19 recipes in May, why not. 🫠 As I’m typing this, my peanut butter-stuffed chocolate-covered dates are setting up in the fridge. 😍 It’s just been a delicious month and I’m not sure where to start in telling you about this cookbook.
Let’s start here: this is a cookbook about dates. Specifically, every single recipe features dates in some form: actual dates, date syrup, date sugar, date jam … the list goes on. Rawaan Alkhatib has created this stunning book that not only gives you a mind-blowing amount of date recipes, but also teaches you about the history of dates, explains the different varieties, and really sets you up to understand how to cook with dates.
—> Also please don’t miss that this cookbook is FUN and absolutely beautiful: the pages are edged HOT PINK (!), the illustrations by Rawaan are incredible, and the whole vibe feels like a summer party.
This cookbook changed my palate for the better. I now love dates (& tahini!) in a whole new way. I will say this: for me, it’s less of a weeknight dinner book and more of a appetizer/party food/dessert book. It will be the book I reach for when I want something different or fun.
Here are the highlights from the recipes I made in May!
What I loved:
The Tater Tots Tossed in Hot Date! Butter is an a-ma-zing recipe. It’s exactly what you think it is: crispy tater tots slathered with a delicious, garlicky date butter. I whipped them up for mother’s day dinner and my sister-in-law declared that she wanted to eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 😉 The only review you need!
The Date & Tahini Granola is what I ate for a week straight. If you need a new granola recipe that feels and tastes different but is still super delicious, this is it. I gotta be honest: my fam didn’t love it, which is no fault of the recipe and more just a personal preference thing. My preference? THIS GRANOLA.
Date & Tahini Granola The Dibs wa Tahini is something I made over and over again this past month. It’s basically a grown-up version of pb&j and I could.not.stop.eating.it. I’m already on my second bottle of date syrup because of this recipe! Great with pita, sourdough, or really any type of bread.
Honorable mentions:
Sticky Toffee Pudding: I mean, yes. It’s a delicious cake that’s gets even better the next day. This recipe calls for a FULL POUND of dates and my gosh is it worth it. Make this for your next cookout or party or anytime you need some cake that makes you happy.
sticky toffee pudding! Malai Chicken with Creamy Stuffed Dates: If there’s a chicken thigh recipe, I’m going to try it. This one has cheddar cheese in the marinade which was so unusual and also so wonderful. A great meal I will be making again!
Red Lentil Soup w/ a Date Molasses Drizzle: This soup was so easy and so comforting and so wonderful to pull out of my fridge throughout the week for lunches. The date molasses drizzle really makes it shine!!
Midsummer Salad: A bright, lovely salad with corn + green beans + tomatoes, all tossed in a punchy/sweet vinegar dressing. So yummy!
THE BIG BOOK OF BREAD | King Arthur Baking Company
We went camping with a group from our church recently, and it was full of wonderful things, but there was one distinct highlight: my friend Emily casually setting out a loaf of chocolate sourdough to share. Did you know that there’s a happier way to start your mornings, and it absolutely involves chocolate sourdough? Did you know that when you toast chocolate sourdough, the chocolate chips get PERFECTLY melty and that when you add salted butter, you enter another dimension?
I came home from camping, immediately fed my starter, and got to work. I made two loaves of this Chocolate Levain and can’t overstate my obsession.
I also made two other things from this cookbook in May: Pita Bread and a repeat of the Pain au Campagne (basic sourdough). Three cheers for a good month of bread!
Books:
The Illustrated Emily Dickinson: 25 Essential Poems edited by Ryan G. Van Cleave
📚 Isn’t this cover gorgeous?!? My mom bought this book for me when she saw me gushing over it and it’s been such a delight to read through these beautifully illustrated poems.
The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins
📚 This was a fun listen—one of those books you can’t put down because you want to know what happens. I feel torn on whether I actually liked it or not, mostly because several of the main characters make TERRIBLE CHOICES but are still surprisingly likable. So if you want a mystery/thriller that involves rich people, a giant estate, and layers of secrets that are slowly uncovered/revealed, give it a go!
Bring Up the Bodies by Hillary Mantel
📚 I continue to make my way through Mantel’s brilliant Cromwell trilogy. This is book two; Hillary Mantel continues to blow me away as a writer and storyteller. And the year-long slow read of this series has just been so great.
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
📚 I made a deal with my kids: we would listen to this book, and then we would watch the movie. It was such a great goal and they were totally into it. If you have other kids’ books that you would recommend reading first—then watching—let me know!!
Other enthusiasms:
Do y’all have a house cookie? You know, a cookie that you can whip up at a moment’s notice, one that’s dependable, easily adaptable, and feels like it belongs in your home? If you do, please tell me about it/share your recipe! My house cookie is basically Smitten Kitchen’s recipe for whole wheat chocolate oat cookies. I prefer to add more chocolate and esp. love more vanilla + toasted pecans. But really, any way you make them, they are GOOD. 😍
Other things that brought me joy this month:
Visiting a new local bookstore, reading
’s new post (the amount of happiness I feel when she writes anything is ABSURD), watching Andor season 2, this incredible cookbook list by (be sure to follow her work!), starting my mornings with this album, walking in my neighborhood more, and painting my nails this color. 🩵
See you next month for more kitchen library chronicles!
-Amanda
I don’t have paid subscriptions turned on, which means everything you’re getting from me is free! If you enjoyed this post, I would be so grateful if you considered supporting my work by buying me a coffee (or ensuring I have enough cookies on hand to fuel my writing!)
“Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.”
-Mary Oliver
What a cozy, happy month! I aspire to one day make 19 new recipes in a month, let alone from the same cookbook. You are my hero! BRB while I look into making a chocolate loaf of bread!
Nineteen recipes from Hot Date?!? You’re a hero!