Date and Nut Loaf

I've been told many times about my obsession with food.  I am one of 4 siblings and we all have this same "condition".  It's not gluttony but more an obsession of buying food, having it in the house and making sure the cupboards are full.  When the family gets together we will often laugh at each other and ourselves.  We also know that we've inherited this craziness from my mother (aka baba).  She went without for a very long time and as we were growing up, mom always made sure we had the freshest and best quality food she could afford and the fridge was always full.

I also have this love/hate relationship with Costco.  It's like going into a fantasy world of big volumes and bigger is better, right?  Not so much.  How many times have you gone into a Costco store, bought something in large quantity and then realized it might last you a lifetime.  This was my dilema when I decided I needed a 2 kg (2.2 lb) bag of pitted dates.  Every time I open my baking cupboard I look at that bag and shake my head at my own impulsiveness.  I went to my old standby recipe for date and nut loaf at Cooks.com and began the bakefest.

2 c. chopped dates
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 c. boiling water
3/4 c. sugar
2 tbsp. shortening
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 3/4 c. sifted all purpose flour
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine dates and baking soda; cover with boiling water and let stand
until cool.
Cream sugar and shortening together, add egg and vanilla and
beat until combined.
Add cooled date mixture, flour, walnuts, and salt; stir until just combined. Do not beat. Scrape mixture into greased 9 x 5 x 3
inch loaf pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes. Makes one loaf.

This recipe doubles and triples well so if you happen to have alot of dates, this is the way to go.