Bread

Ezekiel Bread

Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and spelt, and put them in one vessel, and make thee bread thereof. Ezekiel 4:9a

spelt - Native to southern Europe, where it's been used for millennia, spelt is an ancient cereal grain that has a mellow nutty flavor. The easily digestible spelt has a slightly higher protein content than wheat and can be tolerated by those with wheat allergies. Spelt flour, available in health-food stores, can be substituted for wheat flour in baked goods. Food Dictionary online

Linda and I love different kinds of bread. Charlie Lahan’s Carousel has incomparably scrumptious heat and serve bread, sitting on a table in the aisle just east of the wine section. The bakery at Publix has delicious whole wheat bread baked right there in the store; it’s too perfect to toast: plain with “butter,” or with a smear of Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise and a thick slice of ripe red tomato. 

Back by the meat section, Grocery Outlet has a tall stand where the bread man puts loaves of Pepperidge Farm bread that is overstock from other stores, always selling for 75 cents a loaf. My favorite is the Very Thin 100% Whole Wheat, 40 calories per slice, which isn’t always there. 

In the refrigerator of the health food section at Publix there are four different kinds of “Bible bread” certified organic by Food For Life Baking Company. Their Ezekiel 4:9 and Genesis 1:29 bread is heavy, thick and good, 80 calories a slice, no sugar, old-fashioned feel and taste, warmed or toasted. One trusts that the baker follows the ingredients though not the baking style that God ordered the prophet at Ezekiel 4:9, but don’t ask.

Open heart surgery got my attention. The Cleveland Clinic dietician lectured me sternly that what I eat really and truly does determine how long I live, mind the food pyramid. Lots of grain. Little or no fatty food, absolutely no fried except cheat with one fried chicken drumstick a month. Never add salt at the table. Sugary dessert once a week. We’ve got to get that Blue Bell “Summer Berries” ice cream out of the freezer, but how to get rid of it? Doesn’t help to eat a bowl or two when Linda goes to the store, because she doesn’t get on the scale with me. The Brits were here this week and with Linda’s cooking I gained three pounds: it will have to drop quickly.

Crick update. Yesterday at a routine appointment with my primary care physician we asked about the painful crick in my neck, hoping for a prescription. His prescription: “It will go away.”

Coffee this morning. Fresh Market’s dark French Roast, whole bean, decaf, freshly ground and brewed. Doesn’t have the caf wake-up jolt but the taste is the same.

Tom+