March 2026 Slice of Life No. 14
Two dates.
Take one slice of rustic bread. Cut it in half so it fits into the toaster.
While the bread is toasting, split open two dried dates. Remove the pits. With your fingers, work the dates until they are spread flat and thin like fruit leather. Wash off the stickiness.
Remove both halves from the toaster just before their edges begin to smoke.
Slather with butter (no artificial stuff) while still hot. Don’t worry about the butter that drips through the holes in the rustic bread.
Place the thinned dates on the toast.
Serve with your favorite morning beverage. Make mine bold coffee with cream (heavy whipping cream) and a scoop of collagen (Yonder).
As you ponder dates, consider the following information. “Think more about nutritional values than calories or carbs” — that was my take-away from a recent pod-cast with a microbiome doctor. Apply that to the dates versus a “healthy” low calorie berry jam. What is the nutritional value of each? The jam has fewer calories and less sugar but its nutritional value is zero, while the dates offer fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals.
Enjoy two dates.
Two Medjool dates (46 g) (package label):
One tablespoon Smucker’s Simply Fruit blackberry jam (jar label):
-
- calories: 40
- total fat: 0 grams (g)
- total carbohydrates: 10 g
- dietary fiber: 0 g
- sugar: 9 g
- protein: 0 g
- vitamin B-6: 0 milligrams (mg)
- iron: 0 mg
- magnesium: 0 mg
- potassium: 0 mg
Writing about My Writing
Did you notice that all of the sentences are imperatives? It is deliberate, by writer’s choice. It is intentional crafting of the structure of each sentence.
Thank you Two Writing Teachers
for hosting Slice of Life Tuesday Challenge
where Alice Nine teaches language lessons that
Empower Students to Read and Write
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Alice,
Admittedly, I expected two different kinds of dates when I approached this slice. And I do have two problems I’m confronted w/ after reading: I don’t like putting that much work into preparing breakfast, and I don’t like dates, the fruit kind, that is. Yes, I did notice the imperative sentences, which were signaled by the fact you’re sharing a recipe, the directions of which rely on imperatives.
2 dates are 140 calories! I often have 4 dates as a late night snack! I’m going to have to cut my portion in half. My mouth watered as I read your instructions. I have Celiac so no rustic wheat bread for me! The gluten free bread is not worth it! I have not yet found a GF bread that is as yummy as rustic wheat bread.