Actual Food — Strawberry Nut Bread

Sustenance for The Spirit

The holiday time of year conjures memories of all kinds, and many of my holiday memories revolve around food. There are certain foods I’m more likely to cook during the holidays, between cooking for family gatherings and putting together gift baskets for friends and neighbors. I always end up baking different sweet breads and a favorite is the Strawberry Nut Bread that was my grandmother’s recipe. Recently, I’ve used the recipe a couple of times as something to share with others on occasions where there was the loss of a loved one, or as a hospitality gift when traveling. Anytime I bake and share this sweet bread, it is well-received, and complimented. In fact, it’s hard to go wrong with sweet breads when extending love and fellowship to others.

A Biblical example could be Abigail, wife of the churlish Nabal in 1 Samuel chapter twenty-five. Since Nabal’s tendency to hurl insults was about to instigate a battle with David (known to be a mighty warrior), Abigail cleverly arranged to try a different approach. In verses 18 and 19 scripture says, “Abigail acted quickly. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys. Then she told her servants, ‘Go on ahead; I’ll follow you.’ But she did not tell her husband Nabal.” (1 Samuel 25:18–19, NIV) Her quick intervention saved many battle deaths, and eventually landed her in the palace as David’s wife. I’m not suggesting that by baking a sweet bread you’re going to save a country or marry a king, but evidently they can have a positive effect during stressful times. So, it’s good to have a few good sweet bread recipes on hand.

This recipe uses basic ingredients and is simple to make. It’s got just enough cinnamon to add some spiciness and give it a twist, which makes it perfect as a holiday sweet bread, or to serve with coffee whenever guests may pop in.

Strawberry Nut Bread

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cinnamon

2 cups sugar

4 eggs, beaten

1 ¼ cup vegetable oil

2 cups frozen strawberries (thawed and diced)

1 ¼ cup chopped pecans

Sift dry ingredients together. Add eggs, oil, thawed strawberries, pecans, stirring just enough to moisten. Pour into 2 9x5x3 pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before turning onto cooling rack.

Have a great day!