The Hungry Monster

Kids love to be chased.  By monsters.  Overall nice but kinda-mean-sounding ones.  I am that monster.  (Ok, we can say it, momster.)  I'm the weirdo parent often seen walking straight-legged, arms outreached (or reached out, whatev), growling something in a deep voice (so read it that way, ok?), "I'm gonna get youuuu," at the park.  Toddlers flee screaming, eyes and mouths wide open as they run in all directions - making mostly fake-sounding but nevertheless super high-pitched and likely-annoying-to-more-civilized-parents (and children) screams.

The momster doesn't just rear her ugly (Mud-hens baseball hat-adorned) head at park time.  I wake up that way, minus the threatening 'I'm gonna get you' bellows.  (And nooo, I don't really think I'm ugly - for those of you who were concerned about that sentence).  So lately, I'm finding that our usual a.m. barafare isn't satiating the beast and I've been trying to break out of our weekday breakfast rut - cold cereal (the kind in boring boxes from the "natural food" section of the grocery store that still contains about the same amount of sugar as toucan sam), frozen waffles, fruit smoothies, cheese toast.  I found this recipe in MSL and it looked sooo delicious and easy.  I picked up some grainy, perfectly crusty bread from 7 Stars Bakery on Hope St. and added just what was called for in the recipe:  ricotta cheese, dates (I bought organic Medjool ones from WH), bananas, and honey.  I skipped the pecans, because those got used in a salad earlier in the week, and the bread from 7 Stars was nutty enough.

The cameraman and I each had two slices and felt FULL.  As in, wow, we're really stuffed.  (But in a good way - not a 'I think I'm gonna be sick' way).  So for those of you who thought ricotta was just for stuffing into shells and tubes and between layers of lasagna noodles and smothering with tangy, garlicky, mouth-watering red sauce, think again, ok?  The momster is asking nicely.

Note:  As I look at the picture, I'm thinking the dates look a lot like bacon.  Next time, I'm subbing in bacon.  That would be so goooood.  Anyone who likes to dip their fries in their frosties knows what I mean.  You people are my people.