There are a few things in life that I consider highly unpleasant. Problems that I know, deep inside, are first world problems but that I will complain about nonetheless. I dislike visiting the Apple store for computer repairs. I dislike being late, even though I’m never on time for anything in my life. I dislike traffic, long lines and having to walk up and down five flights of stairs to do my laundry (or wait two extra minutes for the elevator).

I also dislike the month February. Actually, make that hate the month of February. I’ve never held such a grudge against a day, a week or a month as I do February when sometime in college it occurred to me that every year since I was 12, something unpleasant has happened in February.

Now, logically I know I’m lucky that February’s unpleasantness has been relatively minor in the grand scheme of things: break-ups, arguments with friends, several consecutive 3 a.m. nights at work. Things that happen in life but for whatever reason, the universe doles them out in February.

I’m not writing this post because to have a pity party or because I enjoy the melodies of tiny violins. I’m saying this because it’s only February 3 and I’ve already done two things this month that I’m proud of.

First: I made Recipe Girl’s Healthy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies, a winning alternative to my usual buttery-sugary chocolate chip cookies.

Second: I’ve launched a new blog. Since I moved to Chicago I’ve been itching to explore the food world outside of my own kitchen. I wanted a place to do it where it wouldn’t, you know, bore everyone to tears who isn’t from Chicago. And as such, In Good Taste: Chicago was born.

I’ll be blogging on Chicago Now a few times a week about any and all types of Chicago foodstuff, from markets and grocery stores to recipes, restaurants and even the occasional cocktail – in moderation, of course.

For those of you outside of the Chicagoland area, I’ll still be blogging here (albeit maybe not as frequently since I’m not, you know, under contract to write here. I’m much more forgiving than a binding document). So for now, I leave you with Lori’s chocolate-chip oatmeal cookie recipe.

At about 100 calories per cookie, you can’t even blame me for breaking your New Year’s resolutions.

Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

6 Tbs unsalted butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oatmeal
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup finely chopped pitted dates
3 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease baking sheets (or line w/ parchment or silipats).

2. Place butter in a medium, microwave-safe bowl. Melt in microwave, just until completely melted. Remove from microwave and add brown sugar. Stir until smooth.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together oats, flours, baking soda & salt. Stir into butter sugar mixture along with egg, vanilla and dates. Fold in chopped chocolate and mix well.

4. Drop Tablespoonfuls of the cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until they appear to be set and not gooey in the middles.

Yield: About 30 cookies

Tagged as: chocolate chip, chocolate chip cookie, healthy cookie oatmeal cookie, oatmeal