Chocolate and the Holidays

I am a chocoholic and my husband is an enabler so he buys me chocolate and I have to eat it. Yes I do buy my own chocolate and if he didn't buy it I would buy more then I do because my mind tells me that "chocolate is good, chocolate is comforting. If you eat all the chocolate you can you will feel so much better." And you know what? My mind is right. So I eat chocolate and I do feel better. Even if I don't feel bad I eat chocolate because it makes me feel even better. Somewhere I have heard that there is a drug in chocolate that does make you feel good and it is addictive. I like to celebrate something when I eat chocolate and I can come up with all kinds of reasons. It's the Holidays, time to eat chocolate. It's someone's birthday so I need to eat chocolate. I put laundry in the clothes washing machine time for some chocolate.

My chocolate habit has gotten so bad that my husband started trying to hide the chocolate from me only letting me have so much at a time but it is not working since he likes chocolate too and he brings it out for both of us to eat. And I am starting to wonder if he eats some on the side. No matter I always get plenty for me. I can eat an entire 1 pound bag of chocolate a day. I would not have a weight problem if it weren't for that delectable, tasty, mind happy, yummy substance called chocolate. I am not obese but I am working on it, since I am heavy. Thin people just don't understand.

Now I have heard that they have actually done some studies proving that chocolate is good for you, probably in moderation though. I guess since someone took the time to prove that chocolate is good for you there must be some other folks out there with my little nasty chocolate habit. Recently I heard that a little dark chocolate is good for your heart and if you drink red wine with it so much the better. Wow, wine and chocolate? I never thought of that. But it is on my Christmas celebration list of things to do. That is one of the things on my list but so is just eating chocolate plan and chocolate with chocolate. Oh yes and cocoa. Nothing better then getting all cold outside by doing some sledding or that ever popular sport, snow shoveling, and then coming into a nice warm house and drinking some chocolate cocoa with chocolate chip cookies on the side. I know this treat isn't for the weak stomached. I actually get a stomach ache if I don't get my chocolate quota for the day.

Chocolate is my one really bad habit. I don't drink alcohol; I don't smoke cigarettes or do drugs. Guess I am a tad boring for some folks, chocolate is my only obsession. Still I gotta try to stop eating so much of this wonderful food that has taken me through thick and thin, hard times and good times, evil people and saints. I have actually tried to stop eating it in the past. I cut chocolate off my diet completely for over 6 months once about 17 years ago, I wanted to be thin or something like that but the fad passed and I went right back to eating chocolate. I'm going to give it the old college try after the holidays. I don't think I want to stop eating chocolate altogether I just want to cut back.

But till then here is a good chocolate chip oatmeal cookie recipe that uses less fat for your holiday enjoyment.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Chookies

One 8 oz. package of warm cream cheese
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 beaten eggs
6 tablespoons sour cream or 2 tablespoons cold water
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups rolled oats
2 cups chocolate chips.

Cream together the cream cheese, sugars, eggs and sour cream. Sift together the dry ingredients and add to the creamed mixture; mix until well blended. Add the rolled oats and chocolate chips. Roll into balls and bake on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. This recipe makes about 8 dozen cookies.

This is a great recipe to share with family and friends. . .