Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Ahhhhhh….don’t you just love having to eat your vegetables?

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The original recipe called this “Bread.” Let’s be serious guys—this ain’t bread. Bread is lovely but it tries to behave itself. This little number is moist, chocolaty and positively wicked–with no shame whatsoever.

Cake I tell you…cake.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups softened butter
3 cups grated zucchini
3/4 cup chocolate chips

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Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9×13 inch baking pan.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the eggs and butter, mix well. Fold in the chips and zucchini until they are evenly distributed. Pour into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool cake completely before frosting with your favorite frosting.

Now then—tell me again. How many servings of veggies are we suppose to have each and every day? I want to be sure to get them all in.

Heh, heh, heh.


Chocolate Zucchini Cake
 
Ingredients
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 4 eggs
  • 1½ cups softened butter
  • 3 cups grated zucchini
  • ¾ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.
  2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the eggs and butter, mix well. Fold in the chips and zucchini until they are evenly distributed. Pour into the prepared pan.
  3. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool cake completely before frosting with your favorite frosting.

 

Cheesy Egg Bake

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This lovely thing is mostly a crustless quiche…kinda. But, oooooh…it’s good. So if you’re in the mood to toss something together, plop it in the oven and forget about it—then here’s your dish. Perfect for when the mornings are just a teeny-tiny bit cooler.

Ingredients

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
2 Tbsps butter
2 cups diced cooked ham or sausage
8 eggs
1-3/4 cups milk
½ cup flour
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper

Combine cheeses; place 3 cups of mixed cheese in an ungreased 13×9 baking dish and set aside. Saute ham in butter until done. Sprinkle cooked meat in baking dish over cheese. Top with remaining cheese. In a bowl, beat eggs—then add milk, flour, salt and pepper. Mix well. Slowly pour over the cheese. Bake at 350* for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

If you doubled this then call in the farm hands.

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If you didn’t…

…get the kids and eat very quietly.


5.0 from 1 reviews
Cheesy Egg Bake
 
Ingredients
  • 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • 3 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
  • 2 Tbsps butter
  • 2 cups diced cooked ham or sausage
  • 8 eggs
  • 1-3/4 cups milk
  • ½ cup flour
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp. pepper
Instructions
  1. Combine cheeses; place 3 cups of mixed cheese in an ungreased 13x9 baking dish and set aside. Saute ham in butter until done.
  2. Sprinkle cooked meat in baking dish over cheese.
  3. Top with remaining cheese. In a bowl, beat eggs---then add milk, flour, salt and pepper.
  4. Mix well.
  5. Slowly pour over the cheese.
  6. Bake at 350* for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
  7. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

 

Fresh Cucumbers

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If you have ten billion cucumbers at your place—like some folks do this time of year—maybe you’d love an easy way to enjoy them–and to get your kids to do the same.

cucumber

Start by peeling them like a potato. Now, I’m all for getting all the nutrients out of everything by leaving the peel on, but this is a fun bit of diversion from the norm. Compost the peels if you need to feel better about not leaving them on. That should help.

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Next, pour about a teaspoon of salt onto the cucumber and rub it into the outside–gets rid of the bitter taste.

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Cut the cute little veggie in quarters–long ways.

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Slice or scoop out the seeds.

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Rinse off the salt and any remaining seeds.

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Slice them into cubes before some ridiculous bald kid comes along and makes you start all over.

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Chomp, Baby Chompy.

Heh.

Deep Chocolate Ice Cream

What is “Deep Chocolate Ice Cream” you say?

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It’s the kind of chocolate ice cream that people eat in slow, deliberate silence. It’s the kind of chocolate ice cream that makes peoples’ eyes flutter–just a bit–like they are sinking into some kind of trance. It’s the kind of chocolate ice cream that will make you run right out and get an ice cream freezer for yourself–if you haven’t already.

Oh, you can come to my place and taste some of ours—but I’ll warn you—beyond a heaping spoonful, we don’t share so good.

Just read the ingredients and see if they don’t send you shopping, at a sprint…of your own free will.

Deep Chocolate Ice Cream

Ingredients:

3 cups whipping cream

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa

1- 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

4 large egg yolks

1-1/2 cup white sugar

Directions:

In a small saucepan gradually whisk together the whipped cream and cocoa powder until it is smooth.  Place over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to the scalding point (the milk begins to foam up). Remove from heat. Add the chopped chocolate and stir until the chocolate has completely melted.

Meanwhile in a stainless steel bowl beat the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually pour the hot  mixture into the whipped egg yolk mixture, making sure you keep beating so the eggs don’t curdle.

Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, cook until the custard thickens enough that it coats the back of a spoon.

Immediately remove the custard from the heat and continue to stir the custard for a few minutes so it does not overcook. At this point stir in the vanilla extract. Cover and let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate the custard until it is completely cold–preferably overnight.

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Transfer the cold custard to the container of your ice cream machine and process according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

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Once made, transfer the ice cream to a chilled container and store in the freezer for a few hours or for as long as you can stand it.

Take it out when no one is around.

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Hide somewhere.

Make sure you have a big spoon.


Deep Chocolate Ice Cream
 
Ingredients
  • 3 cups whipping cream
  • ⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa
  • 1- ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 1-1/2 cup white sugar
Instructions
  1. In a small saucepan gradually whisk together the whipped cream and cocoa powder until it is smooth.
  2. Place over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to the scalding point (the milk begins to foam up).
  3. Remove from heat.
  4. Add the chopped chocolate and stir until the chocolate has completely melted.
  5. Meanwhile in a stainless steel bowl beat the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy.
  6. Gradually pour the hot mixture into the whipped egg yolk mixture, making sure you keep beating so the eggs don't curdle.
  7. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, cook until the custard thickens enough that it coats the back of a spoon.
  8. Immediately remove the custard from the heat and continue to stir the custard for a few minutes so it does not overcook. At this point stir in the vanilla extract.
  9. Cover and let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate the custard until it is completely cold--preferably overnight.

 

Quick and Fancy

So, let’s pretend that you have somewhere to go…

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and you’ve offered–like always to “make some cookies.” Usually no problem, but what if there’s not much time, or it’s too hot to turn on the oven or you just plain don’t want to? Here’s an easy solution.

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Take a package of chocolate covered graham crackers and set them out on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper.  Now, warm up a hand full of white chocolate discs–I had pink ones from awhile back–any color will work.

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Take a fork and drizzle it over, across or all through the unsuspecting cookies. The first ones will likely be uglier than heck because it may take a minute to figure out what you’re trying to do. Don’t worry about those ones. You can eat them later when no one’s looking.

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Once you’ve got the hang of it and they start looking really cute, pop the whole pan in the freezer. It won’t take long–maybe 15 minutes–to set. Lift them off the wax paper and set them on a pretty little plate and go!

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Tell everyone you slaved all day over a hot stove. Once again, you’ll be worshiped as a Goddess.

That’s the goal.