Happy Labor Day! It's been a lovely weekend - and more to come, besides! We've gotten to spend time with dear, dear friends from far away, with family nearby and with more family yet today. And when we gather for holidays, what do we do? Of course, we eat! We've got a family picnic today as perhaps some of you do, too, and we're bringing this chocolate zucchini cake. The recipe was passed along from Don's cousin, Bev, in Minnesota and it's wonderful. Don even ate a piece before he realized there was zucchini in it!!!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. buttermilk (I didn't have buttermilk this time, so I used 2% with a tsp. of vinegar)
2 1/2 c. flour
4 T. cocoa
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
2 c. grated zucchini, peel & all

Topping
1 1/2 c. chocolate chips (I use the mini-chips)
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 c. nuts (I used pecans)

Cream together butter or margarine, oil, and sugar. Mix together eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk; set aside. Blend together flour, cocoa, soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. To the butter, oil, sugar mixture add alternately the egg mixture and flour mixture until well combined. Stir in grated zucchini. Pour into 13x9" baking dish. Mix together chocolate chips, sugar, and nuts and sprinkle over cake batter. Bake in 350* oven for 40-45 minutes.

Have a great day...may all your labors be labors of love!

Love,
Don & Deb

P.S. I'm feeling "normal" - legs ache, tummy's a whirlwind, blah, blah, blah...but this will pass and in a day or two, I'll be out of the slump.