Yummmmmmm........

Much to Tim's dismay, I don't tend to keep a lot of snacky, processed, premade sweets (sorry, Oreo cookies... even though I love you myself) around our house. It's a habit I've developed in Niger where we make treats to enjoy, but they are almost always rapidly and immediately consumed as a dessert. If the kids need a snack, it is a smaller portion of leftovers in the fridge, an apple or carrot or cucumber (if they are in season), peanuts, popcorn, pbj sandwich, cinnamon toast.... well, you get the idea. But Little Debbies, Wheat Thins, neon orange peanut butter and cracker sandwiches from the vending machine... those sorts of things are either unheard of in Niger, or outside our bugetary limitations. And since we I don't want to succumb to a furlough weight explosion where they have to roll me back onto the plane and where once back in Niamey I have to listen to all my Nigerien friends tell me how fat I got over furlough, I use a few guidelines to try and keep things in check. It has worked in the past... we'll have to see how well it works now that I'm officially "over the hill!" This was all fine and dandy until my dad stopped by yesterday and told me if I didn't have some yummies around for him, he *might* not come and visit. So, I decided to try and prove to him that our homemade treats can be just as nice~ and made him a chocolate zucchini cake. This is one of my favorite recipes because it has a nice dark chocolate flavor and has always turned out deliciously, even when I've left it in the oven a little too long!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups white sugar (brown sugar is nice, too)
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 4 cups grated zucchini

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
• In a separate bowel, mix eggs and butter.
• Fold zucchini into eggs and butter until evenly distributed.
• Then gently *with a wooden spoon* mix dry and wet together.
• Pour into the prepared pan.
• Bake for 50 to 60 minutes in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Eat warm, preferably with milk or ice cream.

So most and flavorfull there's NO ICING NEEDED!

Gampy said he really liked the cake. Hopefully that wasn't just because of the *store-bought* butter pecan ice cream he had with it!