Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Saturday

A beautiful warm summer day picking wild blackberries.
Savoring the moments, knowing these days are already getting shorter.
Berries all rinsed and ready for jam...
Once the jam was made, I frosted the chocolate zucchini cake made the night before, to take with us to a picnic...

The two hour drive was well worth it. The sight of barbequed chicken greeted us, as well as corn on the cob.

It was a wonderful day spent with good friends, good food, and great scenery...


All too soon we were headed on the road home again.
Some recipes for those who asked~
Chocolate Zucchini Sheet Cake

2 c. sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 ½ c. flour
¼ c. cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c. milk
2 c. shredded zucchini
1 tbsp vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 15” x 10” x 1” baking sheet.
Combine sugar and oil. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Combine dry ingredients and gradually add, alternately, with the milk. Stir in zucchini and vanilla extract. Spread batter in pan.

Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool, then frost…

Quick Chocolate Glaze

1-1/3 c. sugar
6 tbsp. milk
6 tbsp. butter
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat sugar, milk, and butter to boiling; boil 30 seconds. Remove from heat – stir in chocolate chips until melted. Spread over cooled cake.

39 comments:

  1. That looks like a wonderful picnic you went to and the blackberries are lovely.

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  2. I think I should have went along on this trip. Looks great & lots of fun!

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  3. The picnic looked so nice. I like the chocolate glaze recipe thankyou.

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  4. What a perfect day! Your photos are breathtaking. Thanks for posting the recipes. I will be trying them!

    Emily

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  5. Love the photos, especially that big barn! Sounds like you had a fabulous day, which is great! I told Hubz the other day after I'd made my zucchini bread that I was thinking of making one with chocolate chips in it. He gave me a weird look. I'm so glad I'm not the only one who thought that chocolate and zucchini bread would go well together. :)

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  6. Anonymous8:34 AM

    Thank you so much for this delicious receipe. I'm visiting your blog for the first time. It's a pleasure.

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  7. Anonymous8:34 AM

    Hey,I just found your blog from Rhonda Jean at Down to Earth. I'm looking forward to making your choc. zuchini cake. Have you ever used zucchini that was shredded and then frozen? Just wondering as I have plenty of shredded zucchini frozen for the winter. Thanks, Barbara (in Tennessee)

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  8. Thanks Ladies!
    Barbara~ yes, I have used frozen, shredded zucchini; it works just as well.

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  9. Wow, I can smell that chicken all the way down here! LOL! Looks like everybody ahd a great time.

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  10. Thank you so much for posting the recipes!! I am always looking for new ways to use up all the zucchini that keeps making its way to the house from the garden! What beautiful pictures!

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  11. That picnic looks like a lot of thought went into it. Everything looks delish. All your pics are eye candy!

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  12. A nice relaxing post, love the blackberries. Perfect day for the picnic. BBQ chicken and chocolate cake has to be the best.
    I also enjoyed the walking tour gardens what great ideas they all had.

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  13. Anonymous3:16 PM

    It looks like you had a perfect day for the picnic. Food, family and fun. What could be better. Thanks for posting your recipes.

    God bless.

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  14. It all looks so wonderful and reminds of the little farming community we used to live in in Upstate NY. It was an idyllic place. I used to walk to the neighbors' dairy farm with my container and get milk straight from the source! Delicious! We have such happy memories of that time and place.

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  15. I am so jealous of all the lovely blackberries. Iadore blackberries and if I ever get moved out to the country you can probably guess what I might be planting by truck load, LOL. The BBQ looked to yummy and the cake sounds wonderful, I will have to try that.
    Amy

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  16. Wow! That chicken looks YUM!! Beautiful country side too.

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  17. Thanks for the memories of my childhood...the big barn reminded me of one my uncle's big barns. We would play in there for hours! Thanks again...

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  18. I just love your blog. Plus you're a knitter! I was perusing older knitting posts and you even have a Marie Claire Ideas magazine. I love those, but can't understand a word. Have you ever tried to make anything from them? This post reminds me of our 7 years in Massachusetts. It's all so beautiful!
    Karen B.

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  19. I could just hang out in those photos all day long. What a super Saturday!

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  20. Your photos are wonderful, I love Mountains and country towns, but I live in Central NJ and unless I drive up North I do not get to enjoy those views.

    I really enjoy your blog, it was one of the first I discoverd after I created mine. I have a blog award on my blog for you, I am new to this so I was not quite sure how to go about posting, but your blog is great so I added you to the award list.

    Martha of Jelliesjamsdolls

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  21. Oh boy! Those blackberries look scrumptch! And so does that BBQ!! I just made the same recipe for zuke cake only I changed it up a smidge. I added 1 t. almond extract along with the vanilla. I also "frosted" my cake with a cup of chopped walnuts and chocolate chips on top.

    Love this season.
    Jody

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  22. Anonymous10:28 PM

    Thank you for sharing the recipe, I am making it tomorrow for dessert :-)

    blessings,

    mari

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  23. Okay, I'm hungry now! I want blackberries and BBQ chicken....I can almost SMELL chat chicken in my mind!

    And the sight of old barns tucked in amongst the scenery is just bliss to my eyes. I love being a country girl!

    Bonnie in NC

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  24. Anonymous2:44 PM

    Looks like a great picnic with lots of yummy food. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

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  25. I have basically that same cake recipe except for a few things mine calls for whole wheat flour instead of white, the chocolate is double what you have and it also has walnuts in it -- love it!!
    you have a nice blog. Karen
    http://karensquilting.com/blog/

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  26. Hi Deb
    What a great picnic! Beautiful photos.

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  27. Such beautiful scenery and luscious blackberries.

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  28. Anonymous9:04 AM

    The recipe is handy and I've already printed it. You can't beat some good home cooking! Great blog. I love reading your posts.

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  29. Can you use yellow squash instead of the zuccini? I have a giant yellow squash from a friend's garden, and although I love to eat squash, my first trimester woes are preventing me from eating the things I normally do.

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  30. Thank you everyone!
    Karenfae, your recipe sounds even better with double the chocolate :)
    Jessica, I never tried it with yellow squash, but it just might work. Good luck!

    Deb

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  31. Anonymous2:15 PM

    Thanks for the zucchini cake recipe....took it to a church picnic and it was a HIT!!!

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  32. This sounds wonderful...I love reading your blogs..full of wonderful ideas. Thank you for sharing. =O)

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  33. Looks like a great picnic with lots of yummy food. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

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  34. Thank you so much for posting the recipes!! I am always looking for new ways to use up all the zucchini that keeps making its way to the house from the garden! What beautiful pictures!

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  35. Wow, I can smell that chicken all the way down here! LOL! Looks like everybody ahd a great time.

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  36. Barbara4:54 PM

    Hey,I just found your blog from Rhonda Jean at Down to Earth. I'm looking forward to making your choc. zuchini cake. Have you ever used zucchini that was shredded and then frozen? Just wondering as I have plenty of shredded zucchini frozen for the winter. Thanks, Barbara (in Tennessee)

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  37. Béné4:54 PM

    Thank you so much for this delicious receipe. I'm visiting your blog for the first time. It's a pleasure.

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  38. The picnic looked so nice. I like the chocolate glaze recipe thankyou.

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  39. That looks like a wonderful picnic you went to and the blackberries are lovely.

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Thank you for taking time to leave a comment--I love reading each and every one! I will try to answer any questions you have in the comment section. Due to the amount of spam, I am sadly no longer able to accept Anonymous comments....Kindly, Deb

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