A few years back my friend Elizabeth shared the most AMAZING recipe with me. It was the year we all grew more Zucchini's than we even knew what to do with. We were frying them, BBQ'n them. Freezing them. Baking them...but she gave me this recipe and it has been a household favorite ever since! Be forewarned you won't be able to eat just 1, the batch makes about 30 muffins, they freeze awesome OH and best part...kids think they are eating a treat because of the word "chocolate"! Boy, if they only knew!


Preheat your oven to 350 and line your muffin tins with paper liners.

I stick all the ingredients into Prudence (my Kitchen-Aid mixer) in this order:

• 3 eggs
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup applesauce (the Tree Top applesauces that you would stick in your kids lunches...you know the small bowl like ones? They are the PERFECT size/amount!)
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 

Turn on and mix. Then add in:

• 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves (I like to ground mine myself in my coffee bean grinder...smells SO good and is so yummy fresh!)
• 3 cups of flour

Mix. I then use a scoop to divide into my muffin pans. Bake for 22 minutes. Stick a toothpick in to make sure comes out clean and then let cool on a cooling rack. Good luck keeping your mitts off of them as they cool!

OH MY-LANTA! I completely had a week! You know the kind where you kind of veg out from your brain and forget everything you were supposed to do?! Anyone else been there, done that?! lol! Well only a week late to get the recipes to y'all from the Farm themed party! Ooops! Sorry!



Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease or line two 12 cup muffin tins with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl beat the eggs. Beat in the sugar, oil and applesauce. Add the cocoa, vanilla, zucchini and stir well.
3. Stir in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and cardamom. Mix until just moist.
4. Pour batter into prepared muffin tins filling 2/3 of the way full. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack. Store loosely covered

They are delicious! Let me just say! I cannot take credit for this recipe however...as that would be just plain rude! My dear friend Elizabeth is the "giver" of this recipe! I had zucchinis coming out my ears last Summer and searched for yummy new recipes. This was one she gave me! The other was for zucchini enchiladas...I do have to say I have not been brave enough to try it! Although she says they are delicious!

The next recipe is a HUGE hit with my friends! In fact my friend Shannon one year asked me to make it for her birthday!



Oven Caramel Corn

• 15 cups plain popped popcorn (I have a good ol' Orville Redinbocker style one!)
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter or stick of margarine (if you have unsalted butter, add a pinch more of salt!)
• 1/4 cup of light corn syrup
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

Directions

1. Heat oven to 200 degrees.
2. Place popcorn in a LARGE bowl (the one I use is 18 cup size!) set out 2 ungreased 13x9 rectangular pans.
3. Heat brown sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until bubbly around the edges. Once bubble around edges, cook continuously for 5 minutes without stirring then remove from heat. Stir in the baking soda until foamy.
4. Pour your mixture over the popcorn and toss until evenly coated. I like to pour about a 1/4 of it in at a time. Pour popcorn into your two baking dishes.
5. Bake 1 hour stirring every 20 minutes. Spread onto aluminum foil and cool completely for about 30 minutes so it can harden!

I LOVE to make my own Moose Munch by adding almonds that I covered in chocolate (you heat choc chips and a little bit of Crisco in a metal bowl that is sitting in a pot of boiling hot water!) SO yummy!



And finally my famous crock pot meatballs! The worlds EASIEST recipe...love it! 3 ingredients...1 bottle of Welches brand grape jelly (seriously use their brand!), a bottle of Baby Ray's BBQ sauce. Mix together in your crock pot (don't forget the crock pot bag!) and dump in as many Costco pre-made meatballs that you can (they are frozen and in the frozen meat area). Easy peasy! You must try it!

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend! We have crazy days ahead of us and...wait for it...little Miss Ava Faith is turning 1 next week! I am hoping her party turns out the way it is in my head! Can't wait to share!