Grandma Thomas's Chocolate Zucchini Cake

If anyone can claim a recipe as her own, it's Grandma Thomas, who baked this cake for nearly every visit to or from her six children and 25 grandchildren.  It's easy, delicious, and doesn't require frosting.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Spray bottom of 9x13" pan with Pam and dust with flour.
Cream together (in a mixer if you have one):
1/2 c. soft butter (or margarine)
1 3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla

Alternately add the following wet ingredients with the dry:
1 /2 c. vegetable oil
1/2 sour milk (add a few drops of lemon juice to the milk to make it sour)
2 1/2 c. flour

5 T. cocoa

1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
1 t. soda

Add last:
2 c. grated zucchini

Pour batter into pan and level batter with a spatula.
Sprinkle with:

chocolate chips to taste (more is better) and
chopped nuts (optional).

Bake 40-45 minutes until done.  Check in center with toothpick, and don't leave it in too long!

*A tip:  Grandma Thomas always grew her own zucchini, grated it and froze it in pint-size cottage cheese cartons for use later.  I think that's why hers was always the best.  If you don't save your cottage cheese cartons, you're probably out of luck for the cake turning out as well as hers.  Oh, well.  Store-bought zucchini also works or use applesauce instead of zucchini.  :-)

Italian Spaghetti Sauce

This favorite recipe was given to me by Judy Fisher, given to her by Julie Coles.

2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 green pepper, finely chopped
2 cans (15 oz) tomato sauce
2 cans (12 oz) tomato paste
1 can (7.5 oz) pitted ripe olives - drained and sliced
2 envelopes (1.5 oz) spaghetti sauce w / mushrooms mix
3 c. water
1 t. oregano
1 T. sugar
2 cloves crushed garlic

Brown beef, drain.
Add onion and pepper, stir until onions are translucent.
Add other ingredients.  Simmer 1.5 hours OR cook in crock pot on low for (about) 4 hours.

*Recipe can be divided into smaller portions and frozen for later.