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Agatha Christie's Greenway (Devon, England) - The House

I can think of two places that we visited where I enjoyed the house more than the gardens. The first was Greenway, not for the house itself, which was surprisingly small and cramped, but for the history behind it and the fascinating mementos on display. Agatha Christie and her husband Max Mallowan were enthusiastic collectors. You can see their collections on display throughout the house - European and Oriental ceramics, pottery, African tribal masks, Egyptian artifacts, Tunbridge ware, china, trinkets, and books. The Morning Room has a portrait of Agatha Christie as a child and her doll Rosie, sitting in a chair - The Drawing Room was where the family would gather in the evenings. Christie would entertain guests by reading chapters from manuscripts of her latest books.  Agatha Christie's bedroom. Max always slept on a smaller portable traveling cot (you can see part of it in the foreground). It was his favorite bed and he carried it with him on all of his archaeological travels. N...
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Chocolate Zucchini Cake



Our neighbor gave us a huge zucchini a few days ago, the first of the season. It was enough to make my go-to recipe - Zucchini Bread - and enough left over for another recipe. I just saw this in the latest issue of Mother Earth News and decided to try it. It turned out quite good although a little dry. I do intend to try it again because it was quite good.

One change I made was to reduce the sugar. It calls for 2 cups (!). I used half sugar and half brown sugar. In the future, perhaps applesauce would be a good substitution for one of the cups.

The frosting is simple and divine!

Deep Dark Chocolate Zucchini Cake
(adapted from Mother Earth News, August 2020)

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate (chopped)
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 cups sugar (I used 1 cup white sugar and 3/4 cup brown sugar)
3 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup buttermilk, yogurt or sour cream
3 cups grated zucchini, drained, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 350. Butter or spray a 9 x 13 pan.

Melt the chocolate with 1/2 cup of the butter over simmering water. Set aside to cool slightly.

Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

In a mixing bowl, beat the remaining 1/2 cup of butter and the sugars until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well.

Add the melted chocolate mixture and the vanilla extract.

Add the flour mixture a little at a time alternately with the buttermilk until just combined.

Fold in the zucchini.

Pour the batter into the baking pan and smooth the top. Bake for 40 - 55 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

Cool the cake completely before frosting.

Frosting

3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3 TBS. butter
1/4 cup brewed coffee
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar

Melt the chocolate and the butter over simmering water (or in the microwave).

Stir in the coffee and the vanilla extract.

Place the powdered sugar in a large mixer bowl and slowly add the chocolate mixture, beating until smooth.


Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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