Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars

Oh, yum.  Yes, yes.  I had no idea what a sopapilla was and even now I'm not 100% sure, just that it's a fried pastry dish native to many South American cuisines.  Then people on the internet turned it into cheesecake and all hell broke loose. These are amazing and since these bars don't include fried sopapillas, they are light and delicious.  Flaky pastry layers wrap around a cheesecake-like filling and it's all topped off with cinnamon sugar for a delicious treat.  Maybe you make it to share with friends for Cinco de Mayo like I have.  Maybe you take a pan to work or a picnic.  Maybe you just hoard them all and devour them yourself.  I wouldn't judge.  These sopapilla cheesecake bars are amazing and you need them in your life.  Plus, can you say amazingly simple?  Just a handful of ingredients come together quickly to make these amazing bars.

Mexican Brownies

It's almost May and that means it's almost Cinco de Mayo. So I'm a little early, but I think these brownies would be a perfect dessert option for any party you're headed to.  A slightly nutty flavor, almost coffee-like, these brownies are slightly fudgey, mostly cakey, and don't need any sort of frosting, glaze or extras on top.  Toasting the sesame seeds was a challenge (yeah, I burned them the first time around), but made all the difference in the flavor, turning these brownies from regular chocolate into something special.  Because a fiesta like Cinco de Mayo deserves something special.

Chocolate Chip Vanilla Yogurt Pancakes

We love breakfast.  Every weekend I make a point to cook up a big breakfast at least one morning.  So when I asked Dave what kind of pancakes sounded good to him, he asked for chocolate chip.  I'm so glad he did because these pancakes were fluffy, slightly sweet and had a good about of chocolate for breakfast.  I'm getting much better with my pancake flipping, and must say these pancakes turned out very well.  I think the use of vanilla yogurt helped aid the fluff factor, as opposed to an all fat version of pancakes.  Whatever the reason, these pancakes were a hit and since it was Dave's idea, I didn't have to beg for breakfast chocolate--although I liked the mini chips since the chocolate was more distributed than with a regular chip.  Powdered sugar or maple syrup, either way these are a breakfast win, whether for the weekend or a busy morning.

Chicken Taco Stew

This is a favorite that I've been making for years.  It's simple to make, delicious, filling and fairly healthy until we ruin it with sour cream, cheese and tortilla chips.  And while it's perfect without all the garnish, it gets that much better with the fanfare.  Beans, corn, tomatoes, and onion combine with seasoned chicken to create a chunky bowl of yum.  There's not enough liquid to consider this a soup but a little too much to be a chili, and the chunks just beg to be scooped up with chips.  This chicken taco stew makes frequent appearances for pot lucks, parties and for delivery dinners for friends in need.  Crock pot meals don't get much simpler than opening a few cans, chopping an onion, adding some seasoning and tossing some chicken on top.  And it just makes the kitchen smell so good.

Peanut Butter Smoothie Bars

These were supposed to be a last minute dessert. I came home at 4:30 pm and Dave informed me we were invited to our friends' home, Felise and Nick, for dinner at 6:30 pm.  I cannot go empty handed and didn't have a suitable dessert already made, so I whipped up these light and fluffy peanut butter bars in short order.  They are wonderful.  When baked correctly.  As goes the saga with my oven that hates me and doesn't want me to make tasty food, I got faked out when these bars tested done (firm top, crisp edges, toothpick inserted in center came out clean).  But then as they cooled, they sank in a bit and when I went to cut them, I found they were completely undone inside.  So we picked up some cheesecake on our way to Felise and Nick's house and the next week I tried again with these--because I was determined.  And I'm glad I gave them a second go (and used the toaster oven to bake them this time).  Because these really are a perfect peanut butter bar with a nice crunch on the edge and chewy interior, like a peanut butter blondie, but with a more smooth, almost fudge-like consistency instead of a cakey texture, hence a name including smoothie to indicate the uniqueness of these bars.  Peanut butter batter with peanut butter chips, these were a hit with my peanut butter lover for sure.