Ok, this one is for Uncle A. who's already asked about a recipe on that list. LOL Dang, thought I'd have at least a day before anybody asked. ;)

This is a family favorite, from Taste of Home Mag. One of my more intensive recipes.

Beef Stuffed Sopaipillas
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup evap. milk
1-1/2 tsp vegetable oil
additional oil for frying

Filling:
1 lb ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder (I usually use pressed garlic, instead of garlic powder)
1/4 tsp pepper

Sauce:
1 (10 oz) can condensed cream o' chicken soup, undiluted
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 cups (8oz) shredded cheddar cheese

In a bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder. Stir in water, milk and oil with a fork until a ball forms. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough gently for 2-3 minutes. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Divide into four portions; roll each into 6-1/2 in. circle.

In an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer, heat oil to 375 deg. F. Fry circles, on at a time, for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

In a skillet, cook beef & onion until meat is no longer pink, drain. Stir in salt, garlic powder and pepper. In a saucepan, combine soup, broth, chilies and onion powder; cook for 10 minutes or until heated through. Cut a slit on one side of each sopaipilla; fill with 1/2 cup of meat mixture. Top with cheese. Serve with sauce. Yield: 4 servings.

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Ok, well, that's how the recipe calls for them to be served. We do it a BIT differently around here, just because I found out precisely HOW messy this was, when served the way I was directed. In our house, we slice open the sopaipilla (should be kinda like a pita, but instead of chopping it in half, you slice it open along one edge & stuff like a deep pocket), then we mix together an amount of the beef, with an amount of the sauce (just enough to get the beef somewhat moist) before stuffing it into the bread-pocket. Place on plate & top with shredded cheese, then microwave it till the cheese melts a bit. (The heat of the filling is not quite enough to properly melt the cheese on top. Trust me on this one.) Eat like a sloppy joe, keeping rescue fork (and knife?) and towels ready. *wink*

As I said, DH, DD & I all love this. It's a "mexican" twist on sloppy joes. Though, I'm guessing these sopaipillas are not authentically "mexican".

Enjoy!