Gooey Butter Bars, that is. Not to be confused with Geoducks (pronounced like "gooey ducks") which are extremely large saltwater clams. If you don't know what a Geoduck is, consider yourself lucky. Thanks to the show, "Dirty Jobs," I am now an expert on this clam and I think everyone should at least be exposed to their pictorial magnificence. I'll let you figure out what it resembles...

Now that I've got you all hot and bothered, let's talk about Easter. Since it's right around the corner, here is an easy and scrumptious recipe guaranteed to make your dessert table ever so much more delectable. I found this recipe years ago in the book, Cake Mix Doctor. The woman who wrote this series is a freakin' genius and can practically make anything out of cake mix. She's like the McGuyver of the baking world. Anyhoo, here's the recipe:

Gooey Butter Bars

2 sticks of butter (real butter - no margarine)
3 eggs
1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1 tsp. vanilla
8 oz. cream cheese
4 c. powdered sugar (one pound box)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9X13 inch pan. Mix one of the cubes of butter, an egg, and the cake mix in a bowl until it forms a soft dough similar to cookie dough. Press this dough into the bottom of the greased 9X13 pan as this will be the yummy crust. Don't bother cleaning the beaters of your mixer. You may have OCD and be compelled to do so, but it's really not necessary. Go ahead and then beat the cream cheese and other cube of butter in the same deliciously dirty bowl. Once they are mixed well, add the vanilla and two eggs. When you have a nice creamy mess, slowly add the sugar in. You might want to sift it as you go or you could have little bits of sweet lumps. I'm lazy and already slightly lumpy, so I forego any sifting. Once you have everything combined, pour your batter onto the crust and then bake it in the oven for 30-40 minutes. You know they're done when the crust is slightly browned and the center is still jiggly like Fat Bastard's tummy (sorry, I love Austin Powers). If you cook it too long, it will dry the bars out and you will shame this recipe.

After the bars are fully cooled, cut into squares, triangles, rectangles, hexagons, or just eat it by the spoonful. It's really that good. If you want to SCREAM fancy, sprinkle a little powdered sugar over the top. I've made different versions of this recipe using a chocolate cake crust and sprinkling chocolate chips in the batter. And, if you like boy bars, you can always add nuts. The options are limitless but the outcome will always be delicious!