Mexican Desserts

We are a family of Mexican food lovers! The first thing we had to find when we moved was "our" Mexican restaurant. We have found a fantastic place with a fabulous salsa bar...mmm. We ate there last night. And I could eat there again today. And tomorrow.

I love cooking Mexican food too...but I never know what to serve for dessert...and if I'm making dinner for company, it only makes sense to make dessert too, you know?

In the last few months I've stumbled across three great (and different) dessert ideas. The first is from a friend who made it for an event I went to last week; the second I think I came across in Southern Living, and the third is one my sister Katy shared with me from a college friend of hers. Hope you enjoy these!

Strawberry Margarita Squares (a Pampered Chef recipe)

Crust:

2 cups (66) fat-free mini-twist pretzels (1 cup crushed)

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

1/4 cup sugar

Filling:

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup thawed, frozen margarita mix concentrate (non-alcoholic)

16 ounces frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 3 ounce package strawberry gelatin

1/2 cup boiling water

1 package (10 ounces) frozen sliced strawberries in syrup

whipped cream, fresh strawberry slices, and lime slices to garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350. For crust, finely crush pretzels. Melt butter for 30 seconds or until melted. Add crushed pretzels and sugar and mix well. Press into bottom of 9x13 rectangular baking dish. Bake 10 minutes and cool completely.

2. Beat cream cheese and margarita mix until well blended. Fold in 2 cups of the whipped topping. Spread evenly over crust. Refrigerate while preparing strawberry layer.

3. Place gelatin in bowl. Stir in boiling water, stir until completely dissolved. Add frozen strawberries and stir until strawberries separate and gelatin is thickened (a spoon drawn through mixture will leave an impression). Whisk in 3 cups of of the whipped topping and pour over cream cheese. Refrigerate 3 hours to set.

4. Cut dessert into 15 squares. Garnish each serving with whipped topping. Top with fresh strawberry and lime slices.

Notes: Make the dessert the day you plan to use it. The crust gets soggy if left in the fridge overnight.

Chocolate Chimichangas with Raspberry Sauce

6 (1.55 oz) milk chocolate candy bars

6 (10 inch) burrita size flour tortillas

vegetable oil

Raspberry Sauce (recipe follows)

vanilla ice cream

chocolate shavings and mint sprigs, to garnish

1. Place one candy bar in the center of each tortilla. Fold bottom of tortilla up and over candy bar just until partially covered. Fold left and right sides of tortilla over; roll up and place, seam side down, on a baking sheet. Freeze for 20 minutes.

2. Pour oil to a depth of one inch into a large skillet; heat to 375 degrees. Place 2 tortillas seam side down in hot oil, gently pressing with tongs for a few seconds to seal. Fry 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove and place on a paper towel to drain. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

3. Serve with raspberry sauce and vanilla ice cream. Garnish with shaved chocolate and mint sprigs. (You could also use a caramel sauce instead of the raspberry sauce.)

Raspberry Sauce

1 (10 oz) package frozen raspberries, thawed

1/2 cup sugar

3 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. orange liqueur (optional)

1 tsp. cornstarch

1. Combine the first three ingredients (and liqueur if desired) in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes until it starts to thicken. Remove from heat and cool completely.

2. Press raspberry mixture through strainer into a saucepan, using back of spoon to queeze out the juice. Discard pulp and seeds. Whisk in cornstarch. Bring to a boil and cook 1-2 minutes until thickened. Store in refrigerator up to three days.

Sopapilla Cheesecake

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese

1 package refrigerated Pillsbury croissant rolls

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup butter, melted

cinnamon sugar, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unroll croissant rolls. Place half of rolls (two rectangles) in the bottom of an 8 x 8 inch square baking pan. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar.

2.Mix sugar, cream cheese, and vanilla in medium bowl. Spread over croissant rolls. Place remaining croissant rolls over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar. Pour butter over croissant layer.

3. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool. Serve at room temperature or chilled if desired.