[1] First, make the ice pops. Serve them with sliced watermelon and Coors Light (both photos © Coors Light).

[2] Before taking a bite, dip the pop into the chili salt blend. Bite, enjoy, then have a sip of Coors Light.

National Michelada Day is July 12th. But because you might want to serve these over the July 4th holiday weekend, we’re giving you a head start.

For those who crave both ice pops and beer, here’s an idea from Coors Light: two Mexican favorites, a paleta (ice pop) crossed with a michelada (beer cocktail).

The Coors Light “Palecheladas” are a treat on a hot day. Developed as an easy recipe by Fany Gerson of New York’s La Newyorkina sweet shop to create a simple recipe.
 
 
RECIPE: COORS LIGHT PALECHELADA BY LA NEWYORKINA

Ingredients For 4-6 Pops

 
Preparation

1. WHISK the salt, lime juice, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce in a pitcher. Once mixed, add the beer and blend until it’s all combined.

2. POUR the mixture into an ice pop mold and freeze for approximately 5 hours or overnight. To release from conventional molds…

3. DIP the paleta in warm water to help loosen it from the mold. Carefully pull it out, dip it in the chili salt blend and serve.

Here’s a step-by-step video.

If you like beer and hot sauce, the michelada (mee-cheh-LAH-dah) is a drink you should try.

It’s a traditional Mexican beer cocktail (“cerveza preparada,” in Spanish), consisting of beer, lime and hot sauce served over ice in a salt-rimmed glass.

 
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*You can use a store-bought blend like Tajín Seasoning, or make your own by mixing coarse or kosher salt with any ground chili spice.
 

Want a super-easy dessert for July 4th weekend?

This trifle combines sweetened, beaten cream cheese with fresh berries. There’s no cooking: Just add sugar and vanilla to the cream cheese, and layer it with the berries.

It’s like an unbaked cheesecake, a nice change from the classic British custard-and-pound-cake trifle.

Thanks to Taste of Home for the recipe.
 
 
RECIPE: JULY 4TH TRIFLE IN RED, WHITE & BLUE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. BEAT the cream cheese, sugar and extracts in a large bowl until fluffy. Fold in the whipped cream.

2. PLACE a third of the mixture in a 4-quart bowl. Reserve 20 strawberry halves and 1/2 cup of the blueberries for the garnish.

3. LAYER half of the the remaining strawberries and blueberries over the cream mixture. Top with another third of the cream mixture and the remaining berries. Spread the remaining cream mixture on top.

4. CREATE a flag design on top with the reserved strawberries and blueberries.

[1] An easy July 4th dessert, no cooking required—just a little mixing (photo © Taste Of Home).

[2] Blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries from Driscoll’s (photo © Driscoll’s Berries).

For more July 4th desserts, check yesterday’s post.

[1] An Independence Day ice cream cone (photo courtesy Baldor Specialty Foods).

[2] You can make ice cream with holiday sprinkles, or soften regular vanilla and stir them in (photo © OddFellows Ice Cream | NYC).

Here’s an easy and fun red-white-and-blue dessert or snack for the July 4th holiday weekend made with:

 
Just insert the blueberries into the raspberries, and press the fruit lightly into the ice cream.

TIP: Freeze the berries lightly so you can press them in without crushing the fruit.

Thanks to Baldor Specialty Foods for the idea.
 
 
MORE JULY 4TH DESSERTS