strawberry margarita pie

I've always loved including liquor in food, mostly because when I was younger I could get my mom to buy the liquor for me if I promised to make her desserts like Black Russian cake or strawberry margarita pie. Now I have to buy my own darn liquor, but this pie is worth it. Plus I have most of a bottle of a tequila left, with which I can make real margaritas to accompany the pie. I can't remember exactly where I got this recipe. I think I adapted it from one of my mom's cookbooks that featured products by name, e.g. "Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk." But it's so hard to remember through the sweet tequila haze. This recipe is nothing more than a guideline--I've never really measured ingredients for it, but it always turns out fine, so adjust to taste.

Strawberry Margarita Pie

crust
1 1/2 cups pretzel crumbs
1/3 cup melted butter
1/3 cup sugar

combine pretzels, butter and sugar and press into pie pan. Bake at 350 until crust begins to brown, 7-8 minutes. Watch closely to prevent burning. Cool completely.

filling
about 1 pound strawberries, fresh or frozen
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup tequila (or to taste...the more tequila you use, the softer the frozen pie will be)
juice of 1-2 limes, depending on how much you like lime
1 tablespoon triple sec if you've got it (you probably won't miss it)
1 cup heavy cream (or two cups Cool Whip, if you must)

Blend everything except for the cream until smooth. I used my immersion blender, but you could use a blender or hand mixer. Pretend you're making a milkshake. At this point, you could drink it, but it's much nicer frozen.

Whip cream separately, then fold into strawberry mixture. Taste and add lime juice and tequila until it's a creamy version of your favorite strawberry margarita. Pour filling into cooled crust and freeze for several hours. Serve with a tequila garnish.