Mealtime Monday

I'm trying something new this week. I'm going to try to blog a different topic every day like book reviews one day, recipes another. If it works well I may continue this the whole summer. So today is Mealtime Monday and I thought I'd share a recipe for the best kindof food - dessert!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad
This dessert is a real winner with my family - it's become my signature dessert. I think my family is actually disappointed whenever I make a different dessert because they love this one so much! :)

1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels (pretzel sticks work best)
4 1/2 T. white sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup white sugar
2 (8 oz) pkgs cream cheese, softened
1 (8 oz) Cool Whip, thawed
1 (6 oz) pkg strawberry flavored jello
2 cups boiling water
1 (16 oz) pkg frozen sliced strawberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Crush pretzels until they measure 1 1/2 cups. I use a meat tenderizer mallet.
2. In a 9x13 inch pan, mix together the crushed pretzels, 4 1/2 T. sugar & melted butter. Press into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Set aside to cool completely.

3. In a medium bowl, beat 1 cup sugar & cream cheese until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spread evenly over the cooled crust. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes then move to next step.

4. In a medium bowl, stir together the jello mix & boiling water. Mix in frozen strawberries & stir until thawed. Pour over cream cheese mixture in pan. Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 1 hour. ENJOY!!!