Tasty Tuesday: Strawberry Pretzel Delight

When summertime rolled around as I was growing up, there was one dessert we could always count on my mom (we call her "Mimi" now) making. Because she is of the "it's not really dessert unless it has chocolate in it so don't give me any of that fruity junk" school of thought, I am surprised she ventured into the realm of strawberries, pretzels, and Cool Whip...but I am so glad she did! My sister, ever the *smart one*, kept telling me how great it was.

I always turned my nose up at this dish. In all honesty, it looks pretty gross; and it doesn't seem like the ingredients would go together. But I swear to you, when created correctly, it will make your taste buds sing for joy. My friend L can attest to that! She is the only one of my friends who has made this dish before. When I finally came to my senses and gave Mimi's dessert a try, I couldn't believe I'd missed out on so many summers of deliciousness. Mimi calls it "Strawberry Pretzel Salad", but I don't think the name does it justice. I shall refer to it as:

Strawberry Pretzel Delight

Ingredients for crust:
2 cups crushed pretzels
4 T. sugar
3/4 cup butter

~Melt butter and add sugar. Blend and then pour over crushed pretzels. Stir to coat, then press into greased 9x13 pan. Bake for 6 minutes at 400 degrees F. Set aside to cool.

Ingredients for Filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 Large Cool-Whip
1 Large Strawberry Jell-O
2 cups boiling water
20 oz. frozen strawberries

~ Mix cream cheese, sugar, and Cool Whip. Pour over crust and spread. Dissolve Jell-O in boiling water and add the frozen strawberries. Chill til almost frozen and then pour over the cream cheese filling. Refrigerate. (You want it to be pretty firm, otherwise it gets runny and that's just plain icky!)

This recipe would be a fabulous addition to a cook-out or get-together with friends. Our friends all seem to go on vacation during the summer, or maybe they are part of a magical, exclusive barbecue club that we're not aware of. Since T takes off work once every 15 years, we are home a lot during the summer. A lot. Maybe I'll just have to find an excuse to make it. It will be delightful! Now I can be the *smart one* too. (wink)

Check out some other Tasty Tuesday recipes over at Jen's Balancing Beauty and Bedlam blog today.

{Bon Appetit!}