Strawberry Pretzel Salad - from Lacey J.

A friend from work, Lacey, made this recipe for a party we had a few weeks ago, and it was a big hit!  So, I asked her for the recipe and made it for our clothing swap.  It's a recipe that's been around for years, but it's one that nearly everyone loves!  For those of you who like recipes that involve minimal cooking, this one is great.  Make sure to save enough time to let everything rest before moving onto the next step.  I was worried that my jello mixture was too watery to pour over the top, so I put it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to give it time to congeal first.  I used unsalted pretzels because I'm not a huge fan of salty/sweet mixes, but you could definitely use either.  Lacey and I also both used one package of regular cream cheese and one package of fat free or reduced fat cream cheese (just to make ourselves feel a little better!).

Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels
4 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted1 cup white sugar
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (6 ounce) package strawberry flavored gelatin
2 cups boiling water
1 (16 ounce) package frozen strawberries

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Mix together the pretzels, 4 1/2 tablespoons sugar and melted butter. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Set aside to cool completely.
2.In a medium bowl, beat the sugar and cream cheese until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spread evenly over the cooled crust. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.
3.In a medium bowl, stir together the gelatin mix and boiling water. Mix in frozen strawberries, and stir until thawed. Pour over cream cheese mixture in pan. Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 1 hour.