Strawberry Pretzel Salad:

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!!

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July 4th is my absolute, favorite holiday after Christmas!

I just love everything about it, and the food is no exception!!!!!!

I know it's not yet the 4th, but I thought I should go ahead and post this recipe,

 in case anyone wanted to make it for their 4th of July celebration!  

This is one of my dad's favorite desserts! It's a staple at our 4th of July picnic every year!!

It's a little time consuming, but not at all hard.

I hope you give it a try! It makes a great summer time dessert!

1st Layer:
2 cups Gluten-Free Pretzels
3/4 cup melted butter

Place pretzels in a resealable plastic bag. Squish out all the air and seal. Using a rolling pin, pound the pretzels into small pieces. Pour into a 9x13 inch baking dish and spread out evenly. Drizzle with melted butter. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. Set aside to cool - DO NOT TOUCH THE PRETZELS! They will not stay together if you touch them. Cool completely before moving onto the second layer.

2nd Layer:
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 (12 oz) carton Cool Whip, thawed

Cream together cream cheese and sugar. Add cool whip and mix until well combined. Spoon into a large resealable plastic bag. Squish out all the air. Snip off one of the corners and pipe onto the pretzels after they are completely cool. Use a spatula to spread it out more evenly, if needed, but be very gentle; you don't want to brake the pretzels up.

3rd Layer:
1 package Strawberry Jello
1-1/4 cup boiling water
1 (14 oz) package frozen strawberry slices (see note)

Dissolve jello in boiling water. Add strawberries and stir. Chill for about 15 minutes or until just starting to thicken. Spread evenly over cream cheese layer. Chill until jello is completely set.

Note:
-The strawberries can be frozen or thawed when you use them...it really doesn't matter. If they are thawed, don't drain the juices off, just go ahead and stir them in with the strawberries.
-We generally make this the day before we want it. That way, everything is really nice and cold.
-Here is the pretzels that I use. They are very good to eat just plain and work great for this recipe. They are "Glutino" brand. You can find them in some health food stores, or you can purchase them here:  http://www.glutenfree.com/index.cfm/category/gluten-free-pretzels You can also use regular pretzels if you aren't gluten-intolerant.