Pretzel Jell-O

It looks like I inadvertently took a vacation from the blog this month, amiright? I’m sorry I haven’t posted all month–but I’ve been ultra-busy and I might (I might!) have an exciting announcement come September.

But! Speaking of September, Labor Day weekend is right around the corner. So I am giving you a recipe that you should definitely make for one of your celebrations. It is Pretzel Jell-O!

Check out the sweet 1980s recipe card from my mum’s collection:

I don’t know the genesis of this recipe, but I was led to believe that it was a mid-Western thing (those of you in other parts of the country, please tell me if I’m wrong).

But regardless of its origins, it is delicious. It may be my most-favorite gelatin-based dish. And although there are a lot of steps, it’s not that hard. It’s not like those recipes that you have to layer Jell-O on Jell-O and hope they stick. See Jell-O Rainbow Cake.

Let’s get started with STEP ONE!

OF COURSE my mind goes here:

Joey McIntyre is my EVERYTHING.

But I digress. Let’s do this thing.

STEP ONE! (we can have lots of fun)

• 2 cups crushed pretzels
• 3/4 cup margarine
• 2 tbsp sugar
• Mix together and press into 9×13 pan. Bake for 8 minutes at 400 degrees. Let cool.

STEP TWO! (there’s so much we can do)

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 cup sugar
• 9 oz cool whip
• Beat until smooth. Spread on top of crust.

STEP THREE! (it’s just you and meeeeeeee!)

• 6 oz package strawberry Jell-O
• Two ten oz packages frozen strawberries
• Dissolve Jell-O in two cups boiling water. Stir in fruit. Let Jell-O stand for ten minutes until starting to thicken. Spread over cheese and chill. (note: I let the strawberries thaw a little bit before mixing them with the Jell-O.
• 

STEP FOUR! (I can give you more)

Um. Not really a step. But I took this to a rooftop party on the 4th of July!

STEP FIVE! (don’t you know that the time has arrived?…HUH!)

Yes, the time has arrived.  To serve it.

OK, the photos don’t do it justice. But it was yummy. Trust me.

Yo, check it–how sweet is this deck?

And, in addition to watching the fireworks (and I brought sparklers and little firecrackers from PA), our host, Will, had these awesome lanterns–you know the kind–the paper lanterns that they send off en masse in those lantern festivals in Thailand.

I took a video, but because I am not smart when it comes to my smart phone, I couldn’t get it to upload. I am lame.

Anyway, I hope that you all end your summers on a high note! And, to quote the song, I’ll See You in September!

Also, I really hope that someone googles “New Kids on the Block Jell-O” and finds this.

Or I don’t. Who googles that?