PADUCAH, KY - SyoerValu Foods Recipe of the Week - Serves 12

TOPPING:
1 large box strawberry-banana gelatin (or plain strawberry)
1 cup chopped apples, peel on
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries (set aside 12 strawberry slices for garnish)

Folow directions on box to make the gellatin. Let it begin to gel and then fold in the apples, pecans and strawberries. Set aside and make the crust and filling.

CRUST:
2 cups crushed pretzels
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar

Mix ingredients together and spread evenly in 9" X 13" baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 7 minutes. Cool.

FILLING:
8 ounces cream cheese. slightly softened
1 cup sugar
6 ounces Cool Whip, safe 1/4 cup for garnish)  
        (I prefer using 1/2 pint heavy cream, stiffly whipped)
 
Beat all ingredients together until smooth.

Spread the filling on top of the cooled crust. Top with the strawberry gelatin mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Cut in squares and serve with a dollop of that extra whipped cream and a strawberry slice. A sprig of fresh mint adds a nice touch. ENJOY! Just a delicious combination of salty and sweet. This can be served as a salad or dessert. It's best to eat within 24 hours of preparing. After that, the pretzels lose their crunch and the salad isn't as good.

Here's a short story about preparing this recipe that will leave you in stitches:
Once when making this recipe for a crowd of over 200, my friend and catering cohort Michele agreed to make the pretzel salads. She took all the ingredients home with her and when she filled her refrigerator with the dishes of warm topping, her refrigerator went into defrost mode. In desperation, she took the warm salad mixture to neighbors in hopes of getting it to chill. She thought her frig was broken but was it turned out to have only been overloaded. She vowed to never make this recipe again. We had always used the commercial refrigerators but the catering job came at a very busy time and our crew all agreed to make the menu items at home and bring to the event. This is a perfect example why food for large crowds should be prepared in commercial licensed kitchens. The pretzel salad was one of our most requested recipes. You can see it is easy to make, just has to be prepared in three different steps. 
  
This recipe is shared April 30-May 4, 2012
on NewsTALK 94.3 FM, AM 570 WKYX, AM 1560 WPAD,
AM 1450 WDXR, and AM 1320 WNGO.
Ro's recipes are sponsored by SuperValu Foods
on Jackson Street and on Lone Oak Road in Paducah, KY.
Check out more recipes online at: www.supervalupaducah.com