Lisa Week: Strawberry Pretzel Salad

I can't imagine who thought of combining pretzels with jello but it's good. Try it for Valentine's Day!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

2 cups crushed pretzels
3/4 cup butter
3 teaspoons sugar
1-8 ounce pkg cream cheese
1 cups sugar
1-9 ounce carton Cool Whip
2 small packages strawberry Jello
2 cups boiling water
2-10 ounce packages frozen strawberries

Combine pretzels, butter, sugar and press into a 9 X 13 pan. Bake for 8 minutes at 400 degrees. Cool. Mix cream cheese, sugar, and Cool Whip and spread over the cooled crust. Let stand 10 minutes, then refrigerate until set. Mix the Jello, water and strawberries and let set in refrigerator until slightly thickened. Pour over the cream cheese mixture and chill well.

Jewel Cookies

This recipe was given to me many years ago by Val, a sweet lady and a wonderful cook. She's old school...her recipe calls for oleo. I have no idea what that is, but I think it means butter. Yummy, wonderful butter. These make a perfect little Valentine's Day cookie, don't you think?

Jewel Cookies

1/2 cup oleo (or butter)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sifted flour
1 egg white (slightly beaten)
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts
Jam
Glaze (see below)

Mix oleo, sugar, yolk and vanilla until smooth. Stir in flour. Roll into balls. Roll into egg white, then nuts. Press with thumb and bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes. While cookies are baking, mix 4 tablespoons powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons milk for glaze. Remove cookies from oven and press with thumb again, fill with jam and drizzle with glaze.

For the slightly more labor-intensive Valentine's version, roll dough into teeny balls, roll in egg yolk and chopped nuts. Then place very close together on cookie sheet and smush the two ends together to form a heart. Bake, jam and glaze.

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