Strawberry Pretzel Salad

I first had this salad at a park in Arizona as part of Thanksgiving dinner (lunch).  My sister's husband's cousin made it and it was delicious.  I think she made it with raspberries.  I decided to make this a part of our Easter dinner today and my kids loved it!  (Go figure.)  They would have been happy to eat only this salad and nothing else for dinner.  This recipe originally comes from Paula Deen (Food Network).

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

2 cups crushed pretzels
3/4 cup melted butter
3 Tbsp sugar, plus 3/4 cup sugar
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
1 (8 oz.) container whipped topping (thawed in fridge)
2 (3 oz.) packages strawberry gelatin dessert mix
2 cups boiling water
2 (10 oz.) packages frozen strawberries (Mine were whole so I cut them up into quarters.)
1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple
Whipped topping or whipped cream, to garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

For the crust, mix the pretzels, butter and 3 Tbsp of sugar.  Press this mixture into a 9X13 pan and bake for 7 minutes.  Set aside and allow to cool.

In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and 3/4 cup of sugar.  Fold in whipped topping, and spread over the cooled crust.  Refrigerate until well chilled.

In a small bowl, dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water, and allow to cool slightly.  Add the strawberries and pineapple and pour over the cream cheese mixture.  Refrigerate until serving time.

To serve, cut slices and serve with a dollop of whipped topping.