Desserts

STRAWBERRY PRETZEL PIE

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups crushed thin pretzel sticks (see Notes)
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 heaping cups sliced strawberries, fresh or frozen
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup whipped topping (see Notes)
• 1 package (6 ounce) strawberry flavor gelatin

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Finely crush pretzels with a rolling pin or food processor. Combine crushed pretzels with 3 tablespoons sugar and butter. With a spatula, press pretzel mixture into the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking pan to form a crust. Bake 6 to 10 minutes until lightly browned. Cool completely.

Pour 2 cups bowling water over strawberry gelatin. Stir until melted and let cool to room temperature.

Beat cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, and whipped topping until combined. Spread evenly over cooled crust.

Add strawberries to cooled gelatin and let thicken slightly. Spread over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate until firm.

Cut into squares to serve.

Yield: 24 to 36 servings, depending on cut size

Notes: As for the pretzels, select thin pretzel sticks. A 9-ounce package is plenty for the pie shell. Real whipped cream may be used, of course, but Cool Whip and prepared Dream Whip work equally as well and are not quite as rich and heavy.

SOPHIE’S FAMOUS “STUCK IN A BLIZZARD” PUMPKIN TORTE

Crush: 1 2/3 c. graham crackers, 1/3 c. sugar and 1/2 c. butter. Melt butter and mix with graham crackers and sugar. Press into 9×13 pan.

Filling: 8 oz. cream cheese at room temp., 2 eggs, 3/4 c. sugar. Beat cream cheese until fluffy then add eggs and sugar. Beat until blended.

Spoon over crust and bake at 350 for 20 min. Cool.

Pumpkin Filling: 1 T plain gelatin, 1/4 c. cold water, 1 16oz. can pumpkin, 3 egg yolks, 3 egg whites, 1/2 c. sugar, 1/2 c. milk, 1 t. cinnamon, 1/2 t. salt.

Soften gelatin in cold water. Mix pumpkin, egg yolks, sugar, milk, cinnamon and salt in saucepan and cook til slightly thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add gelatin and stir til dissolved. Cool. Beat egg whites til stiff. Add 1/4 c. sugar gradually. Fold into pumpkin mixture and pour over cooled cheese layer. Chill overnight. Top with whipped cream. Garnish with nuts and halved maraschino cherries.

Recipe courtesy of Lori Knapp Albright and her grandmother, Sophie Mileski Knapp.