Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Good Tuesday morning!

NOTE TO TONYA - I am so glad your "Night at the Museum" was GREAT! I wish my guys were the right ages to enjoy such an exciting night. I LOVE that the characters from the movies were there to interact with the kids. Thanks for letting me know how it turned out.

Well, Austin has narrowed his trip down to two choices... Washington, D.C. or San Antonio... OR Washington, D.C. or the State of Tennessee. (Is that really considered narrowing it down? Austin thinks so.) Don't tell him, but I feel like since Washington, D.C. showed up in both options, he may be leaning a little that way. (I may start a contest to see if you can guess where he'll be going, because Mikie and I don't have a clue!)

NOTE - If anyone out there is a Man vs. Wild fan, tonight on the Discovery Channel at 8:00 p.m. Will Ferrell will be joining Bear Grylls on a real adventure. We're planning on watching it as a family. (I know, I know. Will Ferrell can be like his character on Elf, OR he can be like his character in Talladega Nights... which I didn't see. We're watching it with the remote in hand in case it goes in a bad direction. However, if he's "Elf Funny," it could be a really great show.) We'll see.

Typical Week of Summer - Day 2

The Gallery contains a pic of our community pool today. The local pool is an integral part of a typical week in our household. Some weeks we go four times... some weeks we go once. Whenever we feel the urge, we pack up and head to our local pool. Our most favorite thing to do (and we do this less often since the guys have gotten older) is order pizza on Tuesday or Thursday nights and eat at the pool and swim until 8:00 p.m. (Mike meets us there after work.) These are the two nights the pool stays open late. It is comfortable. It is relaxing. It is fun.

Another thing we love to do in the summer is take advantage of all the great movies out there. Whether we go to the Argo Drive-In or a regular theater or we watch a video in the den, we all love movies. I didn't take a picture of Josh and friends at the theater last night watching UP... they're a little old for that, you know. But we went, and the movie was GREAT. (They let me and Roxie tag along.) When I grow up, I want to work for Disney/Pixar.

Although we have a lot of fun in a week, there is also a lot of work to be done. Austin and Josh share a lawn care business (eight lawns), so several times a week, they can be seen cutting someone's yard. (Roxie took those pictures for me since they were cutting a lawn a few doors down today. She loves espionage work!)

CONTEST! CONTEST! CONTEST!

Do not forget this week's contest. Everyone loves free movies... and I'm offering to give away TWO (and a half) movie rentals! Read Monday's post for contest rules. Remember you have until Friday, June 5 at midnight! Every one is eligible!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

This is Paula Deen's recipe, so you know it is SOOO good.

2 cups crushed pretzels
3/4 cup melted butter
3 tablespoons sugar, plus 3/4 cup sugar
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1 (8-ounce) container whipped topping
2 (3-ounce) packages strawberry gelatin dessert
2 cups boiling water
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen strawberries
Whipped topping or whipped cream, to garnish

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. For the crust, mix the pretzels, butter, and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Press this mixture into a 9" by 13" pan and bake for 7 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.

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

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

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

As I mentioned yesterday, this is a favorite of Mikie's. Paula Deen adds crushed pineapples to her recipe, but I left that part out since I've never added the pineapple. I stuck to the recipe we all know and love in our house.

Have a great Tuesday. Who knows what might happen today! It's kind of exciting, isn't it?

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.