My family is a traditional Midwestern Wisconsin family. Most of our meals include meat, potatoes and a vegetable. Our Thanksgiving meal is what you may find typical: turkey, potatoes, homemade gravy, cranberries, corn, and pumpkin bars. Although all of this food is absolutely delicious, about five years ago, my mom decided to offer a lighter salad with the meal. When she did this, she had no idea how it would become a family favorite or that this new salad would be the ‘go-to’ salad when someone in our family has to bring a dish-to-pass.

What did my mom make that was so delicious? Pretzel salad. It has a salty/sweet taste that everyone will like. Here is the recipe:

Pretzel Salad

1 cup pretzels

½ cup butter

1/3 cup sugar

8 oz. cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar

20 oz. crushed pineapple (drained)

8 oz. whipped topping

Crush pretzels; add sugar (1/3 cup) and melted butter. Spread evenly on cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for minutes. Be careful not to over-bake, as the pretzels can burn easily. Remove from oven and let cool. Next, mix cream cheese, sugar (1/2 cup), pineapple, and whipped topping. Add pretzel mixture just before serving. If you want the taste to be less sweet, use just a little less sugar.

This is an easy salad that requires fairly little prep time. And, it is a nice, light touch to add to a traditionally heavy meal. It has been the perfect addition to our family holiday meals. Check out the above recipe, try it out, and let us know how your family liked it by commenting below.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted by Heather, a Dot-arilla Blogger