Rhubarb Strawberry Jello

This is originally from Country Cooking. I noticed my Rhubarb starting to peek up today. I'll need to be using these recipes soon!

4 cups rhubarb (fresh or frozen)
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
1 6 oz package strawberry Jello (sugar free works too)
1 cup orange juice (or some lemon juice, cut with water)
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries*

Bring rhubarb, water and sugar to a boil over medium heat. Cook until rhubarb is tender, 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat.

Stir in gelatin until dissolved. Add orange juice, mix well.

Chill until mixture begins to thicken. Fold in strawberries. Chill until set. Arrange a few more strawberries on top for looks.

*NOTE: I usually use 2 cups or 1 pound of strawberries.

Raspberry Gelatin Salad with Pretzel Topping

Easter is coming... if you need to make something to impress the in-laws, I'm going to add some recipes to the blog that might qualify, including this one.

Church cookbooks are the best places to find recipes. This one appears in the St. Isidore the Farmer Catholic Church Cookbook - aka the cookbook from the parishes I attended as a child.

2 - 3 oz. boxes Raspberry Jello (sugar-free works too)
2 cups boiling water
2 - 10 oz. containers of frozen raspberries with juice
1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels (crushed with your hands not pulverized by a machine)
3/4 cup melted butter
2 Tbsp sugar (yes, sugar... no substitutes!)
8 oz Cool Whip
8 oz Cream Cheese
1 cup sugar

Dissolve Jello in water. Add berries with juice. Pour into a glass bowl. Refrigerate until set.

Meanwhile, mix pretzels, melted butter and 2 Tablespoons sugar. Spread into a 9 x 13 pan. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Stir loose from the pan and let cool.

After Jello is set, blend together cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and Cool Whip. Spread cream cheese mixture over Jello. Sprinkle pretzels over top.

Refrigerate until servied.