Raspberry Pretzel Jello Salad

Some things just belong together…like raspberries and summertime or raspberry pretzel jello salad and your next BBQ! Three layers of jello salad joy.

Now I don’t know if this is a salad or a dessert, but it is so delicious that it doesn’t matter! It has a sweet and salty pretzel crust layer, a sweet cream cheese filling layer and a fruity tart jello layer on top.

I’m realizing people have a bigger opinion on berries than I ever knew. Are you a lover of raspberries and hater of blueberries? 

If you had to pick would you go strawberry or raspberry?

Our strawberry pretzel jello salad brought up so many requests for one vs the other and since I happen to love both, I tend to pull for team strawberry, but I really had no choice but to create a raspberry pretzel jello version. I mean, it’s all in the name of research, am I right? 😉

Plus it tastes like cheesecake but you serve it as a side dish. Who in the world is the genius that brought this first to Thanksgiving dinner?

Ingredients Needed for Raspberry Pretzel Salad

Here is your grocery list for each of the three layers of this salad:

Pretzel Layer

• Pretzels: any brand or shape of pretzel will work great since they crushed into small pieces
• Butter: helps bind the crust together and adds rich yummy flavor
• Brown Sugar: adds flavor and sweetness
• Sugar: adds more sweetness

Cream Layer

• Sugar: adds sweetness to the creamy layer
• Cream Cheese: make sure it is softened to room temperature so it doesn’t get lumpy
• Cool Whip: adds sweetness, structure and creaminess to the cream layer

Jello Layer

• Raspberry Jello: you will follow the instructions on the Jello box to make this layer
• Water: used to make the Jello
• Raspberries: fresh or frozen can be used and will work great

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card below.

How to Make Raspberry Pretzel Salad

The steps for making this recipe are simple. Here they are broken down by layer:

Pretzel Layer

• Preheat oven.
• Combine all the ingredients well.
• Press into baking dish.
• Bake and let cool completely.

Cream Layer

• Beat the sugar and cream cheese together.
• Fold in Cool Whip.
• Spread over cooled pretzel layer.

Jello Layer

• Mix the jello powder and boiling water until the powder is dissolved.
• Stir in the rasp

This homemade brown gravy is delicious on turkey, chicken, beef, potatoes, poutine, and more – best of all, it’s easily made without any meat drippings!

Gravy without Drippings

Lots of traditional brown gravy recipes use drippings from meat as a base. While I’ve made and enjoyed many old-fashioned gravies over the years, for this gravy recipe, I opt to use broth and butter instead of drippings and fat from the meat.

There’s an added benefit to making gravy without any meat drippings in that it allows you to make gravy both on any occasion and ahead of time for big meals like Thanksgiving.

I love being able to tuck the gravy in the fridge a few days early and not give it another thought until it’s time to serve the big meal.

Are you familiar with poutine? Hot french fries (or pommes frites) are covered in gooey cheese curds and other toppings and then smothered in rich brown gravy to make Poutine.

It’s a favorite dish in Canada (and parts of the Northern U.S.) and one of my new favorite ways to enjoy warm gravy. We tried Poutine for the first time in Montreal and absolutely loved it.

Ever since then, I’ve been making poutine at home that’s just as hearty and tasty as the one we had up north. I shared a copycat recipe for our favorite Montreal-Style Poutine from our trip and you’ve loved it as much as we do!

One of the most important parts of making good poutine is the gravy. It carries much of the flavor in the dish and helps tie everything together.

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Honey Roasted Chicken

Juicy, golden honey roasted chicken with crispy glazed skin that is pure comfort! This roasted whole chicken recipe is made for Sunday dinner!

Growing up my favorite meal was honey roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy (actually I ate it plain with butter most times) fresh corn and jello. Yup, I said jello. I requested this dinner every year for my birthday dinner. It was perfection.

Then I grew up and forgot all about roasted chicken. Why? Because buying boneless skinless chicken took over my life. It was easy to buy, easy to freeze and defrost and easy to cook up. But, then I remembered my long ago love for roasted chicken and found this recipe.

I mean hello! Just look at the beautiful golden, delicious skin! I love bringing back old favorites. Don’t you? So many memories.

Ingredients for Honey Roasted Chicken

For the Chicken

• Whole Chicken: You want a chicken that weighs 3-4 lbs. This is good healthy protein!
• Seasonings: Salt, Pepper, and Smoked Paprika
• Aromatics: Onion, Lemon, Garlic, Thyme Sprigs, and Parsley
• Butter: Gets mixed with the seasonings to rub all over the chicken under the skin.
• Egg: Brushed on the skin and helps the skin get crispy.

For the Honey Glaze

• Cornstarch: helps thicken the glaze
• Water: combines with the cornstarch to thicken the glaze
• Honey: adds natural sweetness, flavor and thickness to the glaze
• Apple Cider Vinegar: adds flavor and acidity
• Chicken Broth: adds flavor and is the bulk of the base for the glaze
• White Wine: you can use real wine, cooking wine or just double the chicken broth
• Thyme: adds flavor and freshness to the glaze
• Butter: adds richness

The measurements for all the ingredients can be found in the recipe card down below. Keep scrolling for all the details!

Why Put Lemon in a Roast Chicken?

Lemon is a great aromatic that releases its flavor into the chicken as it roasts. It adds a delicious flavor to the meat along with the herbs, onions, garlic, etc.

Is Roasting Different Than Baking?

Roasting is done at a higher temperature (400°F and above) to create a browned, flavorful “crust” on the outside of the food.

Baking is done at a lower temperature.

Roasting is usually done in an opened, uncovered pan, and foods that are baked are usually covered.

How Do You Keep Chicken from Drying Out When Roasting?

My top tip for keeping chicken moist while roasting is to truss the chicken. Getting the wings

If you want something a little different for your Thanksgiving this year, this roast turkey with herbs and wine is a great way to go. Using this method, you can cook a 12-pound turkey from start to finish in under an hour!

Fastest Way to Cook a Turkey

This recipe lets you skip carving at the table and speed up the roasting process. By cutting the turkey into parts before cooking, you get a faster and easier way to make a great roasted turkey.

This method produces an unbelievably moist turkey, full of flavor from fresh herbs and wine. Best of all,  I especially love being able to serve the turkey within minutes from the oven without waiting for it to be carved.

I served this turkey to a friend who was visiting years ago and she went crazy for it. This is now her favorite way to cook a turkey and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

While we’re on the subject of turkey, if you’re lucky enough to have leftover turkey, this Creamy Turkey Noodle Soup is comfort food at its best. It’s a down-home combination of leftover turkey meat, carrots, celery, and hearty egg noodles that’ll keep you warm on a cold winter night and perk you up when you’re feeling under the weather.

Turkey Seasoning

This herb roasted turkey recipe uses two different varieties of wine to bring out the best in the roast turkey. White wine is added right to the roasting pan, then marsala wine is mixed with the juices along with cranberry sauce or jam to drizzle on top of the finished turkey.

The herbs for turkey are simple and easy to find fresh in most groce

Classic Pumpkin Pie

Oh, pumpkin pie, oh pumpkin pie, thy flavor is so lovely… Who needs the Christmas tree song when we could be singing about pie? In fact, I’m pretty sure a song about pie would not only be awesome but certainly the most delicious song ever.

Our classic pumpkin pie totally made from scratch, from the best pie crust recipe ever to a pumpkin filling that is perfectly spiced and creamy, it is a must-make every Thanksgiving.

I know we have some haters out there (haters gonna hate, hate, hate. Thank you Taylor Swift.) I can’t even understand the hate, but it’s fine. It exists. I believe that every blog should share their favorite classic recipes and this one is one of my favorites. Well this, and Mom’s Lemon Meringue Pie. 

Thanksgiving For Me Growing Up

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. As a kid we always celebrated with more people than even fit into a house. Seriously, I remember going to my grandpa’s house in Le Grande, Oregon and all of the cousins, aunts and uncles would pile into the house, set up tables and chairs in every nook and cranny and still some of us kids would end up parking it on the floor somewhere because there just wasn’t enough room for so many people.

If we didn’t travel then we would have as much family at our house in Vancouver, Washington as possible and then Dad would make sure that everyone at church had a place to go and often we would end up with a few extra families that had nowhere to go. It was awesome! The cousins ran around playing, everyone was snacking and finally we had a prayer and “dinner” which usually happened mid afternoon so it wasn’t dinner at all.

Then we would clean up (always paper products as dishes for that many people would have been insane), the ladies and kids would do fun Christmas crafts, the men would sleep or watch football and then pie for all!

And my favorite part? Well, the pie of course, but I actually loved the next day even more. We would be lazy and watch movies all day, snacking on leftovers and making turkey sandwiches on rolls. I love those sandwiches more than the actual dinner!

Thanksgiving at Our House Now

Most importantly it had been a time to be together, no matter who we were. Everyone always had a place to go, which I’ll be honest has been a little hard living where we live. Most people have lived here their whole lives and have so much family that they make their own plans and stick closely with their fam. If you aren’t from here and aren’t going anywhere it kind of feels lonely now. It’s not the holiday I grew up with, but it has taught me that I must be like Dad, always reach out and see if anyone else is alone instead of only focusing on my family. But, we do have pie, and pie makes everything ok.

Ingredients for Pumpkin Pie

You’ll want to start by making my favorite pie crust recipe or Mom’s failproof magic crust. It makes a double crust, so you’ll only need half the dough for this pumpkin pie.