Judy's Strawberry Pretzel Desert Salad

Everyone thinks salad includes vegetables and dressing but this one is very different. It is a delicious, three-layered desert salad. I found this recipe awhile back when I was looking for a good parfait to make for our Thanksgiving dinner. It is just an instruction video so I wrote out the recipe I used below. Everyone, except my little brother, loved this salad. He doesn't like strawberries so the whole idea of this salad just didn't go with him. It took a while to make this desert because I made homemade cream cheese and whipping cream but it was worth it. I thought it tasted amazing and so did my sisters and parents.

Instructions:
-1½ cups crushed pretzels
-4½ tablespoons of sugar
-1 cup of sugar
-¾ cup of softened butter
-2 cups of water (boiled)
-1 package of frozen strawberries (2 cups)
-2 packages of cream cheese (1 cup) (I made my own cream cheese... Recipe Here)

-1 container of whipping cream (1 cup) (again, I made my own... Recipe Here)
-1 package of strawberry jello (¾ cup) (DO NOT MAKE UNTIL INSTRUCTED TO DO SO)
-fresh strawberries (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix the crushed pretzels with ONLY 4½ tablespoons of sugar and the softened butter. Press into a 9x13 inch pan (I used a round cake pan). Back for around 9 minutes. Set aside until cooled completely. In a medium bowl, beat the sugar and the cream cheese together until smooth. Add whipping cream (put a little to the side so you can add some on top of the end result). Spread this mixture over the cooled crust. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes. In a medium bowl, stir the gelatin mix with the boiling water. Mix in the frozen strawberries and stir until they are thawed. Pour evenly over the cream cheese mixture in the pan. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (I froze the salad for 15 minutes before serving so it is easier to cut). When served, cut the salad into pie slices. Add some fresh strawberries and whipping cream on top of each slice to complete the look.